Hi there, sorry to hear what you are going through it resembles what I went through ,never think you are a nusiance that's what I thought and I wish I said something earlier but we trust these people but they are only human I thought they thought i was hypochondriac so please stand up for yourself and get help from family leaving things won't always go away you know your body x

Lots here you can do.

Muscle spasm brings on pain...it is the body's natural defence mechanism. So you need to relax those muscles.

Go back to the physio who gave you those exercises and say they don't work.

Also ask your GP for a referral to pain clinic. They will look at everything maybe suggest alternative therapies. Also show you how to manage your pain.

If you are doing too much that can cause muscles tightening. Many people say they do little so keep a diary for a week/10 days and when it hurts write down what you did previously. You will be very surprised.

x

Get you go, to refer you to a specialist and then get things sorted.

you say: " I need to tighten up my hip muscles although I do this on a daily basis by using the exercises that the physio gave me to do over a year ago."

You actually need to untighten. See an Alexander teacher. They will help you understand this by using hands on. Muscles are strongest at their longest lengths. Thus the tighter a muscle becomes the weaker it gets.

When you tighten your hip muscles you are probably tightening other things as well.

Hi there, my husband had the same problem with the doctors, he was pushed from pillar to post. Acupuncture...physio...etc then he was sent to see a chiropractor who pummelled his fist so hard into my husbands back that he could barely walk out of there. So back to the doctors and more pain killers.

So we decided to pay for a private consultation and he said he thought that Derek had a tumour on his spine and to call our doctors and ask for a urgent MRI which they paid for him to have privately the next day.

So Derek didn't have a tumour thank god but he did have a disc that had ruptured and needing surgery.

So maybe if you can afford it I would suggest to see someone privately.

Good luck x

Hi, my doc first referred me to the musculo-skeletal service who assessed me and sent me for x-ray and mri. Then they decided whether to send me to physio or a neurosurgeon. Unfortunately, they said nothing coukd be done for me and gave me the option of either pain management or a pain clinic. I chose the latter and now have three injections in my back every six months. Brilliant. In our area, everyone has to go through this referral procedure to get the end result. Good luck. x

Hello to you and sorry to hear of your situation. It does all sound very familiar as for the first 3 years following a work accident I went from pillar to post and just got on with things with the help of co-codamol and occasional visits to a chiropractor. I ended up collapsing at work who called an ambulance and via A&E I had my first MRI which showed two prolapsed discs and a compressed spinal cord. 16 years later I have now had 5 ops, the most recent being SCS, aka Spinal Cord Stimulation.

My advice would be to push for and seek an MRI scan which should show exactly what is the cause of your obvious pain. I had 2 x rays prior to my first MRI which showed nothing particularly untoward as x rays show only certain physical features.

I also switched GP following the result of my 1st MRI as my previous GP had missed the obvious symptoms and had done so previously as well as he had told me the malaria I actually had contracted working overseas was in his opinion, flu !! (Particularly frustrating as I am one of those typical blokes who has to be coerced into going to the Dr even if my leg is hanging off !!)

Best wishes to you for a happy and less painful New Year, Ben.

Hi. I am exactly in the same position as you. Have been diagnosed with mild scoliosis and have continual back pain. My feet go numb and tingle and burn 24/7 and my doctor has now said I have peripheral neuropathy in my feet! I have begged for an MRI scan to see what is going on as I feel it could all be coming from my back but he refuses! I have another appointment with a new doctor in the Practice tomorrow and I am going to ask him to refer me for an MRI or to see a back specialist but I do not hold out much hope! All they want to give me is gabapentin, amitriptyline or co-codamol which I can’t take but all I want to know is what is causing it. I am in the UK and not sure how much MRI scans are privately but I feel I will be going down that road next just to eliminate things. Good luck and will be interested to know how you get on xx

You are entitled to insist, even though for financial reasons your practice may resist. If at all possible, if you can find the name of a specialist you want to be sent to, you can ask that you are referred to that person as well. You say that one GP has said she will refer you to a specialist. Is it worth going to see her and asking her to do that for you?

All the very best. Hope you get help in sorting out your pain.

Idea only, ‘some’ lower back and ‘some’ hip pain is linked to low or deficient vitamin D blood levels. Anything to do with nerve pain, numbness and you also mentioned shooting pains, any problem to do with the spine, (from head to toe) get your vitamin B12 bloods checked.

Dear allyh1968,

Is there Anything, that you can do- you ask? Well if you, really have, exhausted ALL the options with your GP/ Hospital Doctor(s)….Then Ask/ Demand, a Referral, to another Consultant, or Hospital. Please DO 'look up' the Vasculitis Web Site but BE CAREFULL, as with ALL 'Self Help' websites....You can 'Give' yourself, almost anything.....Which is why I don't 'Like Them'.

Basically you need to Assert Yourself, whilst NOT 'Rocking The Boat' too much- bear in mind that 'troublemakers' are not Liked- whereas 'People ASKING, for Help, are a totally different matter- if you see what I'm Driving At.

Sorry that I can't be more 'Help', to you, allyh. I wish you a Happy New Year 2019.

AndrewT

You really need to be referred to an orthopaedic specialist. They can advise on what treatment you might need. Please see: nhs.uk/conditions/scoliosis/

update on my doctors appointment - mixed feelings but they checked the assessment I had last March which showed some nerve pain/damage although they didn't think to mention it to me although I have been going back regularly saying that the pain killers are not working and the pain is getting stronger! they have given me Gabapentin to try and arranging an MRI - finally. Apparently the reason for not telling me they recognise the nerve pain is because they won't operate on my discs! I feel angry that they hadn't mentioned it sooner and taken the next step of pain management and relived that they have given me a reason why

Hi allyh, I’ve just read your post and had to reply as so similar to me and I’m not getting anywhere really apart from when my disc did actually come out of place and I had to have an emergency laminectomy and lumbar spine decompression, I’d been in bed for couple of weeks, literally couldn’t move and became impossible to go to the loo, took me several attempts till I insisted they give me a bed in hospital, by that time I couldn’t wee, my pain was 10 and simply unbearable. After the op of course I was so much better but a year later started with all these pains from pelvis down, especially around hips, thighs, knees, ankles and toes, my muscles or nerves twitch constantly on left side, my op was in L5S1, I’ve had MRIs and now told I’ve DDD, osteoarthritis and a little osteoporosis, my muscles all hurt like yours, if you press on my hip down the thigh it feels so bruised and tender, was verbally told bursitis but mri didn’t confirm this yet I’ve had it 6 years, no one knows what it is, chiropractor was pretty good and said ask for blood test HLA27 or something like that but it came back negative for polymyalgia rheumatica. I’m sure I’m riddled with arthritis and some RA but rheumatologist signed me off when he knew I had back problems and was to be seen by orthopaedics instead, to be fair I’ve had RF nerve ablation and nerve blocks and steroid injections but all only offer such temporary relief. One thing I’ve had all my life is weak ankles, have to replace shoes very frequently as all heels worn over on the outside edge. As a child my parents noticed I walked badly and at the time it was advised I have special shoes made for me, I wasn’t bought them at the time so had to suffer with leg ache throughout my whole childhood where I couldn’t sleep for pain. I now have insoles specially made but they don’t do enough. I think I have loose muscles and joints like you and this causes the pain. I’m now under pain management and at my last appt I was told to go and join a gym, that I was mildly depressed and to stop looking for a cause for my pain. Such a bully, I felt like a whinging child once again. Please let me know how things go for you. Do you get pain in your feet? The ball of my feet and my big toes often hurt and now my finger joints hurt and look just slightly misshapen. Let me know how you are please and if any updates. I’m female and 58. Kay x

I have now received my appointment for the MRI which I need valium for but although the appointment is 25th February I am stressing about it already. Looking for some advice on how to cope with it and of course there will be the back pain as I am unable to lay flat on my back. I have tried laying on my back with my legs raised by putting a rolled up towel under them but still can't go long before the pain sets in. I am also a larger lady and the fear of how small the MRI scanner is is causing me so much anxiety

Speak to the MRI staff well before your appt, tell them you are very nervous, many units can arrange a pre appt visit so you can have a practice run.

I had yet another MRI last month and lying flat is the biggest issue, apart from my back pain I also get vertigo and don't cope with enclosed spaces, nightmare but I did it.

Good luck 😊