When or should I see a ortho for my back?

[smilingcat]

To start off, my father was a MD. So I'm very much biased against them. Don't like'em don't care for them mainly because I realized early on that MD's really don't have any more clue than you or me. Also I was warned about many of the surgeries as not permanent, meaning you have to have it redone every few years.

Now my back problem. It is getting a little bit ridiculous. It's been out since end of June.

Couldn't ride in Manhattan beach crit, though I was really tempted.

Rode on a very lucky 7-7-7 date at Tour of Three Harbors in Ventura County. I opted for the 35 flat miler to save my back. Had a setback from that ride. And start seeing my really wonderful chiro.

Then just two weekends ago I tried the Holestein ride and ended up dumping the 60 miler. This bugs me a great deal. 60 miler really shouldn't be a big deal but it was. My back is once again screaming with jolts of excrutiating pain when I move the wrong way. Still doing the Chiro. Still doing the Gyrokinesis (similar to Pilates) and the jolts are still occuring.

I don't trust MD's. And if I see one what can they do anyway?
"Lets fuse two of your vertabrae" I understand its a loooong recovery and its only good for about 5 years. Then what.

"Steroids?" hmm I don't want to have that puffy moon face and what about my liver??

"Stop riding a bike" I've been told that by a neurosurgeon after my last major accident. This is not an option for me. I would rather bike and die doing the thing I enjoy in life. Yes its selfish.

What else can I do?? Oh am I just too jaded? Do I need to put my biases of MDs aside and go see a orthopedics specialist? I would like an opinion from all the wonderful PT ladies on this board. I'm just going totally batty and in a bit of cabin fever frenzy..

Are there any PT work that can be done for my back?

smilingcat

[mimitabby]

exercise? physical therapy? Postural exercise? there's lots that you can do without any drugs at all.
you can heal yourself.
They did a study on people who got their spins fused
and those that didnt' and i think after 6 months
the same percent of each group was feeling better.

[baskingshark]

I've had a chronic neck problem for several years. I went to see an orthopedic surgeon. After reviewing my MRI, he told me surgery wasn't indicated and prescribed physical therapy. it wasn't a particularly touchy-feely experience, but I felt that he understood the issue and treated me appropriately. The PT took care of the acute pain, but I was left with some minor chronic pain that never really went away - I assumed I'd always have it.

Recently, I had a recurrence of the problem - acute pain for days. I went to my GP and she checked my range of motion and felt that there was no need to go back to the orthopedist. Instead, she prescribed another round of PT and referred me to a chiropractor. I've been doing both and feel like I'm making progress for first time in over 5 years - I have virtually no pain in some ranges of movement and am making progress on the rest.

Good luck!

[Ninabike]

Smilingcat, maybe you should see an M.D., just to get a diagnosis. there are so many causes of back pain. It could be related to disc problems, or something else altogether. You really need to know what the source of the problem is so you can make a choice of treatment. You don't necessarily have to go with the physician's suggersted treatment, but at least you will know what the cause of the problem is and then search out treatment alternatives. Just IMHO.

[KnottedYet]

I highly recommend a McKenzie PT. Give them a chance. I've seen some amazing results. (I start my McKenzie training in 2 months, so I don't know enough to give helpful hints at this point.)

It's all about mechanical issues of the spine, and the evaluation protocol with McKenzie will immediately determine whether or not you are a candidate. They won't keep you for therapy if you aren't appropriate.

McKenzie PTs are PTs who've gone on for advanced training.
Your ideal would be to go to a McKenzie certified clinic (there are only about 25 of them in the US) or to go to a McKenzie Diplomate therapist. Next is a Certified McKenzie therapist. Someone who has simply taken a few classes but never gone thru the certification or the diplomate programs would be better than nothing.

http://www.mckenziemdt.org/ Try the website and search clinics, diplomates, and certs in your area.

[KnottedYet]

Just ran a quick search: there is only one McKenzie certified Clinic in California, and it's in Sacremento.

Here's a list of Dip and Cert therapists in California. If you go to one of their clinics, make sure you see the McKenzie therapist themself, and not just someone else who works in the clinic. http://www.mckenziemdt.org/therapist...95865E4FF21987

[Torrilin]

Doctors can be very helpful. They're most helpful when you can be specific about what hurts, what triggers pain, and what your goals are. Specialists (podiatrists, orthopods, obstetricians etc) tend to be more useful than a GP if you've got a problem in their area. They're also much more useful when you do your own research on your problems. That said, I've had bad specialists .

Some structural repairs like hip replacements work pretty well. A *lot* of structural repair surgery is very experimental. If the doctor suggests a particular surgery, it is well worth doing your own research on it. My podiatrists have always been good about taking "no" on surgery seriously. The length of time a structural repair surgery lasts varies based on the surgery. Also, most doctors consider repair duration a very important thing to improve. Surgical repair is not (at present) a good treatment for my structural problems, but everyone's body is different.

It is *good* to be a suspicious patient. The doctor does not live in your body. The doctor cannot read your mind. And the doctor is not perfect. But a good one has more tools (drugs, knowledge of the human body, mechanical aids, surgery, physical therapy) than an ordinary person.

There are doctors who bike out there. It might be worthwhile to find one who does, even if he or she is not the specialist you need, and ask for their advice on which specialists are likely to be supportive. Doctors are just like regular people, and some of them don't take exercise and physical activity seriously. Others are bike commuters *g*.