Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 10 Location: Kingsburg California, Fresno...
Facet joint problem Posted: 03-11-08 17:21pm
Hello,
I am a 21 year old college student, been
in very good shape throughout my life.
about a year ago a i wrecked on a
motorcycle and broke my arm. two months
after that my back started hurting. went
to PT for 6 months, used norco for pain
relieve.
after being on the pills for 11 months i
stopped taking them because i had heard
that in some cases the pills can cause
more pain then there should be.
i havent taken any for 2 months now and i
am still in very bad pain, all the time.
durring the time i was taking the meds i
became physically dependent on them and
was taking much more then perscribed just
to be able to get through the day. i have
had a series of 3 facet joint injections
and i notice no difference in my pain
levels. what meds would work the best with
the least side effects.
i have seen many doctors; most of which
just give me more pain pills instead of
trying to figure out whats wrong. i have
had mri's, x rays, exercised, lost weight.
but i am limited to the things a can do
because of the pain. i have a brand new
quad that i loved riding, and now it just
sits. the few times i do ride it i come
home and cant do anything for 2-4 days, so
i am constantly weighing things out, to
see if the consequences are wortht the
enjoyment.
since being off the pills, everyday is a
challenge to get through and very few of
my family members understand that, they
dont want me on norco, but i am going to
school and i cant concentrate at school
because of the pain. someone please help.
thank you
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RichT
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 910
Thanks: 21
Thanked:0
Posted: 03-11-08 18:44pm
Hello Tmoore,
Welcome to this forum and the great people
who post and try to help others.
Hang on, this may be a bit of a rough ride
Tmoore.
Regarding your "quad" - Sorry to say, but
that is a NO NO big time. That type of
vehicle and mud bikes are among the MAJOR
causes of back injuries and pain with
those of your age. May be "fun", but it
ain't!!!!! SOOOOooo no more on the quad
if you are serious about being kind to
your back and body.
Thank goodness you understand the
"penalty" of taking narco pain meds. I
commend you for trying not to take them.
May I ask what kind of doctors you have
seen? That information will greatly help
in the thoughts I and others would/will
provide.
No. one rule - If you do something that
causes pain to your back - DON'T do
it!!!!!
I wish you the best. I look forward to
your response.
RichT
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tmoore18
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 10 Location: Kingsburg California, Fresno...
Posted: 03-11-08 19:51pm
i have seen a rumitiodoligist, who told me
that all i needed to do is stretch... a
neruoligist who tried different meds ,
lyrica and cymbalta both lead to no
relief, and the last doc i saw was *edited
to remove link not to sure how to describe
what he does but he gave me the
injections.
and with the quad. before i even start it,
i think if there is anything important
that has to be done in the next few days.
i know that it hurts but for me,
personally; it is worth it to ride it,
right now anyways. if the duration of
recovery time goes way up, then i will
adjust.
i am just having a very hard time with
realizing that i am 21 and have a back
like my grandpa does. everywhere i look
around me, people having pain free fun...
its very hard.
if anyone has had to give up something for
the rest of there life, quite possibly
like i will have to do, please let me know
how you dealt with it.
thanks to all
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algosdoc
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 186
Posted: 03-12-08 06:04am
Unfortunately some patients are victims of
medical scams such as series of 3 facet
joint injections. If you received no
relief with the first, there is no medical
reason to go forward with the second or
third injection. If you received
temporary relief from the first and it was
conducted properly by a interventional
pain physician using ISIS guidelines, then
you may be a candidate for radiofrequency
neurotomy.
As for not being able to 4 wheel again,
count your blessings that you are still
alive my friend. These extremely
dangerous machines are the cause of
thousands of injuries every year, some
fatal, and some resulting in permanent
paralysis. If you never ride a 4 wheeler
again, then you have achieved a level of
reasoning that many naive people do not.
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tmoore18
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 10 Location: Kingsburg California, Fresno...
Posted: 03-12-08 20:02pm
Really? I dint know about these so called
"scams" but i dont doubt it. with the
first injection there was relieve for
maybe a few days. two weeks later with the
second was horrible, by far the worst pain
i have expierenced with my back problem.
so it then took me a long time to decide
if i was going to do the third or not. i
decided to just so that when it doesnt
work i can tell my doctor that i did
exactly what i was told.
with my quad, again... my whole family is
into it, we go to the coast alot. it is
something that i have been doing all my
life. burring high school i had to give up
baseball because i couldn't compete at
that level, shoulder surgery, which was
also a very rough time in my life. and
now, i am iin the prime of my life and i
am very limited on what i can do for fun
and excitement. if the pain continous to
get worse, i will probably sell my bike
and get a 4x4 of some sort, not nearly as
rough but still the same fun.
and what is radiofrequency neurotomy?
also, what meds, if any, work the same or
better then norco without the zombie like
side effects?
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algosdoc
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 186
Posted: 03-12-08 21:49pm
I would strongly suggest using a little
common sense and not engage in activities
that have a great potential to cause even
more harm. Graded exercise would be
reasonable but not motorized sports that
can cripple or kill. Today I saw a 40 year
old man that was injured 10 years ago, has
had 8 surgeries on his ankle from a 4
wheeler accident. Next week the ankle is
being permanently fused. He will most
likely have pain forever.
Radiofrequency neurotomy is placement of
an insulated needle with an active tip
onto the nerves of the facet joints and
destroying them for up to 18 months.
Narcotics each have their own profile of
side effects, and there are none that have
no effect on anyone...just have to try
them under your doctors assent.
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tmoore18
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 10 Location: Kingsburg California, Fresno...
possible good news Posted: 03-13-08 17:00pm
Hi everyone
I wanted to let you guys know that i just
went back to physical therapy today and
the same lady i have been seeing for over
a year rechecked my movement and things
like that.
The Good News:
When she looked at my spine as i bent over
forward to try and reach my toes, she
noticed that the left side of my back was
higher then the right side. She said that
this could be a late onset of scoleosus.
My mom had this when she was young, my
sister who is 12 has it, and I have a male
cousin who has this aswell, so it is
definitely in the family. But she also
said that all of the muscles on the right
side of my back were relaxed compared to
the left side, where none of the muscles
loosen up.
The Bad News:
She did not sound very optimistic about
what she was saying and said that if it is
that, there is not much that can be done
except stretching out the tight muscles,
and maybe trying to loosen up a few of my
vertebra that when dont move when my body
moves.
I dont know much about treatment for
scoleosus, does anyone know about
treatment options at this stage of my
life. Does being 21 years old put me at
any sort of disadvantage?
One possibility that I have thought of
today is that when i had my quad accident,
I broke my arm. No back pain at all. 2
months later is when my back pain began,
would it seem out of the question that
when I was seeing my doctors, and they all
knew about the accident, that they could
have over looked any possible signs of
scoleosus, and tried diagnosing a back for
injuries that it may not have sustained.
Does this seem like a possible scenario,
or is it too much of a coincidence that
the back pain came shortly after severe
trauma? PLEASE POST BACK FOR THIS
QUESTION
