Multi-level disc injury - frustrated rant

[luvmyguys]

I'm so sorry. I saw the thread title and cringed. I had to give up a sport thanks to my injury, and it hurt to give it up (but hey, now I'm here!).

Have you considered a good chiropractor? I make that suggestion with great hesitation, because there are good chiropractors and ones that can leave you paralyzed, and sometimes it's hard to find the good ones. I happened to luck out on that score. Everything she did had the blessing of an independently seen orthopedic surgeon, and she was the one who ordered the MRI for my neck and recognized (quickly) that my injury wasn't something she'd be able to treat. She then sent me to one of the best (and most medically conservative) neurosurgeons in the city.

She did something called spinal decompression (again, with the blessing of the orthopedic surgeon I'd gone to for a second opinion), which, while it wasn't able to fix the problem, kept me out of pain until the surgery. It's a gentle, computer based traction (I called it the rack, though).

Again, I make the suggestion with trepidation, because I know there are definitely bad chiropractors out there (I saw one article that referred to them as chiromancers). Think your PT might have a recommendation?

Good luck, and I'm so sorry it's derailing the sport you love!

[OakLeaf]

Thanks. Actually I've been seeing the chiropractor my PCP recommended. I was impressed with her initial exam but there have been a few things that have caused me to lose some confidence. My PT is setting me up with another PT in her practice who has a great deal of training and experience in manual therapy and we're going to go from there. Maybe with a new treatment focus, maybe with a referral to an ortho, we'll see after she sees me. My sister suggested I see a DO who's trained in Sutherland's technique - perhaps one of the doctors the new PT has in mind is one of those.

[Crankin]

I am sorry to hear this, Oak.

[Catrin]

Oak, so sorry to read this, hopefully the new doc can help you out. It is a pity that so many see surgery as the first option Have they tried injections/would you consider that? It did a world of good for me - it apparently brought the inflammation down enough that the more troublesome symptoms of nerve impingement (patterns of numbness from my jaw to my fingers) went away and haven't returned. My problem was pretty much limited to my cervical spine however, while it has multiple problems it certainly sounds less complex than your situation.

He was a "Physiatrist", if I recall properly. I know injections don't work in all situations/for all people but I did want to mention it.

[silversurfer]

OakLeaf, sorry to hear this. I don't understand the issue fully but I really hope that you find the right medical support and resolve this problem.