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Old 05-10-2016, 01:40 PM   #41
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Lots of great things to try. I was recently diagnosed with Arthritis in my shoulder. I started using Topricin and it has greatly diminished the pain, but the pain level was probably only around a 4 most days. Now, there is virtually none and I am able to return to my training.

It may not be enough for you, but maybe if some of the other suggestions lessen the pain, it could "finish" the job.

I have also been doing Yoga 3x a week.

I am sorry you are living in such pain.
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Old 05-10-2016, 03:16 PM   #42
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I also have an undiagnosed, progressive, painful condition which has completely disrupted my life.


In your case, consider redoubling your efforts on body posture/alignment. Check out the Gokhale method or Gokhale training. See a rolfer. Double down on getting your bones, muscles, and connective tissue in sync. It's relatively risk free and could help.


Alternatively you have referred pain, but I assume you've been scanned head to toe. For instance, there are reports of gall bladder attacks causing unexplained back pain (just as an example). But if you haven't had your insides from neck to bladder scanned, you might look 'into' that.


good luck
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Old 05-10-2016, 04:31 PM   #43
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True but what I didn't mention is that is you have a really bad spasm or spell you can take it internally, I have done this a few time BUT usually with a bowl of ice cream...the video I watched also said if you have chest pain or other Heart attack indicators swallow a spoon full immediately as it would be aspirin on steroids. So I would only use vodka for my tonic. 99.9 % of my use is topical. Stick with the vodka for peace of mind and safety.

If anyone out there has stomach issues, you can follow the same recipe and use fresh mint instead of peppers. You will have to take this orally but it's the go to in our house for tummy issues.

Do you mine posting the video.


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Old 05-10-2016, 05:00 PM   #44
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Sorry, I just got to watch my friends VHS video once over 10 years ago. I wrote the recipes down by hand and went from there. I don't even remember the guy/and or doctors name. The friend that showed it to me is now deceased, or I would ask him about it.
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Old 05-10-2016, 07:52 PM   #45
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So sorry , I have read your past posts on your pain and how frustrating it is . I really have no solutions but I would also suggest trying alternate therapy including acupuncture ,stress reduction and even bio feed back . Good luck !
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Old 05-10-2016, 09:35 PM   #46
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So sorry , I have read your past posts on your pain and how frustrating it is .
+1

I have no suggestions either, I'm afraid, though there look to have been some interesting (and possibly useful) ones so far in this thread.

About a year ago, I had severe abdominal pain and after an ultrasound, was told it was just gas. That didn't seem right, and the second time I had the pain, an MRI revealed that I had compression fractures in my spine that had probably triggered nerve pain. I was also told that I have had Scheuermann's disease from a young age. All through school I was told to sit up straight, and even the GP in our village, after looking at my shoulders and curved back, just asked if I was having an unhappy childhood. Such was the state of medical practice at the time, I suppose, or perhaps he was just not keeping up with things. For my entire life, I have wondered why my shoulders were rounded, and it wasn't until the age of 52, that a nurse noticed the curvature and recommended exploratory X-rays and an MRI, and later informed me of the diagnosis. Kind of wish I'd known when younger.

Anyway, it's nothing compared to what you're going through, but the combination of the regular pain and not knowing what is causing it, must be very stressful. Along with everyone else here, I hope you find the cause, and a way of effectively dealing with it, soon.
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Old 05-10-2016, 09:50 PM   #47
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OP - did you have xrays and an MRI ?

I hope you find the answer.

I had back pain, with a leg going dead, it was there, then it was gone, then it was back again. I put up with it for years, then it got worse and I decided I had to get it checked or quit work.
Doc's looked at me, had me bend this way and that, had me do physio therapy.
Finally after I complained how nothing helped, they took x-rays.
One look at the x-rays, and I was seeing a surgeon to discuss when I wanted surgery.
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Old 05-11-2016, 02:05 AM   #48
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Another vote for Egoscue. He looks at the body the way a mechanical engineer would.

My DH went to an Egoscue therapist with whom he still does an occasional Skype session and does his exercises daily without fail for the past 5-6 years. His back (several herniated discs) and knee pain (no cartilage or miniscus in one knee) are gone and he jogs and walks daily, plays golf, etc. He's 73.


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Old 05-11-2016, 09:28 AM   #49
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For whatever reason, yesterday was a good day. Had the energy to have good time with my wife and son and got some work done as well. Today I feel it creeping back in...doing the exact same routine as yesterday...what is the difference? I know it's possible to feel good, why can I not experience that more often? I just hate living like this. I need to be able to play with my boy without pain in the background...

Thanks for the suggestions and support. I'll make a list of ideas to try. Part of my problem is that when I was going through everything and the kitchen sink to address this is that I was working on both the sciatic and the upper back pain and because of the variability of both day-to-day it was hard to notice progress.

Some things I have tried...

Miracle balls - have them, at one point in the past thought they helped some but when I tried them again did not feel a difference. Have also used tennis/lacrosse balls and foam roller for self-massage but limited effect.


Have a sit/stand desk, have tried going 100% standing for periods but did not notice a difference.


John Sarno - read the book, while a little skeptical I am open to his ideas but I did not find a real path to fixing the tension in his book. Clearly there is a mind-body link. I know there are other structured TMS plans which I may try.


Escogue - read the book and did the exercises back when the sciatic was the main issue, did not notice a difference. I could try the escogue person in Houston. While I would gladly pay $$$$ to get this under control I am a little skeptical of places who want to sell you a bunch of visits upfront for $2500. I feel like there are a lot of folks out there taking advantage of desperate (not that Escogue is, just in general).


Gokhale book - read it but found her instructions difficult to follow. Maybe the DVD would be easier to follow.

Topical creams (bengay, lidocaine, capsaiscin, diclofenac, etc.) maybe some temporary relief from the bengay but that could be the self-massage as much as anything

Prescriptions - NSAIDs, muscle relaxers, ultram, hydrocodone, lyrica/gabapentin, antidepressants, etc. Went through a laundry list of those.

Chiropractor - have been to a couple including one that a pro sports team uses but no difference in how I felt

Leg length - one doc said my legs lengths were different so gave me a shoe lift for one side. wore it for several months, no change.

Diet - generally our diet is pretty clean and mostly anti-inflammatory, though we do eat a fair number of tomatoes/potatoes/peppers which I could try to cut back no

Although I'm in Houston, because of where my office/daycare is, it's very difficult to get to providers in the city without missing half a day of work. Which, for the right provider, is obviously worth it and can be worked around, but driving 100 miles in a day just to do ineffectual things is discouraging.

Other things to look at...

Roll model
Medicinal herbs - I do not have a source for this in Houston (legal or otherwise)
Yoga/pilates
Low-dose anti-anxiety med
Osteopathic maniupulation
Feldenkrais
Rolfing
Muscle Activation Technique
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Old 05-11-2016, 09:44 AM   #50
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I mentioned the Blair procedure of Upper Cervical in a previous post and interestingly one of the things the chiropractor does is to measure leg lengths. Mine were 1/2" different before the adjustment and after adjustment came back to even. That alone made a difference in pain.
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Old 05-11-2016, 09:46 AM   #51
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For whatever reason, yesterday was a good day. Had the energy to have good time with my wife and son and got some work done as well. Today I feel it creeping back in...doing the exact same routine as yesterday...what is the difference? I know it's possible to feel good, why can I not experience that more often? I just hate living like this. I need to be able to play with my boy without pain in the background...
A PT told me that how you feel today is usually a result of what you did or didn't do the day before. I found that to be true for me. So what did you do the day before yesterday? You could keep a log of your diet and activities and look for patterns.

In my case I never found a miracle cure but many little changes that all added up, with muscle balancing / posture training the most helpful. My kids have had some tight muscle issues, one from sports, and was helped by Feldenkrais and Alexander Technique therapists.

I have tried some crazy stuff along the way to find what really works. The nuttiest in hindsight was homeopathy. My husband called that my "eye of newt" therapy. That was money down the drain.
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Old 05-11-2016, 09:49 AM   #52
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I think it's a waste of money to try all those "alternative" options as they simply don't work and come prey on folks like you. Keep looking for a pain management specialist and a good physical therapist. It took me several tries over two years to find the right ones. Be careful of antidepressants because they gave me suicidal thoughts and I dumped the Cymbalta quickly. Find a neurologist too. Keep pressing these doctors to find the cause so it can be treated, and find new ones if they don't help. Make due they listen to everything you tell them and not just look at X-rays and MRI images. Get an EMG if you haven't. That told me surgery wouldn't help my situation though two neurosurgeons were ready to cut. A third neurosurgeon agreed surgery wasn't going to help me a led me to the interventional pain management Doctor that gave me my life back. I tried several physical therapists too and found two that work together that also helped me get my life back.
Body pain tells you something is wrong and you need to find out the cause and keep looking for that Doctor that won't give up.


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Old 05-11-2016, 09:57 AM   #53
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I'm 59 and have had lower back pain for years. Over the past few months it got to the point where I could not stand up straight and my feet were tingling and occasional leg weakness. Just started on gabapentin and it is working! Not something I want to rely on but the pain relief is welcome. Tried to get a CT scan but insurance won't approve until we try 6 weeks of drugs/pt etc. I know what you are going through. As others have said just keep looking, there is someone out there that can fix this.

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Old 05-11-2016, 08:05 PM   #54
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POSSIBLE EFFECTIVE SOLUTION:
Try Ultrasound therapeutic massager ... I bought one from a Canadian company. Surface hand or heat Massage cannot cure deep-seated pain, because it is not reached by any form of surface level massage. The Ultrasound solution will be able to stimulate your damaged tissue 4 - 5 inches beneath your skin to heal, as the ultrasound waves vibrates deeper than any hand or surface heat massage. I had intense pain my my foot ankle that could not be healed by simple massage or any other method. I could hardly walk from the pain.I tried the ultrasound and it was able to vibrate deeper and heal that pain.

Below is one example. Can cure Sciatica. No amount of massage or heat compress will get to that pain, but Ultrasound can !

http://www.lgmedsupply.com/lgpoulun....FdcZgQode08C7w
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Old 05-11-2016, 08:51 PM   #55
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POSSIBLE EFFECTIVE SOLUTION:
Try Ultrasound therapeutic massager ... I bought one from a Canadian company. Surface hand or heat Massage cannot cure deep-seated pain, because it is not reached by any form of surface level massage. The Ultrasound solution will be able to stimulate your damaged tissue 4 - 5 inches beneath your skin to heal, as the ultrasound waves vibrates deeper than any hand or surface heat massage. I had intense pain my my foot ankle that could not be healed by simple massage or any other method. I could hardly walk from the pain.I tried the ultrasound and it was able to vibrate deeper and heal that pain.

Below is one example. Can cure Sciatica. No amount of massage or heat compress will get to that pain, but Ultrasound can !

http://www.lgmedsupply.com/lgpoulun....FdcZgQode08C7w
I've had ultrasound treatment at a PT's office and was very sceptical. Till she did it! I was amazed, instant relief.

This pain was odd. I have c-spine issues and a person thought stopping on I-70 was optional. During treatment for the accident an overly aggressive adjustment lost the little range of motion I had left. I was like a stick person that couldn't move my head at all, then that ultrasound made it 75% better right then. Don't know if this is the same or if it works on all types of pain? It would be interesting to see if it was an appropriate treatment.
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Old 05-12-2016, 06:09 AM   #56
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It is no surprise to me that the lift did not help. If your discrepancy is in the leg bone, your body has had 34 years to adjust to the discrepancy; perhaps not a good adjustment, but the best your body was able to make.

I don't know what kind of lift you had, but be aware there are different kinds.

In my mid-20's, I was prescribed an expensive, solid (hard plastic) lift of the size of my discrepancy (one cm). Never mind that it was impossible to fit the orthotic into women's pumps for work...I changed into athletic shoes as often as I could (ignoring ignoramuses' jibes about how "your shoes sure look good with your outfit.") My pain actually got worse while wearing this lift.

A different doctor suggested a cheap option: two Spenco innersoles in the shoe of the shorter leg. This provided a soft, giveable lift of roughly 1/2 the height of the actual discrepancy. It brought me back to the 1/2 cm discrepancy that is considered normal. It was not a cure, but as part of an exercise and fitness program it was a help. I change the Spencos every couple of months, because they squash down with use.

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F

Some things I have tried...

Leg length - one doc said my legs lengths were different so gave me a shoe lift for one side. wore it for several months, no change.

e
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Old 05-13-2016, 06:24 PM   #57
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I had another cervical and thoracic spine MRI done and while the doctor said the results were "fine" he didn't bother to explain any of them. There were a couple notes that didn't look normal on them.


C-spine:


Quote:
Findings: Cervical vertebral bodies show normal height and alignment. Intervertebral disc spaces are maintained. The cervical
spinal cord is normal in signal and morphology. Limited evaluation of the cervicothoracic junction demonstrate slightly low-lying cerebellar tonsils without evidence of Chiari I malformation. No significant prevertebral or paravertebral soft tissue signal abnormalities are seen.

Individual levels are as follows:

C2-C3: There is no significant disc herniation, spinal canal stenosis or neuroforaminal compromise.
C3-C4: There is no significant disc herniation, spinal canal stenosis or neuroforaminal compromise.
C4-C5: Uncovertebral jointspurring and disc bulge with minor bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing.
C5-C6: There is no significant disc herniation, spinal canal stenosis or neuroforaminal compromise.
C6-C7: There is no significant disc herniation, spinal canal stenosis or neuroforaminal compromise.
C7-T1: There is no significant disc herniation, spinal canal stenosis or neuroforaminal compromise.

Impression:

1. Uncovertebral joint spurring and disc bulge at C4-C5 resulting in minor bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing.
2. Slightly low-lying cerebellar tonsils without evidence of Chiari I malformation.
T-spine:


Quote:
Findings: There is convex curvature ofthe upper thoracic spine to the right. Thoracic vertebra demonstrate normal height and
alignment on sagittal images. No fracture or significant subluxation. Intervertebral disc space are maintained. The thoracic spinal cord is normal in signal and morphology. CSF pulsation artifact is seen throughout muchofthe thoracic spine. No significant disc herniation, spinal canal stenosis or neuroforaminal compromise. Note is made of a 1.5 x 1.1 cm hemangioma at T6. No significant prevertebral or paravertebral soft tissue signal abnormalities are demonstrated.

Impression:

1. Convex curvature of the upper thoracic spine to the right.
2. No fracture or significant subluxation.
3. No significant disc herniation or stenosis.
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Old 05-13-2016, 06:28 PM   #58
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I had another cervical and thoracic spine MRI done and while the doctor said the results were "fine" he didn't bother to explain any of them. There were a couple notes that didn't look normal on them.
Maybe time for a second opinion. Your doctor should be communicating better with you, IMO. It really frosts me that he didn't even bother to explain any of them to you.
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Old 05-13-2016, 07:25 PM   #59
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It would be most unusual to find a spine with no issues, even in young adults. Generally surgeons are looking for any semi-justifiable reason to cut. It's what they are trained to, it's what validates them, and it is what gives them those Porsche buying incomes.

Sometimes it is best to look at things that may or may not help much, but are very unlikely to make things worse.


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Old 05-13-2016, 07:42 PM   #60
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I've seen a couple of mine and I'd be happy to trade concerns/reports. Mine talk about multiple bulges, herniations, stenosis, narrowing and a whole bunch of scary terms(yours doesn't sound bad to this layperson. Yes they mention C4-C5. Do you have any symptoms related to these nerves? Have you ever had an EMG?).
Talk with your Doc or get a second opinion, I'm not a professional but I wouldn't worry.

Like said it's almost impossible to have an MRI that's perfect. I had a neurosurgeon reassure me that my scary sounding report could describe millions of people all who led normal lives. Do get someone to explain it to you and relieve your concerns, or give you next steps. Best wishes.
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