Chronic back and neck pain post injury

[Soli22]

Hi all, I am new to this site. I’m a 42 yr old male, ex service, shot twice with high velocity rounds over 10yrs ago in right hip and lower leg. Care throughout both Mil and Civ has been quite poor tbh. L5 vert damaged with compression to sciatic nerve. Ankle joint smashed and Achilles’ tendon suffered a hole through it. Resulting in numbness, weakness and pain in shin, ankle and foot. The bones and tissue were still infected three years post injury requiring numerous surgical interventions. Body and mind feels totally worn out.Currently prescribed Oxy, Longtec 80mg PD and up to 40mg shortec PD as needed. Previously maxing out on these + paracetamol and ibuprofen but have now reduced myself. Consequently, in a lot of pain. Recently developed pain in neck and shoulder which doesn’t budge. MRI shows bone Spurs on the C-spine. As I’m sure most people on here can appreciate these are all issues that are not conducive with a happy life and bringing up young children.

Anyways, I was looking for some advice please. 1) I have been offered a second spinal nerve stimulator. The first was removed as it did not really reach any therapeutic levels and got infected. I’m wary of another for the added pain and potential of it not working. Any thoughts on if one would think it worth having etc please?

I don’t want to take meds as I have bad paranoia about taking them. I don’t really want a foreign object poking out from under my skin but, I don’t want to be in this pain forever either. (And before anyone says it..I know right, don’t get shot then!!)

2) Also, has anyone come across a bit of kit called a spinal back rack, if so would you recommend. It’s a wooden back rack, pricey at around £300 so wouldn’t want to get and it be just another expensive ornament. Many thanks in advance for taking the time to read.

Kind regards to all.

[cyberbarn]

Pain is pain, however we get it!

You haven't mentioned a pain clinic. Have you been referred to one yet. If not is sounds like that might be a good thing to do. Pain clinics have got better recently.

Also have you heard about The Pain Tool Kit? It was developed by a chap who had a motorbike accident. You may have tried all the things they talk about on the website, but you never know there might be some ideas there you hadn't heard about. Have a good search around the website. They do sell things but there is a lot of resources that are free too:

paintoolkit.org/persistent-...

And finally, just because we have pain from one thing, doesn't mean to say other things can't be happening. There is something called Hickem's dictum: Patients can have as many diseases as they damn well please!

So it is possible that your neck could be osteoarthritis or maybe even another type of arthritis. I have two types now, plus Ehlers-Danlos, all three conditions cause pain.

I recently found an excellent physio who runs a clinic at a university. It is private but not expensive and she has given me some exercises for my neck which really help. They aren't the normal ones you find on the internet or with NHS physios, but every time my neck starts to hurt I do them and it relieves the pain.

So if you haven't had success with physio yet, don't give up, find another physio!

[Soli22 in reply to cyberbarn]

Hi cyberbarnThanks for your reply.

I only mentioned the mechanism of my injury and cause of the majority of my pain because if I hadn’t, and just said ‘something’ happened then it might leave someone thinking, well what happened to you..that’s all.

As for the neck issues, I agree that this is something stand alone. This causes a lot of pain and discomfort no matter what I have tried so far, which admittedly is not a huge list of things at present but I’m working on it.

I am under a pain clinic. I have been for a number of years now. My pain Dr is opposed to the use of opioids, which I fully understand his PoV but I need and want an alternative. His thing is the nerve stim implants and as previously stated I have not had much success with that. I have also had infusions at the pain clinic which didn’t really help either.

I will take a look at the toolkit, thank you for bringing that to my attention.

Kind regards

[Crystalbowl]

Hello Soli 22. I have a spinal back rack which I have had for years. I have not thought about in a long time as I have not had any issues with my back for quite a long time now. However, I injured my back about a month ago lifting something out of my car in a confined space. Initially, I thought it would sort itself out in a few days if I was careful but it didn’t. So I went to see the Chiropractor who has sorted me out on various occasions in the past but after examining me and working on my back a little bit said he thought it was muscle strain and he couldn’t help. Then went to an Osteopath who also uses acupuncture. She used the needles first then again worked on my back a bit. I did arrange a further appointment with her for the following week. But the next day, I was in such pain that I rang 111, spoke to a doctor who told me to get to A & E right away where I had an X-ray and CT scan which showed a fractured vertebrae at L1 with previous fracture to T12 above it. I only have paracetamol for the pain. I can’t use ibuprofen because of the heart meds I am on. I also have PHN (post herpetic neuralgia) pain from shingles in January 2019 in the area of my RH rib cage front and back including into my spine and this pain has also ramped up. I have not taken anything for the PHN for quite some time though have been prescribed Gaberpentin some time ago but am very reluctant to try it as it is an opioid and also after reading how difficult other people have found it although it does work for some. My partner is having to get me out of bed in the morning as I can’t move myself until I get going a bit so I have not dared to try the spinal rack in case I can’t get off it again. I did try some McKenzie exercises one day which have helped in the past but my partner came home to find me on the floor as I couldn’t get up and I also had to be helped to get up from the couches of both the Chiropractor and Osteopath even though I did tell them they probably wouldn’t be able to get myself up. I don’t know if you have come across the book “The Way Out” for healing chronic pain by Alan Gordon. I was planning to work on applying some of his ideas to the PHN pain until the back injury. Will see how it goes. I hope you find something which works for you.

[Soli22 in reply to Crystalbowl]

Hi Crystalbowl,Thank you for sharing your thoughts and some of your issues. I have sympathy with everyone on here and indeed everyone who suffers and there seems to be the common theme that sadly, nobody ever really gets fixed.

Thank you for the advice and I will definitely be taking a look at the McKenzie exercises and the book ‘The way out’.

Can I ask, when you did use your back rack in the past, can you recall finding it worthwhile?

It’s kind of funny, I remember it first being brought out as a prototype and shown on a morning TV show called the ‘Big breakfast’ over 25 years ago (back when I was as fit as a race horse and had no pain whatsoever!!)

I thought at the time it looked like something crazy and it stuck in my mind all these years! (Maybe for a reason?)

Kind regards

[Curlygal in reply to Crystalbowl]

Gabapentin is not an opioid, it's an anti-seizure drug also used for nerve pain. I do appreciate your reluctance though as I know a lot of people don't get along with it. I'm on pregabalin which is similar; I don't have a lot of side effects from it.

[Crystalbowl in reply to Curlygal]

Thank you, Curlygal, for clarifying my misapprehension about Gaberpentin and that it is not an opioid. Whatever, I am still wary of trying it as some of the side effects given are sleepiness and dizziness and I already have these to an extent, probably from other meds I am on. Pregabalin does seem to get better reports from some people and am pleased to hear it seems to work for you.

[Bevvy in reply to Crystalbowl]

Hi 👋. Nothing really to add but just wanted to mention that Gaberpentin and things like Pregablin may have side effects for some people but over time the side effects do wear off/reduce. Also I have chronic back issues and find a “pain pen” works well for me. Works in similar ways to Tens machine but I find it is better. I got one from Amazon after a friend who also has pain issues recommended it to me. Because my pain is usually in my back I purchased more expensive type where switch on/off only once.

Hope you find something that helps.

[Crystalbowl in reply to Bevvy]

Thank you, Bevvy. A pain pen is probably no good for me or a Tens machine or other similar devices as I have a pacemaker implanted.

[happytulip in reply to Crystalbowl]

Tens machines can be really effective. You shouldn't out it at the level of your heart whether you have a pacemaker or not so if your pain isn't on your nipple line then it could be effective. Obviously you might want to double check with a Dr first but the only thing that will stop a pacemaker working is holding a magnet over it. Or so it used to be.

[Crystalbowl in reply to happytulip]

Thanks for your reply but I have been told not to use a tens machine because it will interfere with the pacemaker. However, I am going to have the pacemaker checked early next month so will ask to make sure.

[happytulip in reply to Crystalbowl]

Yeah, always best to ask. I don't have a pacemaker myself but I know of two people who use them. Maybe it depends on placement? It's always better to ask the specialists for a definitive answer.

I have an unusual heart rhythm so would never place a TENs near my chest but my cardiologist says it's far enough away to be used on my lower back. From what I've read about pacemakers there are two schools of thought. One, that it should be fine if the pads are far enough away from the heart. Two, not enough evidence to suggest it is or isn't safe so best to air on the side of caution and not use it.

It's frustrating that there is no clear answer. I hope you ask someone who can give you a good answer. I'll save this post so when you are told I'd be interested to hear what they say if that's alright.

[Crystalbowl]

Hello Soli22. I may have had the back stretcher for 25 years. It is certainly a long time and 35 years since I first started having problems with my back. I can’t really remember whether it helped or not. I have not used it for a long time as I have not had much trouble with my back for quite a while now. I’m not sure that, even if I could get on and off it at the moment, I would be able to use it as I am so thin now and and think it would be too painful from the PHN pain in my RH rib cage. I would be quite happy to let you try it and if it suited you, you could keep it but although I see from your profile you are in the UK, probably not anywhere near me. I am in Lancaster. It would be quite heavy to send and difficult for me to pack up.

[Soli22 in reply to Crystalbowl]

Hi Crystalbowl,That is very kind of you to offer but I think your answer does actually answer my question, if you cannot remember it helping then I am guessing it probably didn’t or if it did it wasn’t a huge success.

Thank you again for the kind offer and your honesty.

Kind regards

[happytulip]

Backpacks are generally for back injuries that don't involve penetrating trauma.