treatments for thoracic spine injury Posted: 03-26-08 01:14am
I sustained a compression fracture of my
T6-9 vertebrae in a car accident almost
five years ago. I had to wear a back brace
for about four months but had a lot of
pain after I stopped wearing it. After
seeing my doctor for about six months
without any real plan for treatment (just
a multitude of x-rays and CT scans) and
still complaining of pain, he told me that
I might always have pain, and that my back
may never be the same again. Well it's
five years later, I'm now 21 college
student and I would say I lead a fairly
normal life, but I live with pain every
single day (sometimes excruciating). It is
really beginning to interfere with all
aspects of my life like being able to sit
in a desk for several hours a day, having
to stand for long periods of time at my
part-time job, and ESPECIALLY sleeping. I
refuse to believe that I should have to
live the rest of my life this way! I will
most likely go get a second opinion very
soon but I was just wondering if anyone
else had experienced this type of injury.
What types of treatment did you receive
and how did/do you deal with pain
management? Any help is appreciated!
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RichT
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 901
Thanks: 21
Thanked:0
Posted: 03-27-08 16:16pm
Hello Jms,
Welcome to this forum and the great people
who post and try to help others.
It HURT to read of the pain that you have
been through and are still going through.
You say you have been to your doctor.
From reading your post it seems you have
been to only one doctor. Would you be so
kind and let us know if he is a PCP (GP)
doctor, or a spine surgeon? Thanks.
Also, you mention about having x-rays and
CT scans of your back. Have you also had
MRI images of your back?
I can feel your pain when you talk about
sitting, standing and also laying down.
I'm there too, though 50 years older than
you.
I have not had the injury that you have,
so I hope others that have had a similar
injury will give you their thoughts and
experiences.
I'll await your reply to my questions.
Regarding pain management - I have one
FANTASTIC PM doc. He has been able to
help me and keep me away from the knife.
Take care. My thoughts and prayers are
with you.
RichT
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jms86
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 26 Mar 2008 Posts: 2
Posted: 03-29-08 17:02pm
RichT, thank you for taking the time to
read and respond to my post!
Yes, I have only seen one doctor so far,
but I will hopefully see a different one
soon. I had an MRI done when I was
admitted into the hospital after the
accident in 2003, but I haven't had
another one done since.
I really had not even thought about seeing
a PM doctor, but that might be an option
for me to look into. I can't seem to find
any products to help with thoracic back
pain, obviously because it is not as
common of a problem as lower back pain.
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RichT
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 901
Thanks: 21
Thanked:0
Some thoughts Posted: 03-31-08 17:05pm
Hello Jms,
Thanks for responding to my questions.
You stated you have only been to one
doctor. Is he a PCP, neurologist, spine
surgeon, or??
Jms, I would recommend that you search out
the best neurologist/spine surgeon in your
area. Speak to those you know and find
out which spinal specialist (with MD after
his/her name) that they thought highly of
and which ones they did not like. If you
have a professional sports team in your
area, call up their office and ask which
spinal surgeon they use for their players.
Call your local hospitals and ask those
you speak with which of the spinal
surgeons they would go to if they had back
pain.
THEN select the doctor at the top of your
list and make an appointment with that
doctor. Next make an appointment with the
doctor next in line. It is always a good
idea to get a second opinion.
I'd suggest that you wait with seeing a PM
doc until after you have seen two spine
speciallists. AND after you have had a
new MRI at the recommended organization of
the doctors you will have seen.
