Thoracic Spine Degenerative Disc Chronic Pain

[REDJP_UK]

After a number of Steriod injection in the fact joint I am now finding they are no longer effective in help with pain. I try to keep mobile and exercise as best as I can with despite the challenges I have from Spina Bifida as well.

Does anyone have any stories of things that may help as we live in a world where surgery is difficult and if you are listed there is a long wait due to covid

[Emma2017]

Hi I have had a lot of bother with my lower back, had various operations. However I have had steroid injections like you mentioned and found after after a while they did not help. I was offered a denervation of 4 levels which helped a lot and a few years later I had it once more. It’s just the next step from the injections. With your bother higher up I am not sure if this is possible but it might be worth asking.

[REDJP_UK in reply to Emma2017]

I have already had spinal fusion 4 years ago via ALIF as I had Spondyliothesis . As I have Spina Bifida scaring in the posterior Lumber., I had L4, L5 S1 fused and they warned me then that other part of my spine will need it in due course. But it seems they just want to keep pumping steroid in that dont work. Teh had offered Denervation which will supposedly stop pain but if my disc is damaged then when it finally fails its all for nothing. So frustrating

[Emma2017 in reply to REDJP_UK]

It’s mega frustrating, I know what you mean. I had a fusion at the same level after 3 microdiscectomies due to CE. Had a laminectomy higher up. Thing is that despite all that I found that a denervation did help the pain. I found little or no respite from the fluoroscopic steroid injections prior to those. So to my mind it was if it does not help it won’t hurt either. But it helped me greatly. Where Ihad the laminectomy I find that that op has not helped definitively but the damage does not mean you cannot have a denervation and if that helps the pain so you can manage your everyday life better then to my mind it’s worth it. But obviously I cannot speak for you or your spina bifida condition. Hope you find answers for yourself so you can move forwards if possible. Take care.

[Poppy_Ann in reply to REDJP_UK]

Hi there, I have had back pain since an accident in the army back in 1976 which broke l1, l2, l3 and l4 along with crushing me pinning my hands onto my shoulders and compressing my back hips knees and feet I had been offered to fuse the damaged back but was told for every joint they fuse they have to do the one above and the one below but was warned that for every joint they fused there was a 10% chance they could damage the spinel cord which would cripple me and as I had 4 damaged one's plus the one above and the one below that there was a 60/40 chance I would be crippled and end up in a wheel chair for life so I said I would leave it for a while untill I could not stand it any longer then it would be a 40% chance of fixing me which whilst still being the same numbers but it sounded much better if I was crippled already.

The only thing you can do is try and find a treatment that lowers your pain to a level you can manage as there is nothing that can get rid of it totally, good luck with finding something that works for you, Regards Poppy Ann

[Poppy_Ann]

Sorry but I am in the same position with my back broke in 4 places plus other things that cause pain the only thing I can think of is to try and find something that you are interested in and concentrate on that which can take your mind off the pain, as long as you are thinking of the pain you are in the longer you will be in pain.

Sorry its not a take this pill and it will be gone, I don't think there is any pill you can take and your pain will be gone all pain medication just lowers the pain to a level you can manage there is no golden pill that stopes everything.

Good luck finding something that let's you cope.

Regards Poppy Ann