Disc prolapse and facet joint arthritis
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi all.
Just over 2 months ago I went for an MRI on my lower back. I kept getting unbearable pain and I have got very very tender points on my lower back and buttocks. I also had a day where the skin on the back of my legs felt like I had really bad sunburn on them even though it was middle of winter. Anyway the MRI has flagged up that I have disc prolapse L3/L4 and L4/L5 also L5/S1. And facet joint arthritis so the disc problems give me sciatica, then I have pain from the arthritis.
The pain I get it very strange. It randomly happens, as in I never know when it might spazam again in a severe way. It always hurts when I walk and always affects my left leg and buttock.
I had my left hip replaced in October 2016 and my left leg was shorter due to the bone being worn away. My consultant has told me that my back problem has probably been made worse when they lengthened my leg.
Are there other people here who have had similar problems?
0 likes, 3 replies
CHICO_MARX julie90197
Posted
I don't have what you do but...
I am fused L3 through S1 and have had sciatic pain many, many times. Often, it was from falling on my hip while playing hockey or skating. Other times, my SI joints locked up. In all cases, a chiropractor fixed me in a heartbeat. One other time, I had a bone spur "crushing" my sciatic nerve root at L4/L5. Simple laminectomy. Walked out of the hospital; all inflammatory pain gone in a week.
If one leg is REALLY shorter than the other, you just may have thrown your hips/spine out of alignment or locked an SI. Chiro can fix the problem fairly quickly but you may want to consider an orthotic in your shoe to prevent the problem from happening again.
However, your spine condition may be the root cause of all of this. Just know that MRIs are NOT always conclusive. My bone spur did not fully show up on my MRI; doc saw it clearly when he went in. A full fusion will cost you 10 days in the hospital and 4-6 months of rehab. Plus there will be restrictions for 6 months to a year so the bones can actually "fuse" to each other. This is NOT a procedure to be taken lightly. Forget about picking up 50-pound bags of fertilizer again...
I'd look to chiropractic and an orthotic as the least invasive way to attack the pain.
julie90197 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Hi Chico. Thanks for the reply.
My leg has been made longer again, they did this while having my left hip replaced the orthotics consultant told me that by lengthening my leg it may of caused the problems I have now. I am waiting for an appointment in a spine clinic for injections into my spine to help with the pain. Not sure how or if it will work though as it seems that disc prolapse and facet joint arthritis both give you the same symptoms but at different times.
I just wish I could walk for even a little distance e without pain. 😞
CHICO_MARX julie90197
Posted
Pain injections for me were a complete waste of time. ANY temporary fix with drugs, pain shots, steroid shots, etc., IMHO, is a waste of time and money. You have to find the ROOT CAUSE of the problem. If your leg is physically shorter, you will always walk "funny" and throw your back and hips out of alignment. Fix that first (probably with an orthotic...I'm not a doc), have a Chiropractor realign everything and you will be out of pain in less than a month.
I don't have your permanent leg length problem but I did have a length imbalance after my knee replacement because my hip alignment was off 1/4" - 1/2 ". PT and Chiro fixed that easily. First, make sure that you REALLY have a length problem and not just a shortening caused by one hip being aligned higher/lower than the other. People start running out to get orthotics when it's a simple alignment issue. An x-ray and a visit to the chiro will confirm it.
I had pain shots that did nothing since my problem was a bone spur at L4/L5 literally crushing my sciatic nerve root. No amount of drugs or shots would have fixed that. ROOT CAUSE!!! That's always the key. Fix that and you're set to resume a full life.