chronic back pain - or is it all in the mind??

HI there Holly@Peace

I would say it that your methods may be ok for yourself, but as it has taken me almost a year to get a diagnosis, my back ache is actual referred pain from my hips (Osteoarthritis of my hips) and as it is, no massage or therapy that you say would actually help me as I have also have what is called \"superficial tenderness\" and I have had this sometime (suspected fibromyalgia or Polymyalgia)....massage is too painful and as for yoga I can't sit down on the floor as again it is uncomfortable, however I am glad that you have found some help for yourself but as it is I take note to what my physio states as he says that a correct diagnosis is needed before correct treatment is made.

Cold pack helps along with hot water bottle and a slight exercise of lifting my foot to the side, counting to ten and then changing to other foot to strengthen my muscles. :surfer:

Kind Regards

SES

:diva:

I'm sorry to hear that you can't have massages or do yoga. But self-hypnosis can help everyone, no matter what the diagnosis.

I would really suggest giving it a go...what have you got to loose?

Hollyx

Hi there

My doc still puts my complaint as mechanical back strain on paper after a year, thanks to the Rhumatologist that didn't care to get my notes or look at my x-rays, as he puts this on my sick notes. My physio recently states I have Osteo-arthritis and I have read that to diagnose this there is narrowing of joint space shown on x-rays, which my x-rays did which were taken in july, I am wondering why have I still not got a proper diagnosis off my GP, is it because my GP hasn't received my Physio notes as my treatment hasn't finished yet?, or is it because they are not allowed to classify conditions for some reason, My GP has said that I have arthritis verbally and has put me on Meloxicam and Tramadol but on paper it isn't documented so his procedures baffle me?

I had a sed rate of 32 so why does my GP not state arthritic problems or something? as I know there are several types of arthritis, I use crutches to help me walk too and in my hip it seems to be burning inside but ice cold to touch on the outside, I am having bio wave treatment at Physio.

Thanks for reading this I am curious to see if anyone else has had this kind of course of events?, Merry Christmas xx

Kind Regards

SES

Hi there everyone, Have been reading your problems of back pain and like many of you was initially dismisssed by the orthopaedic consultant - asked why I couldn't have a scan to source the problem and asked why Did i think I needed it and that all backs got themselves better within two years.Had the horrific experience of lying face down on a bed, without any analgesia while they 'firked' around my spine with a needle trying to find 'the painful area' before injecting. Went through the process of physio etc with little success and asked my GP a] if he could recommend alternative therapy - saw an osteopath who got me walking with one stick instead of crawling around - and finally after nearly a year toing and froing from hospital was told \"can do nothing further for you.\" At this stage I was in my early 40's so phoned my GP for help saying I didn't care how far I had to travel as long as I found out what was going on and what could be done. Referred to another hospital - Hereford - the consultant was furious that I hadn't had a scan, saying 'how they can treat if they don't know the diagnosis - after pain relief -intradermal injections and finally lower spine op to remove parts of spine where nerves were trapped I returned to work and did so for anothr 10 plus years. Stil get some pain in lower back and if I sit too much, the pain goes into hip and down the leg/s.

Those of you who have bladder/bowel problems, it is because of the close proximity of the nerve supply to lower spine and bladder and bowel. Also many medications can cause constipation etc which then antagonises the back, so drink more water and eat plenty of fibre.

HI there Dogwalker

I have been off work since mar 2007 and as it was I was ignored by one GP saying I had bursitis of the hip but this pain continued and so I was told to go back to work, the day I went back, as there are five flights of stairs my left leg went numb and I was in severe pain and so work sent me back home, I went back to the doctors and started seeing another doctor which asked for x-rays to be done on my spine, and as it was I had to see a orthopedic surgeon and he confirmed also after having a MRI that I had degenerative discs and I have lost the curvature of my spine. After having severe pain in my hip I had a xray and showed narrowing ( I had congenital hip displasia and pubis dysfunction when pregnant and when I had a road accident I started with the bladder problems in 2001) I was told the narrowing could be the early sign of osteo-arthritis.

My physio says I have arthritis in my hip after giving me a medical and as I have overall severe pain which by my occupational health doctor he said it sounded like I have fibromyalgia too which my Physio seems to agree but said he can't really treat this and so a referal is needed? I am at the pain clinic once again in February so we will see if they will refer me back to a rhuemotologist to get a overall diagnosis, I have had inflammation showing in my blood for sometime now along with anemia and liver function test very high (probably due to the medication Meloxicam) and I was suppose to have had an update RF factor but the nurse had made an error and it wasn't done so I am going to have it done shortly? I have dry eyes too and cracked tongue. Dry eyes diagnosed by Optician.

Kind Regards,

SES