Arthritis Back Pain

Elleneast
Thu, 05 Jul 2012 13:28:40 +0000

I have been suffering with sciatica for about ten years. It has reached the point that I cannot walk around for any length of time without finding a place to sit down and allow the pain to settle. A walk on a treadmill had to be broken up into ten minute segments. Forget tennis or anything really active…I can muddle through the activity but the pain afterward is not worth it.

During the last month I went through the whole diagnostic process. I started with an orthopedist who did an x-ray in his office and then scripted an MRI. After giving me the diagnosis of fairly advanced arthritis plus some disk compression in my back he recommended a consult with a pain management specialist.

The pain management specialist spoke to me about oral pain medications and injections. At this point I have no interest in oral pain meds. We moved on to a more serious discussion of steroid injections as he looked at my scans. He thought I was an excellent candidate because the location of my pain can be directly related to the locations on my spine that were in the worst shape. His said that his best results are with people suffering from arthritis.

Last Friday I went in for my first round of injections. The doctor went after two spots. It was done at a surgical center at the University of Pennsylvania. As they positioned me both he and his medical Fellow said once again that I was a great candidate because they knew exactly where to go with the steriod and weren’t playing hit or miss. It is not a procedure I would want to have every day but I have had dental work that was more painful.

Six days post injections I am walking four miles on the treadmill with. no. pain. There have been a few twinges but they are at the site of one of the injections so it may just be irritation that will go away. Even if those twinges remain I would guess that my discomfort has been reduced by +90%. I haven’t tested my back on the streets of NYC yet but during day to day activities there. is. no. pain. I go back in a month to hit the area again. I have reasonably good core strength but the doctor still may prescribe some PT.

I don’t know how long the relief will last - months is the norm though the best case is years. I would not let your mother continue in pain from an arthritic back without at least exploring this route. Best of luck.