
TENS Useful or Placebo?
In my quest to figure out how to get my back pain eliminated, I've done physical...
Posted by indytechguy
It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
In my quest to figure out how to get my back pain eliminated, I've done physical therapy, narcotics, and even an injection in my T8-T9 area. Nothing has really worked, in fact I think I am worse off now after the injection (is that even possible?). Anyway, so I've had two visits with a chiropractor who is into this "whole body" thing and is trying to solve my issues focusing on my IBS. For the love of God, I will never ever tell another doctor that I have been diagnosed with IBS in the past. A lot of what he says just sounds like quackery to me. Anyway, he has given me a TENS unit to use on my back and he suggests using it frequently throughout the day to help my back pain. I'm not yet convinced it is useful for me and have seen articles about the device being no better than a placebo?
So the question is to the mid (thoracic) to lower back pain sufferers who have tried a TENS, was it useful for you or just a waste of time?
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Posted byindytechguy
So the question is to the mid (thoracic) to lower back pain sufferers who have tried a TENS, was it useful for you or just a waste of time?
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It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Take the Poll
Is the TENS a useful tool for chronic mid to lower back pain?
Poll Results
Is the TENS a useful tool for chronic mid to lower back pain?
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Yes56% (5)
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No33% (3)
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Undecided11% (1)
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Is It Possible? (Venting)
On September 6th, I had an injection at T8-9 where I have Degenerative disc disease at...
Posted by indytechguy
It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
On September 6th, I had an injection at T8-9 where I have Degenerative disc disease at T8-T9 with small/moderate left-sided disc herniation with middle spinal cord deformity. The MRI I had in February 2012 also showed mild "dehydration" in T5-6, T6-7, T10-11, mild to moderate degenerative disc disease at L4-5 with small shallow right "paracentral" disc herniation and finally mild disc degeneration at L5-S1. I had the shot because PT failed me.
Here is the thing, my pain in my back is SOOOO much worse since the shot. The day immediately after the injection my back was wrecked, and stayed that way for several weeks then started to feel a bit better for a few days before going back to constant pain. My prescribed hydrocodone is not really giving me relief and sitting, driving, and laying on my back is dreadful. I was so freaked out by the pain in my back I went to the ER and they did a CT of my abdomen and complete blood workup. Everything came back negative.
How often is it that a single injection actually makes things worse? I go to another spine doctor this Friday to get a second opinion. I'm mostly just venting as I feel my quality of life is suffering greatly now and I can't get into to see my spine doctor who ordered the injection for several weeks (yes I let them my pain had reached 11...OK maybe not quite Spinal Tap levels, but life is painful now). And to make things even more interesting, I believe the constant pain (and depression) has really flared up my IBS.
I guess my only question, now that I know my organs are OK… from the back pain veterans who frequent here, do my issues seem like they would be causing me such discomfort? I know the first spine doc did say I would be in pain, but he never seemed to indicate just how much I could/would expect. Thanks for letting me whine.
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Posted byindytechguy
Here is the thing, my pain in my back is SOOOO much worse since the shot. The day immediately after the injection my back was wrecked, and stayed that way for several weeks then started to feel a bit better for a few days before going back to constant pain. My prescribed hydrocodone is not really giving me relief and sitting, driving, and laying on my back is dreadful. I was so freaked out by the pain in my back I went to the ER and they did a CT of my abdomen and complete blood workup. Everything came back negative.
How often is it that a single injection actually makes things worse? I go to another spine doctor this Friday to get a second opinion. I'm mostly just venting as I feel my quality of life is suffering greatly now and I can't get into to see my spine doctor who ordered the injection for several weeks (yes I let them my pain had reached 11...OK maybe not quite Spinal Tap levels, but life is painful now). And to make things even more interesting, I believe the constant pain (and depression) has really flared up my IBS.
I guess my only question, now that I know my organs are OK… from the back pain veterans who frequent here, do my issues seem like they would be causing me such discomfort? I know the first spine doc did say I would be in pain, but he never seemed to indicate just how much I could/would expect. Thanks for letting me whine.
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It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Reply: Severe back Pain
That is frustrating to have an expensive test done that shows no clue to what may be...
Posted by indytechguy
It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
That is frustrating to have an expensive test done that shows no clue to what may be going on, but on the same hand it is good to know there is nothing structurally wrong with your spine. I've been reading a lot where people are "desk jockeys" for their day job, have back pain from prolonged sitting. What I've been doing is trying to sit with better posture and frequent breaks to take walks, stretch, etc. Like you, the pain is in my mid back mostly!
Good Luck!
-IndyTechGuy
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Posted byindytechguy
Good Luck!
-IndyTechGuy
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It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Reply: Anything I can do while I wait to get an appointme...
Waiting for any type of doctor appointment is frustrating and a real drag when you are...
Posted by indytechguy
It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Waiting for any type of doctor appointment is frustrating and a real drag when you are in some serious pain. I have degenerative disc disease in my T8-9, L4-5 and L5-S1. Like bj1208 mentions, got to use the pillows. Unfortunately laying on my back with pillows under my knees doesn't always work as far as relief, but I still get relief when laying on my sides and using the pillow between my legs with my knees bent up towards my abdomen. Ditto on never laying on the stomach.
As far as massage goes, I've recently got a membership at Massage Envy: http://www.massageenvy.com/ and they have multiple locations. I would recommend massage for coping with the stress and the anxiety from having to deal with the back pain and having to wait so long to see a doc. I'm not going to say the massage will solve your back, just helps relax you (in my opinion and experience).
Good Luck!
-IndyTechGuyView Thread
Posted byindytechguy
As far as massage goes, I've recently got a membership at Massage Envy: http://www.massageenvy.com/ and they have multiple locations. I would recommend massage for coping with the stress and the anxiety from having to deal with the back pain and having to wait so long to see a doc. I'm not going to say the massage will solve your back, just helps relax you (in my opinion and experience).
Good Luck!
-IndyTechGuyView Thread
It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Reply: Back Pain
@Mfishken, I was experiencing abdominal and back pain late 2011 into early 2012 when...
Posted by indytechguy
It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
@Mfishken, I was experiencing abdominal and back pain late 2011 into early 2012 when finally I had a MRI of my abdomen and MRI of thoracic and lumbar spine in February 2012. The MRI of the abdomen was "unremarkable" however, the MRI of the spine showed that I have "mild to moderate" degenerative disc disease at L4-5 with small right "paracentral disc herniation". It also shows "mild" disc degeneration at L5-S1, T5-6, T6-7 and degenerative disc disease at T8-9 with "moderate" left sided disc herniation. My point? Like you I was a bit confused by the use of the words "mild" and "moderate" in my scan report. I was in serious pain up down and my back! I was expecting to see the words "severe" or something more urgent than mild or moderate.
I tried the physical therapy route before getting an injection in my T8-9 area. I'm actually worse now after the injection! From my research I've seen that the MRI can't show you how much pain you can expect as each person is different. For example, from what I can understand, most people with degenerative disc disease have no pain, while others have lots of pain! The same holds true for disc herniation. It affects each of us differently. Also, it could be that over the years since 2008 your body has gone through the usual aging process and your spine, with the injury, has simply gotten worse. Hopefully the MRI you have schedule will shed some light.
Good luck!
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Posted byindytechguy
I tried the physical therapy route before getting an injection in my T8-9 area. I'm actually worse now after the injection! From my research I've seen that the MRI can't show you how much pain you can expect as each person is different. For example, from what I can understand, most people with degenerative disc disease have no pain, while others have lots of pain! The same holds true for disc herniation. It affects each of us differently. Also, it could be that over the years since 2008 your body has gone through the usual aging process and your spine, with the injury, has simply gotten worse. Hopefully the MRI you have schedule will shed some light.
Good luck!
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It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Reply: Severe back Pain
Sorry to hear about your symptoms, if you're anything like me, dealing with constant...
Posted by indytechguy
It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sorry to hear about your symptoms, if you're anything like me, dealing with constant pain and sinking money into Doctors and tests with no results can be depressing. If you haven't done so already, read the TIP "Steps For Getting Back Pain Diagnosed And Treated ". Though you may have done most of this in all your visits with doctors, you may find some of the tips and comments useful. That may be a good place to start. You may need to work on your posture and try different sleeping positions (if you haven't already tried all this). Good luck in finding relief.
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It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Dehydration vs Degenrative
I notice on my scan results of my thoracic and lumbar spine that it appears the report...
Posted by indytechguy
It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I notice on my scan results of my thoracic and lumbar spine that it appears the report uses the terms dehydration and degenerative interchangeably. Am I reading this correctly? Is disc dehydration the same as "degenerative disc disease"? I've tried searching for this, but not having much luck so far finding a definitive answer. Thank you.View Thread
Posted byindytechguy
It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Reply: Dehydration vs Degenrative
Thank you Deach777. I read through that link, but I could never find the term...
Posted by indytechguy
It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thank you Deach777. I read through that link, but I could never find the term dehydration on the two pages, however, are you referring to this paragraph as meaning "dehydration"?
The loss of fluid in your discs. This reduces the ability of the discs to act as shock absorbers and makes them less flexible. Loss of fluid also makes the disc thinner and narrows the distance between the vertebrae.
- IndyTechGuyView Thread
Posted byindytechguy
The loss of fluid in your discs. This reduces the ability of the discs to act as shock absorbers and makes them less flexible. Loss of fluid also makes the disc thinner and narrows the distance between the vertebrae.
- IndyTechGuyView Thread
It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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In Need of Moral Support
I'm posting, looking for some moral support. I guess I sufferer of chronic back pain....
Posted by indytechguy
I'm posting, looking for some moral support. I guess I sufferer of chronic back pain. MRI showed a lot of bad areas along my spine (thoracic and lumbar). After having an injection in early September (it was not a part of the tainted supply), my back was actually worse for several weeks, then finally started to feel "better", then this past week, it is back to hurting, usually sitting aggravates it, and unfortunately, I'm a desk jockey for my job. I'm constantly taking my prescribed Tamadol or Hydrocodine to help.
How do some of you who suffer daily, keep your spirits up? How do you keep your mind from wandering to thinking you have something more serious? In my case, no matter how many scans and tests and doctors I see, when the pain is constant I can't but feel scared they missed something. Is it normal for a back injection to not "work"? Is it appropriate to discuss in detail my MRI results?
Anyway, thank you for reading my whining. I'm just frustrated and in pain.
IndyTechGuy
IndianapolisView Thread
Posted byindytechguy
How do some of you who suffer daily, keep your spirits up? How do you keep your mind from wandering to thinking you have something more serious? In my case, no matter how many scans and tests and doctors I see, when the pain is constant I can't but feel scared they missed something. Is it normal for a back injection to not "work"? Is it appropriate to discuss in detail my MRI results?
Anyway, thank you for reading my whining. I'm just frustrated and in pain.
IndyTechGuy
IndianapolisView Thread
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Reply: In Need of Moral Support
David and all, thank you for your words of wisdom. I think when it comes to my health...
Posted by indytechguy
It is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
David and all, thank you for your words of wisdom. I think when it comes to my health and the issues I'm experiencing, I've always been a "glass half full" guy. David, I read your eight steps in "Steps For Getting Back Pain Diagnosed ", though I've done the steps prior to posting I appreciate you taking time to post them as it re-affirms that I'm on the right path and doing everything I possibly I can. My "faith" is strained to put it nicely, but knowing there are good souls here on the interwebs willing to reply to a stranger in need of comfort, only shows I need to step up and be counted.
@DianeR01 - I think I've pretty much narrowed it down to sitting is what causes my lingering pain. Thank you for the encouragement, I do need to find the positive things. With the constant pain, it will take some effort to keep the spirits up.
@TRS1960 - Well said on the goals. Though, with tongue in cheek, I will say I have been listening to my body that is why I'm here...it won't stop complaining.
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Posted byindytechguy
@DianeR01 - I think I've pretty much narrowed it down to sitting is what causes my lingering pain. Thank you for the encouragement, I do need to find the positive things. With the constant pain, it will take some effort to keep the spirits up.
@TRS1960 - Well said on the goals. Though, with tongue in cheek, I will say I have been listening to my body that is why I'm here...it won't stop complaining.
View ThreadIt is not length of life, but depth of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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