Sij and acupuncture

[Bananas5]

Sij were bad last weekend and I couldn't work out why. Could barely move for 48 hrs and popping pain meds like sweeties to keep me going through to physio today.

Then the penny dropped. I had traveled in the back of our car hitting every pothole in the county. I counted every one out and I counted them back.

Physio today was ready with her needles for acupuncture as i requested. It worked 3 yrs ago and as nothing else eased the pain had to try again. 30 mins later bingo. I walked out of rooms feeling like a new man!!!

Both physios I have seen this time + my GP maintain it is not inflamed and bone rubbing against bone. So....out comes the faithful hot water bottle rather than frozen peas.

I have another session in 3 weeks + a third if needed. That should sort me out for the next few months at least.

Why does it work on some and not others? I have no idea but if something does ease pain then I say go for it.

Pat x

[Hidden]

Hello Pat

They go for that golden spot, sometimes they miss it.

The roads back home are really bad as well, NI is just as bad if not worse because of the countryside lanes. My back when driving seems like it is going too break even in the front of the car,

Pain I suppose, lets us know we are still alive

Take care

BOB

[lowlife]

I have a  fractured vertabra both sides causing the vertebrate to drop and press on the one below at L5 and S1. I have found that very little helps the pain including acupuncture, tens, hot and cold packs, excercise etc which is literally a pain in the butt. Injections only worked for a few weeks so I don't bother with them anymore. I'm in pain 24/7 and the only thing that works is pacing. Night times are worse because the pain is so bad I feel that I need to keep walking around but im so  tired I can't keep my eyes open. What a lovely thought to be able to have a course of acupuncture and wait for the magic to work. 

[8sandylou]

Yay.....someone else with same....I had my second Acupuncture needle in Sacroilliac Joint (Bone Graft Harvest Site twice). The first one I wasn't sure whether it helped or not as I had so much going on and was my first Physio/Acupuncture experience.....but Pain being more isolated to SIJ second time......the pain of inserting the needle into flaring area hurt so much I almost screamed but within 10 minutes on my own with needle in, I almost went to sleep!!!!  Was a relief of the pain I could definitely feel as it happened.   Have had week of almost complete pain free bliss.  Can't explain it but very happy......am going back for my third treatment soon and have no fear at all.....I would definitely advise anyone in chronic pain situation to give it a go.....nothing to loose and everything to gain......I spent 30 yrs resisting this sort of treatment, thinking it would be unnecessarily invasive.....but has proved to be quite the opposite😍😍 Yay for you and for me and anyone else who elects to give it a go......I'm also practising Graded Motor Imagery and Recognise Back Brain exercises with the help of my Physio....fascinating stuff and very helpful......Hugs and THANKYOU for reiterating what I was struggling to explain...😘😘😘

[deejames in reply to 8sandylou]

Hi sandylou. I'm interested in the Graded Motor Imagery etc that you mention. Never heard of this. It I'm open to discovering any new approaches.

Would you tell me more please ?

Dee

[8sandylou in reply to deejames]

Sure the Physiotherapist is Professor Lorimer Moseley.  Watch him on UTube, his lectures are fascinating.  Book is called Explain Pain I haven't been able to afford the book, but found a Physiotherapist happy to treat me within these principles (he too funnily enough had had similar surgery to mine but was in early phase). Anyway he introduced me to Recognise Back/Foot/Hand which I downloaded to my iPad ($10ea) and I spend roughly one hour a day doing Left & Right Descrination exercises on computer.......find I am able to switch off from the pain quite well, not every time & some pain (nerve) is trickier than others......still taking low dose Oxy Contin as I'm relatively new to it.....but very empowering and latest Pain Management Science......I hope you can be inspired as I was, as it was someone on Health Unlocked that suggested it to me. 😜😜😜

[Hidden]

Hi pat how are things going. Big hugs to both of u 

[Bananas5 in reply to Hidden]

I have gone from a bad tempered, snappy, grumpy warthog back to my smiling happy self in half an hour!! David said!

x

[katieoxo60]

Totally agree Paton, what ever works for you have it. I find it amazing how jolting can cause such increase in pain, but it does doesn't it? I'm still recovering from the jolt damage from a fall about four weeks ago. take care glad you arte feeling a little better after physio x

[Bananas5 in reply to katieoxo60]

Sympathise Katie as I know what David goes through when he throws himself to the ground - falls over.

In both your case though you have a lot more to deal with. David has had acupuncture for almost 20 years and still works for him.

It is amazing where the physio places the needles. Mostly quite away from the area. Even in back of hand! As your own endorphins kick in you get a warm glow and sleepy. Or maybe it is the effect of lying down for half an hour! My body says...Oh good bedtime!!

x

[katieoxo60 in reply to Bananas5]

Hi again Paton, I had Acupuncture but did not work for me, they suggested the new laser treatment is better but did not say what it cost per session. Given time the pain crisis got better on that occasion as we think it was overuse of the joint at the gym. I have been trying Tumeric but that seems to make things worse in my muscles, so it is sometimes best to do the tried and tested things that work for you. I find massage gives some relief and warm baths plus some other things like joint supports and the latest I found to work is Aloe Vera muscle rub. Of course most important try to avoid falls and things that jolt the body x 

[deejames]

I fi d its just the position in the car that causes the pain. I'm so glad acupuncture works for you. It only works for about a couple of days for me after the initial great result.

Dee

[RAYJAYC]

I remember a course of years ago, I was offered acupuncture but thought " blah, it's a load of mumbo jumbo, witch doctor stuff" but didn't want to turn it down as a little bit of me was worried about missing an opportunity of some relief! I accepted the sessions and realised that "wowzerz, it actually helps!" So I sheepishly went to the next appointment and admitted that it may be good to add to my list of 'things that help'!

I had six sessions and found them to really help in the short term. They were on the NHS so I only got the six and then struggled to find a good therapist that could continue the treatment. It's been hit & miss since then but I think I'm about to be offered another six NHS sessions so am looking forward to them!!

Not so 'mumbo jumbo' after all!!

RAYJAYC

[Bananas5 in reply to RAYJAYC]

Aha! Hmmm like most people!

David had been having it for donkeys and as it worked for him I tried it 3 years ago. Successful then and again now.

Interesting you say about the 6 sessions on the NHS. They used to do the 6 up here in Scotland but cut down to 3 now.

However David gets his done at the pain clinic. When they first started way back in York late 90s the idea was to get as close to 10 weeks between sessions as you could.  He made it to 6 weekly and in spite of 2 moves to different pain clinics it has stayed at 6 weeks and it works for him.

When he has had a flair up or in a mess they will pop in an extr session. All on his back and a few needles in back of hand.

When we landed here 7 yrs ago our pain clinic hadn't actually got started with the acupuncture clinic so to keep the continuity he went private. It is with one of the NHS physios!!

So...something there to think about.

Pat x

[RAYJAYC in reply to Bananas5]

I'm restarting physio next week so I'll ask her whether she'll be the one doing the acupuncture too via the Pain Clinic too.

I'll also ask her whether she does it privately or who she recommends to go to out of the hospital. I think I'm prepared to pay privately to get maximum benefit!

The NHS sessions here (Hampshire) were six weeks apart which worked ok for me; would've liked four weekly though!!

RAYJAYC

[Bananas5 in reply to RAYJAYC]

Ask at your pain clinic if they do the acupuncture. If not why not? We did have a battle here to get it started But it was a battle worth fighting and we won! Too many admins said NO....pain clinic and patients said YES!!

x

[RAYJAYC in reply to Bananas5]

It is the pain clinic offering the acupuncture but the physio staff are the people to do it currently. They're seeking a suitably qualified person to do it in pain clinic itself but in the meantime, it's the physio dept picking up the slack!!

RAYJAYC

[Bananas5 in reply to RAYJAYC]

Aha that explains why they will only do set amount of sessions. Their rules not pain clinic's.

Yet again chronic pain gets low priority

x

[nemo31]

I guess your fortunate. I have had Migraine headaches for many years, tried all kinds of doctors and practitioners, including acupuncture and Medical hypnosis. Neither helped me so i continue with only thing that gives any results using Imatrex.

[Bananas5 in reply to nemo31]

Sadly it doesn't work for everyone. Like tablets I guess.

At least you have tried it.

x