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on Treatments Related To Back/Nerve
Injury |
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Question:
I had a car accident (rear-ended while stopped at a light) about a
year ago, and suffered a slipped disk, among other things. My doctor
is recommending a number of potential treatments, ranging from
Prolotherapy to a Cervical Nerve Block Foramina, possibly up to
surgery, if necessary. He is also recommending against some
treatments, such as chiropractic. While I respect medical advice, I
also like to hear from other people who have been in similar
condition. I also have some other questions related to my injury.
While I am seeing an orthopedist I trust, and also a neurologist who
seems very good, sometimes feedback from those who have experienced a
problem can be as helpful as that from doctors.
I suffered a
very nasty whiplash injury, I should have gone to the hospital right
away, but not having experience with these things, I though the pain
would go away in a few days.
I did have an X-ray about a week later, and there was no broken bone
in the neck. I started on physical therapy, which I kept doing for
six months or longer. Almost a year after the accident, the worst of the neck/shoulder pain
and tightness has subsided. However, I continue to have the following
symptoms:
1. A chronic, moderate pain in my upper back/lower neck, right around
the C6/C7 region. It gets significantly worse as the day wears on,
but fortunately when I lie down the pain is less, so at least I can
sleep. The pain is usually minor in the morning, but again gets worse
and worse as they day goes on.
2. Difficulty lifting objects, including fairly light objects.
Definitely a problem for shopping and doing laundry, plus some
household tasks.
3. Some ongoing limitation of neck motion. Not nearly as bad as
right after the accident, but in particular I still have limitations
on how far I can look up.
4. A moderate numbness or tingling in the palms of both hands.
5. In the right hand, some muscle problems. Occasionally I get
spasms where the hand grips closed, and it's hard to open. Also,
trouble with certain kinds of gripping motions (such as opening pill
containers). And a general, ongoing muscular ache, as if the muscles
are always being slightly stimulated, even when they should be
relaxed.
6. I also have a very slight numbness at times on the bottom soles of
my feet, possibly related to some other findings on the MRI, but that
symptom is mild enough that I'm not even going to worry about it for
now.
7. Minor shocks - hitting potholes, for instance - cause relapses
of varying degrees, in that the neck pain becomes worse again for
several days or even weeks.
Both my orthopedist and the neurologist say the symptoms in my hands
are definitely related to the C6/C7 disk. I was puzzled that symptoms
are worse in my right hand, when the disk is supposedly distended to
the left. The neurologist, however, says the disk can slip around
over time. They also tell me that the chronic pain in my upper
back/lower neck (in the rear) is also a result of the C6/C7 disk.
I am done with physical therapy, other than home exercises, which I
continue to do. I also continue to take Ibuprofen to relieve pain and
inflammation, though I'm not sure how much that is helping at this
point. I also take a muscle relaxant at night.
I did see a chiropractor for an evaluation. He said that under the
circumstances, he would not do chiropractic work on the neck, only on
my lumbar region. He did feel that since my head sits a bit forward
on my shoulders - a long-standing condition, pre-accident and
pre-symptoms - he wanted to give me some exercises to help move my
neck back. He was also going to try applying traction (which I
already had with the physical therapy) to give the disk room to move
back into place.
The neurologist was okay with trying the chiropractor's treatment, but
he felt it was not very likely to relieve my symptoms. My orthopedist
was more direct, saying he is afraid it could actually put the disk
more out of joint, and create worse symptoms.
1. Has anyone in a similar situation tried chiropractic work, and
found that it either helped or did more harm?
2. Similarly, the prolotherapy - did it help? Are there any risks
associated with it?
3. Similarly, the cervical nerve block - help, harm, or no
difference? My orthopedist says he thinks the risks are very limited,
but I'd like to hear "user" perspectives.
4. Finally, anything anyone can tell me about experiences with
surgery.
Answer:
I had 2 herniated disks at C6-C7. My neurosurgeon said he would be
going in from the back of the neck to do a diskectomy. He actually
butchered the area, cut a nerve path completely in half and damaged
another nerve path. The pain I live with on a daily basis cannot be
described. Surgery works for some people, some of us are left
completely debilitated by surgery. What was suppose to be a diskectomy
ended up being a diskectomy, laminectomy,and forminatomy. I'm sure
there are neurosurgeons who can complete this type of surgery without
damaging their patients to the extent my surgeon left me damaged. Get
references and check with your state's medical board before going ahead
with surgery.
Not sure what type of nerve block you are suggesting, there are a few
types. I've had several ESI's, Epidural Steroid Injections with no
relief from the pain. I've also had several Stellate Ganglion Nerve
Blocks, with no relief from the pain. The SGNB's are barbaric and
extremely painful. Again, some people are helped with the ESI's and
some people are helped with the SGNB's.
I still have trouble turning my neck, cannot lift my left arm very
high, have pain with each and every movement. This isn't just stub
your toe type of pain. It is the most debilitating pain I have ever
experienced. I would rather give birth every day, than live with the
pain I live with that this neurosurgeon caused. My left arm is
definitely the arm affected, but any movement of the right arm can
cause pain in the left. I guess it's the muscles attached to the left
side.
After trying physical therapy, with 2 therapists, they both would not
work with me due to the nerve damage. They did give me a couple of
simple exercises to do at home to try and strengthen the left arm, but
would not do any actual rigorous PT.
This has changed my entire life.....every aspect is changed. I can't
even stand to brush my teeth any more. The pressure at the C6-C7 level
causes so much pain I can only stand for short durations. Nerve pain
is very unique, unlike other types of pain, nerve pain is constant,
unrelenting and so intense I actually asked to have my left arm,
amputated 5 years ago, thinking that would relieve my pain. Of course
the medical establkishment would not do this. I have very limited use
of my left arm and hand due to the pain involved in using it for
anything.
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