please accept my apologies for the long
post .. I just couldn't compact it
anymore !
I'm looking for a bit of advice if
possible, or if anyone can relate to my
symptoms .. Here is my history
male, age 31, 12 stone, self employed home
worker (internet business).
Exactly 1 year ago I started to ache a
little in my lower back, mainly on the
left hand side & also around my left
hip. It would be intermittent and
sometimes travel down my left leg. It all
started with no known cause. One month
later it had all progressed into a severe
& constant lower back pain with hip
ache .. Shortly after this started I had
the added fun of depression, anxiety
(including shivering, sweating, shaking,
panic) & ibs type symptoms (burning
pain in the lower abdomen &
alternating types of bowel movements).
Many trips to the doctors then followed
over the next 7 months & I had
virtually every test known to man
including : pelvis / lower back mri, brain
mri (to rule out ms), countless blood
tests, urine tests, food intolerance tests
etc. Nothing was found to be abnormal. I
had a bit of disc degeneration in the spin
from the mri but it was noted that this
was normal for my age & would not
cause pain.
The diagnoses for my problems have
included : cfs, fibromyalgia, depression
or anxiety. Cfs & fibromyalgia are
just 'blanket' diagnoses, so I find it
very hard to accept these.
By the end of last year my symptoms had
improved somewhat, but from then on I am
still left with the lower back ache, hip
ache, leg aches & sweating hands &
feet .. All of which come & go
throughout the day (at certain times of
the day I feel fine !). The pain is
tolerable but more depressing than
anything - fueling my anxiety about what
the real cause is.
A few other points / things :
* over the last year i've have searched
for weeks on the internet for an answer ..
Which has only lead to more anxiety /
depression !
* 6 months before the lower back pain
started I pulled a muscle in my left calf
/ hamstring (not sure which), it was very
painful for 2 weeks & led to a big
blue bruise at the base of my left leg.
* when performing straight leg lifts
(lying flat on my back & lifting on
leg at a time), my left leg will only go
up to about 45 degrees from the floor
before I can feel a tugging behind my knee
& an aching around my hip (tight
hamstrings ?), wherease I can lift my
right leg to about 70 degrees.
* I can not lie on my left hand side for
more than 10 minutes. If I do the back
& hip ache gets worse.
* if I stand bending forwards it seems to
set off the back / hip ache (eg. Looking
down onto a table / desk)
* if I push forwards with my pelvis it
hurts my lower back.
* if I carry a heavy object my back will
ache more shortly afterwards.
* I do drink a bit (2 pints of beer most
days) & I do smoke too .. Very stupid
I know
* I have been climbing over a child gate
(laziness !) for the past 3 years - this
only involves bending my left leg.
If anyone can relate to my problems please
reply .. Or if you think this post
belongs in a different group please let me
know.
Regards
dave
|
gram1228
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 27 Nov 2003 Posts: 34
Posted: 02-25-04 13:35pm
I don,t know where you live, but for all
kinds of pain you might go to amazon.Com
and check out the trigger point therapy
workbook by clair daies. You just may
have some knotted up muscles that are
causing you this pain. I had a frozen
shoulder due to diabetes and within
minutes of massaging the trigger point
that was causing this, I had full range of
motion and after awhile was pain free from
this condition. There are also many other
books on how to cure yourself of pain, if
nothing else has worked for you by now,
you might want to look into these books as
some are downright amazing in how they can
help people that are at the end of their
ropes. Good luck. Sharon
|
lINDAp815
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 Mar 2004 Posts: 6 Location: atlanta
I Have Cfs And Fibro And the Back/hip/leg Pain Has Nothing T Posted: 03-28-04 15:03pm
Nothing to do with that.
I was doing some plumbing work while
sitting on my butt and twisted my torso
around and into contorsionist positions.
Hitting the brake abruptly can also cause
the problem I have, or overstepping down a
step or curb.
my symptoms were pain from the groin along
the thigh to the knee, and from the lower
right side of my back to my butt, down
along the thigh to my knee.
After a lumbar laminectomy I wound up with
the same pain 7 weeks later and finally
figured out the problem thanks to a hands
on approach physical therapist.
He told me what it was si joint strain.
Did internet research and was lucky to
find a doctor here in atlanta who
specialized in it.
Find a physiatrist who "believes in"
sacroiliac joint problems and who has
connections for you for treatment
good luck
|
myhealth
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Posts: 5
Posted: 04-10-04 01:43am
Sounds familiar. I have been getting
simialr pain for about 2 yrs at the end of
spine on left side of hip. I cant lie
flat on ground without a pillow or without
my hand under my back, or bend forward.
(my back feels better with a slight arch /
curve to the front)
though my pain is not extremely severe, it
is always there. I have got used to it.
Though it hurts and hinders my activities.
Sometimes, excessive walking/exercise
makes it worse.
I fear a long-term sickness when sometimes
the two bones kind of lock themselves
giving me a sharp pain.
I hold my bad posture responsible for it.
It can also be due to stones.
A bad posture is not only bending
shoulders forward. It is also leaning of
the spine to the left or right. I have
found that picking heavy weights in my
right hand gives a pain back there,
because the body tries to balance the
weight by leaning to one side. (i am a
right-hander)
another reason can be pain travelling up
the leg. Two months back, I felt a
strange pain on right lower back, behind
the hip. But could not pin-point where
exactly it was. (like the kind you would
feel if u try to touch your feet without
bending the knees) bending and turning my
legs in various directions to check told
me it was a pull from the leg. And
exertion was making it worse. Mortin
helped me get rid of this strain within 2
weeks. But the left hip is still bad.
My gym instructor has a bad back too. She
says -- modify the exercises so they dont
hurt u.
|
waynerico
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 15 Apr 2004 Posts: 1 Location: ohio
Posted: 04-15-04 10:15am
I am a nurse that has been suffering from
low back pain for @ 2 yrs that was caused
on duty while of all things moving a pt.
Anyway i've been on muscle relaxers and
nsaid's that did nothing but cost me
money.Then I went through therapy at a
spinal clinic that temparily gave me
relief but soon found that the pain came
back with greater intesity. I then
consulted with my orthopedic about surgery
and just when I decided on doing it I
talked to a paramedic who worked in the er
and he told me to try some magnets that he
was a distibuter in. I figured I tried
everything so far so why not.So it was
recommened that I bought these diamond
shaped magnets with double sided adhesive
to stick to the skin. Anyway I bought
these magnets and to make a long story
short this is the best investment in pain
management ever I am pain free as long as
I have ever been. So if you guys are
curious on how you can get these magnets I
can call him and see if I can post his
email on this forum. I hope this helps
cause it sure helped me. Thanks.
|
gaberu
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 3 Location: Tempe,AZ
Waynerico: Magnets Posted: 04-16-04 03:56am
i would be very interested in knowing
getting a little more information about
the magnets. Would it be possible to
contact your friend or does he have a web
address? Thanks a lot....
|
gedler
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Posts: 6 Location: Louisiana
Si Joint Dysfunction Posted: 04-21-04 10:15am
All your symptoms sound like si joint
dysfunction. I started with this problem
june 2003. After many hundreds of
dollars to the orthopedic doctor,
sports/rehab doctor, & medications and
thousands of dollars to the physical
therapist and massage therapist..... I
went to a chiropractor and had immediate
relief --about 80% better on first visit.
I went to him 3x/week for about a month
then decreased gradually to where I am now
-about once every 6 weeks. Still have
good results and am about 98% pain free.
No more meds, no extra exercising, just a
visit to chiro every now and then. Feel
great. Oh and in the beginning, cowboy
boots brought some relief while walking,
standing, bending. Doesn't help much if
you sit all the time, though.
|
golimber
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Apr 2004 Posts: 1 Location: Canada
Posted: 04-22-04 11:18am
Hi dave, if you're having trouble lying
down maybe my self-help answer will work
for you. I was in tremendous pain each
morning after sitting at the computer the
previous night, that I got muscle spasms
and sciatica when I tried to stand up.
But that was a year ago. I found that
putting a floor exercise mat on the
mattress as a pretty hard mattress topper
fixed me right up. So now i'm looking to
see if this will help others. Check out
the website on my email address - don't
know if you can get the exact floor
exercise mat in uk but should be able to
order it. For me the harbinger durafoam
rolled mat did the trick. Hope this
helps...Ps guinness is good for you!
Geoff at goli
mber@limberizer.Com
|
scotti2000
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 May 2004 Posts: 49
Posted: 05-02-04 12:56pm
Hi dave and all,
there is nerve interference involved
(subluxations) and so minimal from the mri
report that the medical doctors will never
consider it as your cause. We as
chiropractors believe that the smallest of
pressure could result in decreased
function ,and associated pain. Medical
doctors are looking for pathologies and
gross abnormalities, and if not found,
well its pain killers and anti-inflams, or
muscle relaxers. They don't correct the
problem (cause) they only stop you from
feeling the pain beneath. Fyi: magnets
work the same way they interfer with your
electrical fields and don't allow you to
feel pain... The problem is that the
cause is still there and over time will
continue to break down and become worse.
This is like shuting off the smoke alarm
and not putting out the fire.
Chiropractors like our friend suggested
work with this, it will time time, and a
committment on your part, but the body
will be able to correct itself and heal,
once the chiropractor removes the
pressure.
|
maphyrx
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 16 May 2004 Posts: 3 Location: Los Angeles
Alternative Remedy Posted: 05-16-04 11:51am
I'm a fan of alternative remedy, and I
found this belt at http://www.Masterlu.Com
it has done wonders for me. I work in an
office all day, and it seems that back
pains are inevitable nowadays. After
using this belt for just a week, most of
pain has gone away. The doctor said I
had some type of misaligned bone, it was
incredible how this belt was able to treat
it.
I've also tried the magnet some of you
were talking about. Later I learned that
it blocks your circulation. Because it
pulls the iron from our red blood cells,
and kind of creates a block of stagnant
blood. You should definitely be careful
when trying out new alternative remedies.
Hope this will help you out.
Dylan
|
alisonjoan
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 29 May 2004 Posts: 36 Location: santa monica
Dave Your Story Sounds Exactly Like Mine!!!!! Posted: 05-29-04 16:12pm
A month and 1/2 ago I developed pain upon
crossing my legs ( although now that I am
thinking about it I noticed it a year ago
doing yoga0 it never bothered me until the
hip - ok so I thought I pulled a hip
muscle - tried to ignore it - it has
gotten so bad I cannot stand it. I have
sciatic pain on my left side. From my
shoulder to the back of my knee - walking
makes it worse. I also have a numb spot
in my upper back and behind my left knee -
my left leg wantesd to stop working last
week and I was in terrible pain and spazm.
I went to the er- they took no x-ray but
gave me a shot in the hip which helped for
an hour - I went to an orthopedist and
they gave me an x-ray. Nothing unusual
found according to him except a bone spur
on my verteba 3rd up from the bottom - he
said it must have been an old injury - I
am not aware of any injury. Then he went
off on an arthritis tangent - I am only 34
so reumetoid is the only possibility - I
just read that doesn't effect the
back,.True or not??? He refused me
muscle relaxants and I have no idea when
they will do the bllod test for arthritis.
In the mneantime I am in terrible pain
and can hardly walk a block. I think
they should do an mri. Any thoughts from
anyone would be greatly appreciated
|
gedler
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Posts: 6 Location: Louisiana
Alisonjoan Posted: 05-29-04 23:52pm
Those are more of the same symptoms I had
associated with sacroiliac joint
dysfunction. The pain started in my mid-
buttock and went down to just below my
knee on the outside of my leg and all the
way up to my neck. My orthopedist didn't
determine it was si joint dysfunction
either. I had to research it myself on
the internet. Www.Kalindra.Com/sacroilia
c.Htm was the site I found the most
information on.
At this point in the whole process, a full
body massage may bring some relief for the
spasms and the knotted up muscles, but
only temporarily (a few days, at most).
That is treating symptoms, you need to
treat the cause.
The next stage of symptoms will be that
whole side of your body will feel sore, as
though you overdid weight-lifting or
exercising on just one side. The spasms
will continue to come and go but the
duration and intensity will increase. I
was prescribed flexeril, soma, and several
other meds (not all at once) but none of
them helped -just made me sleepy.
I was very afraid of chiropractic
treatment. But after so many months and
dollars with no relief, I finally went to
a chiropractor. He spent the better part
of an hour making me feel at ease before
he even touched me. Once I allowed him
to treat me --> immediate relief.
Another very important tip: heat is your
enemy, it feels good while you're doing
it, but it will aggravate the injury and
the overall effect is that it makes the
pain worse. If you put anything, use ice
packs.
Ask around for recommendations for a
chiropractor. Ask everybody you know.
You might be surprised that certain people
go to the chiropractor, they just don't
"publicize" it. Don't just pick a
chiropractor at random. Tell him/her
that you are afraid and that you don't
want treatment until your mind is eased.
If he/she won't take the time with you to
make you feel comfortable, find some one
who will. There are some very caring
practitioners out there.
Look at diagrams of the sacroiliac joint.
If it's dislocated, that would indicate
it needs to be "re-located." physical
therapists treat soft tissue -muscles.
The bones need treatment here as well as
the muscles. If your elbow or shoulder
were dislocated, what would be the
treatment? The doctor would put it back
in place.
I wish you well and will hope for relief
for you soon. I know exactly how you
feel! Let us know how you find relief.
Gerri
|
alisonjoan
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 29 May 2004 Posts: 36 Location: santa monica
Gedler - Thank You So Much For Your Thoughts Posted: 05-30-04 00:07am
Ok I guess I have questions - what is
sacrolitic joint pain and what causes it?
How come docors seem to have some problem
diagnosing it? Did a doctor ever help
you with anything? Why is it that the
symptoms seem similar to sciatic pain?
How dd you get muscle relaxants - from the
chiropractor? Fortunately there is a
chiropractor down the street from me -
walking distance . I know a few people
that have gone and felt better. Does
insurance ever cover any of that - I teach
preschool and I do not have much of an
income to speak of and I already have very
high Dr. Bills and student loans - no way
I can pay out of pocket . What do you
make of the er not giving me x-rays ?
What do you make of my current doctor
refusing me muscle relaxants and then
waiting weeks for a blood test for
arthritis that is highly unlikely. Does a
chiropractor do more than regular x-rays
seeing as mine turned out clean but for a
spur ( of course they didn't even look at
upper back and of course it may not
strictly be a bone problem. Are there
doctors besides chiropractors that deal
with muscle rather than bone ( in case I
have to go with what my insurance will
cover).
Thanks a million and then some - alison :d
|
gedler
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Posts: 6 Location: Louisiana
Alison Posted: 05-30-04 00:51am
The sacroiliac joint is where your hip
bone meets your spine. It's not a
typical "joint", such as a ball and socket
type joint like your shoulder. It's
more like 2 bones that fit together like a
puzzle piece... The poking out part of
one bone fits into the indented portion of
the other and there are ligamets and
muscles that hold it in place. When
these ligaments and muscles either get
stretched out or too tight, it dislodges
the perfect puzzle fit. The pain comes
from the bones putting pressure on each
other and/or on all the various body
components around it, nerves, ligaments
etc. It throws your whole alignment out
of whack and that's why you get symptoms
all over your body.
I can't answer about why doctors miss it.
Maybe med schools don't spend enough
time on bone/joint problems.
No, no doctor helped me with any part of
it. I saw an orthopedist and a sports
rehab doctor and a physical therapist.
None of them helped.
Sacroiliac joint dysfuncation can cause
sciatic pain. So they are the same.
I didn't get any meds from chiropractor.
All meds prescribed by doctors....
Didn't help.
My insurance covers chiropractic care same
as physician. You'll have to check your
schedule of benefits. My first visit
was $75 and then $50 per visit after the
first. My chiropractor files with my
insurance and all I pay is what my
insurance won't cover, $10/visit. Of
course, I live in south louisiana, your
amounts may be very different, the cost of
living is very different here.
I haven't much confidence in emergency
rooms, their philosophy is a band-aid
approach... Fix it 'til you see your
regular doc, which is what they did with
you.
I had x-rays while seeing doctors,
everything looked normal.
The method my chiropractor used to
diagnose si joint dysfunction was this:
sit in a chair with both feet on the
floor, feet even, your rear all the way
against the back of the chair, put your
knees together, is one knee further back
than the other?
Then he made me lie down flat on my
stomach and he checked to see if one leg
was longer than the other by straightening
my legs, holding my feet together and
pressing on my heels. Both tests were
positive.
My chiropractor didn't do any extra
x-rays, he used the ones my docs had
ordered.
Not sure what other docs may help.
Sports rehab doctors deal with muscles.
My physical therapist recognized si joint
dislocation, but her approach didn't work.
She had me on heat and exercises, but
wasn't re-locating the dislocated joint.
Here is another tip that brings temporary
relief: lie down on your back, interlock
your fingers behind your thigh just above
the knee on the affected side, pull with
your hands while pushing with your leg for
about 5 or 10 seconds, release, pull your
knee up as far as you can (without your
hands), straighten your leg, repeat 2 more
times. This might force the bones back
into place for a while. Still see a
chiropractor, though, because this isn't a
permnant cure, only temporary.
-gerri
|
alisonjoan
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 29 May 2004 Posts: 36 Location: santa monica
Gerri Posted: 05-30-04 01:23am
Hi you have been the most helpful person
ever in all of this thank you so very much
..Really . I will look into the
chiropractor for sure .
One other question - did your pain sort
of come and go? Mine seems to - I always
have some but before I went to the doctor
I was thinking I felt better enough to
maybe cancell the appointment and thee
very next day I was worse than I was to
start and the day after that I was at the
er . What could account for feeling
better one day and not the next? I did
approximately the same amount of activity
all days. Also can this condition effect
the colon?
|
gedler
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Posts: 6 Location: Louisiana
Alison Posted: 05-30-04 01:31am
A very big yes on the come and go. I
think it comes and goes because the body
tries to repair itself, but doesn't always
succeed. Maybe on the "go" part, it's a
little better at it.
Not sure about the colon, but I would
think yes since an out of place si joint
affects a whole bundle of nerves in the
area, possibly including nerves running
between the colon and the brain. Seems
plausible to me, but i'm no doctor.
good luck!
|
alisonjoan
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 29 May 2004 Posts: 36 Location: santa monica
Thanks Again Posted: 05-30-04 01:45am
I asked about the colon because I have
been sick since last august with colon
spasm in same side as hip/back trouble.
It is still not diagnosed and I am
suspecting a relation. I am so afraid
because I am in so much pain and numbness
really seems like a bad thing to be
happening . That scares me more than the
pain. And ... Check this out - could be
related or not - but I was diagnosed with
carpel tunnel in 1999. It seemed to have
cleared up a bit with occasional flair ups
- but since the back thing it is very bad.
I picked up a pitcher of juice with my
left hand and it simply fell to the ground
- my wrist stopped all functioning - no
strength. Do you think this could be
related or coincidence - it is on the same
side as the rest. I am a mess huh? I
appreciate your time so much . Thank you
for hearing me - that is all I want is
someone to actually be listening and be
helping me to figure this out and feel
better. I am very frustrated by doctors
- they are so fast to go on their own big
trip about something and they seem not to
listen - I could do a better job then them
( at least on myself) do you think I
should even bother with this arthritis
test at 34 years old. I am inclined to
want an mri just to be sure what is going
on in there . Would this problem that we
have been discussing show up on that - or
no because it involves muscle? Did you
ever have one?
|
gedler
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Posts: 6 Location: Louisiana
Alison Posted: 05-30-04 02:14am
I think it's all related.
I felt the same way about the doctors and
physical therapist. I left their office
in tears one day because I was so
frustrated with them not hearing what I
was saying. And i'm no crybaby....
It takes a heck of a lot to make me cry.
I did not have an mri. I'm not sure if
it would show up or not.
I am a firm believer that you know your
body better than any doctor. You live
with it 24/7, he/she sees it for about 5
minutes.... You decide.
Do what you feel you need. If you want
an mri to ease your mind that there isn't
anything super serious going on, then you
need to have it. You can't heal
properly if you're worried and stressed.
You need to feel confident that you are
getting the proper care.
Regarding the pain... Again, i'm no
crybaby... But this condition is very
painful. The severity of the pain
doesn't necessarily indicate the
difficulty of the cure. Touching a hot
stove hurts really bad, but there is a
very simple cure.....
Mris are expensive. If I were you, I
would make an appointment with the
chiropractor for a consult... Just talk.
Then decide after you leave what course
of action you want to take. Ask the
chiropractor to show you diagrams and to
explain why things have happened. Then
you decide if what he's telling you makes
sense to you. You, the one who is in
the body having the symptoms he described.
If you don't feel comfortable or
confident with him and his explanations,
then research some more, talk to someone
else.
It's your body and your life you make the
decisions based on the information you
collect. Research, research,
research.... And make an educated
decision after discussing it with someone
knowledgable that you trust. You have
every right to have a say in your
treatment.
|
alisonjoan
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 29 May 2004 Posts: 36 Location: santa monica
I Agree Posted: 05-30-04 03:24am
I have the pain and
I feel what is happening . It is just so
hard to find someone who will listen
answer questions and actually think about
possibilities in relation to a problem -
in addition - specialists are a probelm I
feel becuse they will not think outside
their specialty or they do not know .
But a person has to start somewhere.
They need to either refer or have a wider
range of what they do . Medicine is a
creative thing and a doctor should be
interested in what they are doing enough
to spend time thinking about an unresolved
problem. They should have a little
compassion for people who are in pain and
afraid/confused. Just my opinion. If
anyone out there knows of a good doctor in
santa monica california ( or a
chiropractor ) please let me know.
Thanks
alison
|
Gor Guru Gaa
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 9
Miracle Ball Method Posted: 06-23-04 06:35am
Listen guys, I highly recommend you try
the miracle ball method which is available
from amazon here > uk link for
miracle ball method . It is cheap,
simple and very effective for short term
relief. I've only used it for one week
and have felt slight but noticeable
improvements in my back and leg pains
(which i've had for 14 years). At the
very least, when you target a problem area
using this method you can gain some really
worthwhile stress-relieving temporary
relief. Try it, i'm 99% sure it will help
you in some way or another - my back pain
is easily diagnosed as chronic, so if it
helps me it must help you!
I can't comment on the long-term relief
because i've only used it for a short
while, although from the results so far I
have gained a new sense of hope that my
back can be healed and i'm usually quite a
cynical person. The only way to find out
if it works for you is to try it, I think
it's the best investment i've ever made
for my back and the cheapest by far.
