STAY AWAY FROM CHRIPRACTORS

I know one patient that developed a Dissected Vertebral Artery after visiting Chiropractor for a sore neck and headache

after that he had a stroke
look it up on yahoo
very rare
but deadly none the less

Lawyers wont even bother with Chiropracters because they are only required to have like 50,000 in liability insurance
So you are basically on your own if something goes wrong

and yes I am ready for any disagreements with that
I speak the truth

 

tend to agree with your statement. assume bone spurs/herniated disc.
problem has been getting my MRI. have one scheduled for one week from today and of course they want me to do physical therapy/decompression. have had previous back surgeries so i am familiar with the process which in each case eventually led to surgery with immediate relief. i understand endoscopic surgery now enables minimal sugery and quick recovery time so would like to just get it over with and get on with my life. in the interim the pain is a constant and i do not do well on pain medication. already used up the medol pack which gave some relief, but now with just standard anti-inflammatories not much relief. sleep is the biggest issue. no comfortable position. at my age i know arthritis is a given so i would just like to get rid of the pain and make it to retirement. the apes may have exacerbated the issue, but haven't ridden in over a week (going through withdrawal) and i still have the problem. thanks for the timely response and advice. guess as usual i will have to work through the system to it's final conclusion and hope for the best. have only two months to recover as i have a month long sturgis vacation planned and if i have to endure a cortisone shot i am going one way or the other.

 

With a problem like that, you'd actually consider advice & suggestions from people on a forum? I know you said you're desperate, but I'd think twice about anything you hear, on here --- whether somebody says they're a doctor, or not. (Hopefully, for your sake, you already know that!)

 

I've been working EMS for over 25 years. Listen to your Intrernet Ortho PA.!!! Do all the non-invasive treatments before considering going under the knife.
I have shorter bars because I know I have shoulder issues. Face it, were getting older!

 

I herniated a disc in my lower back at the age of 19, L3 to be exact. At first I didn't know what the problem was, all I knew was that it hurt bad enough to have me in tears no matter if I was standing, laying or sitting. I went to a chiropractor to have my back checked. He adjust my back for 4 visits thinking it was something minor even when I kept telling him it wasn't doing any good. I decided to try a different chiropractor and on the first visit she actually listed to what I was telling her and then performed some simple tests. After about 30 minutes of testing she said that she is sure I have a herniated disc but said I needed an MRI to confirm. Well low and behold she was right. She said the previous chiropractor probably made it worse with the adjustments. Her first resolution was for me to try a series of exercises and stretching routines at home which she gave me a book that detailed everyone one of them. After a few weeks the pain was gone. I still to this day have a herniated disc that will occasionally flare up but when I notice it start to bother me I take it easy for a couple of days and it goes away. She and another chiropractor told me that if at all possible to avoid surgery because the outcome is usually not all that great. So now at the ripe old age of 39 I still have not had surgery and live a normal life besides the occasional flare up. But, it has been about 15 years since I have seen a chiropractor about my back and have heard that they have come out with new procedures that are less complicated. Without apes on my bikes my lower back starts hurting after about 45 minutes of riding. My father inlaw was in a motorcycle accident at the age of 16 and has 5 back surgeries and has lived on pain medication his entire life, mainly morphine. I would not want to live like that.

 

I have fought this for years, I have a problem with C5 and C6 in my neck.
Exact same problem you describe......like someone sticking a knife in my shoulder blade

What helped me the most was epidurals. That is where they inject a steroid (I believe) into the area in your neck spine to reduce the inflammation. You can get these three times a year and they last for a while

I also went to a Chiropractor on occasion, things finally got better and I don't have that problem anymore

You should have an MRI to identify the amount of nerve impingement you may have

EDIT; I forgot to mention, I sometimes used an over the door traction unit which really did help. It stretched out my neck and the nerve irritation went away.
Give that a try, the Physical Therapist at the VA gave me the device.

 

Like others said get and MRI. I have disc problems in both my neck and back. For pain managment I have had a few epidurals (sp), and they help for a couple months. I know one day I will have to have surgery, but I am trying to hold it off as long as possible. I have pain meds that I take when needed, but thet can be a double edged sword. You can get to the point where you can't function without them. I used to cycle 3-4 hours on my bibcycle all the time with no problems. I am lucky now if I can handle it for two because of the pain it causes me. If you get the MRI at least you know what you are dealing with and can try to make some changes (bars etc...) that might help you. Good luck.

 

Keep the apes, get the surgery.
Apes look bitchen.

Just kidding of coarse. Good luck gettin well.

 

Jeff I forgot to mention, I tell my patients with cervical radiculopathy to wear a soft collar in reverse manner (velcro in front) at night to aide in sleeping. It keeps your neck in a slightly flexed position. Please note these are just some recommendations, without a MRI and examination no one knows what is really going on. I was just trying to help out a fellow member with some professional advice.

 

still fighting this after 3 weeks. got my MRI yesterday, results on wednesday. PT gave me a Progenix stim unit but can't get the damn thing to work at all. not happy with the fact they sent it with me and the instructions that came with it are lame and don't even list the codes for the different settings. gotta take another day off work to probably find out i can't get anything scheduled for who knows when. screw months of pt and gadgets. i'm getting whatever it is lasered even if i have to go to ucla med center. had two previous surgeries over the years with instant relief and waited too long because of the same advice of making it a last resort and ended up with loss of feeling in the front part of my leg. if it's bone spurs i'm telling him to get the things outta there and if it's a disc issue i'll deal with it when i find out on wednesday. not livin on meds or hanging myself from the door or spending what little free time i have at a PT clinic with 5lb. dumbells. it either gets resolved or i'm pulling the pin and retiring. getting old really sucks don't it! steroids made me gain over ten pounds and pain meds make me a zombie. that ain't livin and riding would be out of the question on meds. just my final thoughts on the matter. thanks for all the advice and suggestions. keeping the apes, getting fixed and getting back on the road no matter what. and i ain't getting no trike!