Spinal stenosis

[sparkey1958]

I have nerve pain in the L4 L5 an a herniated disc and arthritis. The steroid injections I've had gave me no relief. Hence an upcoming appointment with a surgeon to talk about other options. I'm curious if anyone has heard of spinal ablation?

[SueJohnson]

If you have it let me know how it goes because I have extreme spinal stenosis throughout the entire lumbar region.

Interestingly I have found that taking more gabapentin then what I need for RLS definitely helps. I take 1200 mg at night for my RLS and 300 in the morning and some days 600 if needed.

[sparkey1958 in reply to SueJohnson]

Hi Sue! Thanks so much for your comment! I will be sure to stay in touch.

[Qalba]

What a timely topic. Same issues for me. The ablations did not help me. I am having a steroid epidural injection January 6. Physical therapy with an excellent woman in solo practice is working with me on posture, abdominal muscles, and sciatica relief. Currently the pain is so bad that I cannot drive or sit in a chair very long. I was going to ask my physician about gabapentin. Glad tp hear it help you Sue. I will report back after the epidural. Oral steroids did not effect my rls. Fingers crossed!

[sparkey1958 in reply to Qalba]

Hi! I'm anxious for January 16 to maybe get some answers...maybe try gabapentin which I have taken before. I'm taking way too much ibuprofen which sometimes helps.

[Qalba in reply to sparkey1958]

I was alternating Ibuprophen abd tylenol. My kidney blood tests shot up. Ibuprophen is very toxis to thr kidneys so I dont use it anymore. Please be careful!

[sparkey1958 in reply to Qalba]

Thank you for advice as I'm aware of the effects of ibuprofen but have not been prescribed anything else ...and I will be asking about other pain management meds!

[b1interest]

It won't necessarily help, but it might: have you tried myofascial massage? I'd been told by multiple surgeons that I had arthritis in my hip and that my pain would require hip replacement. As a last resort, I tried myofascial trigger point therapy and with 3 sessions I was walking again comfortably. I understand that Dr. Travell --who treated President Kennedy for his back problems--made a huge difference for him. She is the originator of this kind of massage.

[sparkey1958 in reply to b1interest]

I haven't heard of myofascial massage....will have to look into that!

[b1interest in reply to sparkey1958]

Yes, in case it makes a difference. Good Luck!

[Qalba in reply to b1interest]

That is what my physical therapist is doing and it is really helping! The big reputable clinic in town never touvhed me, or answered my questions and made everything worse. The older woman in private practise has been magic. Everyone keep searching!

[b1interest in reply to Qalba]

That's great that you've noticed such a difference! I was amazed. The first 2 sessions didn't help, but the third worked wonders!

[sparkey1958]

Anyone have any advice on spinal cord stimulator?

[violetta254]

Have you tried PRP? Not covered by insurance yet except under the VA in the US but it has helped me tremendously. I don't know if it is available in the UK but I imagine it would definitely be private.

[sparkey1958 in reply to violetta254]

Hi....what is PRP??

[Kaarina Administrator in reply to sparkey1958]

violetta254 may be referring to this. PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma, a biologic therapy that uses a patient's own blood to treat injuries and other conditions.

[violetta254 in reply to sparkey1958]

PRP, or protein rich plasma, is often used in regenerative medicine clinics in the US and probably elsewhere. The most positive research is in knees but there is quite a lot of use for lower backs (not much good research on Mortons neuroma but mostly not positive). It is not usually covered by insurance because it is so hard to test and standardize. It is not a drug, just your own plasma spun in a centrifuge and re-injected in the sore spots, torn meniscuses or degenerating discs, etc. so it is hard to find a standard dose to test for effectiveness. The idea is to get you out of a chronic pain cycle and back to active healing. But lots of positive anecdotal reviews. Other therapies with the same general idea are prolotherapy which injects dextrose or glucose, I think, and stem cell therapies. You can read about all this on-line.

[sparkey1958 in reply to violetta254]

Thanks for info...not sure if that's the way for me!

[sparkey1958 in reply to violetta254]

I don't think I'll be looking into that option!

[SueJohnson]

I used PRP for a hockey injury where I had a tear of my left gluteus maximus and minimus and it definitely worked. It cost me around $500.

[Kaarina Administrator]

Unfortunately PRP did not help me with a torn rotator cuff.