Back Injury?

[NewGuinea2009]

I live in Washington, and my mom has polished wooden stairs outside, they get really slippery in the rain, and I was walking down the stairs, holding the rail because I fall alot and well, I slipped, my fiance said I had about 1 1/2 feet of air and flew about 4 feet and landed right on my tailbone, I heard a snap and then I couldn't breathe. It completely knocked the wind out of me. I told my mom to call 911, I've never had that sensation before, I couldn't move, walk- the fire truck showed up first, and the ambulance second i was able to stand and pivot- went to the emergency room had xrays they say I didn't break anything.

October 2008 I slipped on a bus and fell, the air went out of me for a second, and I didn't realize I was sitting in the middle of the aisle, I was ok- until the next day I had a tailbone injury, it never healed- now this one was way worse, and it takes forever to stand up, it's alot of pain. On top of that, certain ways I move my arms give me that " knocked the wind out of me" feeling again- before all this I had some back problems here and there but nothing so extreme. Has anyone ever had this sensation? What would you recommend I do? Do you think a Chiropractor would fix the problem? I don't want to live like this the rest of my life.

Thank you

 

[Catayn]

I have back problems, but mine just will not be solved, I'm afarid
You should try some alternative treatment, plus medication.
If your probles is due to the many time you got hurt (I know how you feel because I am a disaster and I fall all the time) you'll probably get it fixed, but you need to hurry.

 

[NewGuinea2009]

I'm sorry to hear about your injury too =-(... I went to the doctor and unfortunately the doctors available for this insurance aren't all that great- so... they half-fast things. This lady wants more xrays though, and I think I'm going to tell them I want an MRI done because Xrays just aren't very thorough.. I'm trying to hurry, but no one else wants to work with me heh..

So what happened to you if you don't mind my asking?

 

[Catayn]

Well, I do have a prblem since I was born. But it got worse after I started going to college. I studied in another city, so I have to travel 4 hours a day in a horrible bus, which made my back get much worse
Besides I work from 6am to 10pm and as I am a teacher I need to be stood up all the time (my legs suffer too) and then, correcting things and preparing classes on the bed, with a bad posture, you know... Anyway, the bag I carry to and from work everyday weighs about 15 kilos...
A couple of years ago, my husband and I had a car accident and we were in the middle of nowhere. But we could see a house across from a field (yeah, horror movie cliche) and we decided to go there and ask people to use their phone. Well, it was dark and we didn't see tht there was a ginormous dry creek in the middle of the field. We kell and I hurt my back pretty bad. I couldn't walk for days. But I didn't go to the doctor, at first
I am really scared of hospitals and the like. So when I did go to the doctor he didn't really pay much attention and just gave me a medicine for the pain. It worked,for a while, but now it hurts again, a lot. I can't even sleep, There is nothing I can do now, my backbone has (I don't really know is that is right in English) 3 turns, it looks like an S... and only a surgery would fix it, said the doctor (a good one now) but it's not worth the risk

 

[Catayn]

I think you should get an MRI right away, Xrays can't really show things very clearly

 

[NewGuinea2009]

Oh No!! Oh my! Glad you are okay even though I don't know you. I have those " horror movie moments" too- it's so weird.

So you have Scholiosis then? My sister just got diagnosed with it, she's almost 18 and she's about 95 pounds. but her backpack is way too heavy for her to carry all those big books around.

Bus rides are never good for anyones backs I don't think- and to carry a bookbag that big too and from- is there anything else that you could do, maybe grade papers during class, and only bring half home??

I think I'm going to request and MRI if they will give me one. I have Group Health, alot of people say " group death" and I just say they are doctors that dropped out of grad school or flunked it ( no offense to others).

 

[BabyBellie]

I would try a chiropractor. They really are amazing. I have scholiosis as well, and have had it bothering me for about 9 years. The only thing that really helped was the chiropractor.

 

[Heady]

While my orthopedic surgeon would faint if I told him I went to a chiropractor, even years after my second surgery for scoliosis, the chiropractor really did help. Even though he was limited on what he could do for me, he still worked around it.

Not to say all chiropractors are good for a scoliotic spine, some are!

NewGuinea, I think an MRI is the ticket. If you can get one, get one! In the mean time, if you can see a chiropractor to discuss your problems, they may also be able to help you. Try to find one that doesn't just want your money Medication would also be helpful...I would try an anti-inflammatory (like Ibuprofen) to hold you over until you are able to get further treatment.

Catayn, I don't know your age, but have your doctors suggested the use of core strengthening exercises to stabilize your curves, not only to help with pain but also to keep them from progressing? I know surgery depends on the level of degree each curve is, but if neither is past 40 degrees (if I remember correctly) the use of bracing or exercise would be beneficial.

 

[NewGuinea2009]

Yeah a chiropractor sounds like the best way to go for the upper back injury-
I'm scared he'd push on my lower back though, and that would hurt so bad.

Right now I'm on percocet, taking 1600mg of ibuprofen a day, and taking tylenol along with it- it makes the pain bearable for now.

I'm sorry about your guys scoliosis. That sounds pretty painful.
I know one lady that couldn't walk very well so she was in a wheelchair ( her whole life).. so I use to do errands for her, but she passed away from very old age. But she lived a full life and she didn't let it get her down =-)

 

[blackarrow]

Many back injuries don't show on either an Xray or an MRI. An Xray is your best bet to see if something is broken. In any case, you don't want to mess around with your back with not being seen. I had a back injury I didn't even know WAS a back injury - I had numbness in my leg, which turns out to be from a herniated disc - it did not show on any sort of scans, but they could tell by the symptoms I had - I ended up with nearly a year of PT and still have a permanent nerve deficit, but I am without pain and can walk, run, etc. without limping. The PT is really the one who got me back to liveable and much of what they were doing was uncomfortable at the time and VERY counterintuitive, but effective. Her "take" on chiropractors was that the good ones do a good job with pain relief but do little in the way of teaching you how to prevent flareups.

Good luck to you, I know it isn't fun.

 

[NewGuinea2009]

wow, your lucky. Thank God they could do something about it. The only thing is, is that I have group health. I wish people really understood those commercials are a crock of something I'm not going to say haha..

I know my moms doctor is very awesome, but my insurance doesn't cover seeing her unfortunately.

I guess I'll just try to tell them what is going on, request and MRI.. Nothing is broken except my tailbone ( I can feel it) and something " cracked/snapped" when I fell and they wouldn't explain where that sound came from. My mom said it might have been my back popping but- there is no way that was a pop.

Anyways, I'm happy your okay and you can live with it ok =-)

 

[MyZoo2]

I had a back injury I didn't even know WAS a back injury - I had numbness in my leg, which turns out to be from a herniated disc - it did not show on any sort of scans, but they could tell by the symptoms I had - I ended up with nearly a year of PT

I had similar symptoms, with pain & numbness in my leg. Turned out I pinched my siatic nerve, and they can't figure out where exactly it is pinched, becuase it doesn't show up on any scans. I opted to go to physical therapy too, and it did help quite a bit. It does flare up a bit, especially when I work long shifts, but I can move freely now.

 

[Catayn]

I would definitely need to have more exercises to correct the curve, but as you could see, I work a little too much, so there is no time for me to do it...

Sometimes, almost never, I wear a sort of belt the doctor gave me, but it's not good...

 

[Heady]

Sciatic pain is almost the worst! Just awful!

I realize MRIs don't always pick up everything, but sometimes they're quite useful, especially when looking for nerve damage. Even an ultrasound would be useful, to check tissues...make sure everything is intact.

Catayn, the purpose of surgery and exercise are not really to fully fix or correct the curve, but only to stabilize it (and sometimes add slight correction). I think it's very important for you to find time to do the proper exercises to stabilize your curve so it doesn't progress! I know it's difficult to fit this stuff in, but just remember that it's not going to be a super extensive exercise regime. And some of them you may be able to do when sitting at work or what not.

What kind of belt are you talking about? Is it a brace? I remember you said that you have 3 curves and assuming they're thoracic/lumbar, I would think that if he gave you a belt to wear, that the lumbar curve is the worst and wants you to wear it, not only for support, but stabilization. Why is it no good?

I know braces like these are very uncomfortable and sometimes painful, but if they stop the curve from progressing, that's good! While I can't tell you from personal experience, because my brace didn't slow down the curve/rotate progression, I know people that it did work for.

 

[Catayn]

In my case, it os not difficult to find time for exercises, but it is impossible.
I would only be able to do it if I could find something open after 10 pm. I don't know there, but here it does not exist...
Anyway, I am not complaining ( I couldn't since I am not doing anything to help me with it ) I am just saying I know how it feels and that sometimes the pain is really terrible. Right now I've got worse things to worry about (yes, worse than the pain) and that's what I've been focusing (kind of) my attention on.
I know it's not healthy to let this kind of thing just progress but I've got bigger health issues to deal with. ^^
As for the belt, it's not a belt, it's kind of a harness, but it really hurts me, in fact, if I wear it for a whole day, it bleeds a lot. So between feeling two pains, I choose one.

 

[Heady]

Yeah, but for the back strengthening exercises, there's no need to go anywhere. You do them at home. There's no need for equipment or anything.

I understand having one issue take priority over the other (oh, how I do!). I don't know how severe your scoliosis is, or your age, or the rate of progression, but I just figured I would mention the importance of core exercises and bracing just in case.

 

[Catayn]

Thanks for the attention!!! ^^
I am just too lazy to take care of myself!

 

[MyZoo2]

I do a lot of my exercises at work as I mostly use tension bands. Do you have a 24 hour gym near you? We have a lot of different gyms around my suburb that are open 24 hours day, 7 days a week.

 

[Catayn]

No, no 24hour gym here.
I'll check the Internet and see if I can do some exercises at home. The problem is that they hurt so much.

 

[Heady]

Those types of exercises combined with scoliosis do produce quite a bit of pain at first. As long as you take it slow and be gentle with yourself, eventually it won't hurt.

I really would contact your doctor about an exercise regimen suitable for your unique needs.

There is a lot of debate on whether or not strengthening and flexibility exercises help stabilize the spine and prevent further rotation/curvature. I will say that it is smart to do it anyway to help with pain management and to lessen the risk of back injury.

I'm curious to know about your brace. I wore a Milwaukee brace for a few years...the 23 hour a day one:

Back Braces Getbackinline's Blog

It is the first one pictured. During the time of bracing, the Boston brace was considered, but they felt that the Milwaukee brace was more suitable because it was able to be customized with addition straps and pads. It was terribly uncomfortable and ruined most of my clothes. I developed sores where the additional straps and pads were and also under my chin. I was able to wear a t-shirt under it, though, and that relieved a lot of the sores.

After a couple years they realized it wasn't doing anything for my upper curve and had barely helped the lower one, thus surgery.

My hope is this is not the one you have to wear. Because of your type of scoliosis, I'm assuming the brace runs the length of your torso?