Fractured L4
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi, my name is Bret. I recently got an Xray for backpain that I have had for 2 years now. i have an appointment with an orthopedic in 2 weeks it was the earliest I could get in. My back hurts very bad and I'm worried that it's very serious and going to need surgery. i unfortunately am the sole income provider for my family. i work 7 days a week doing very physical work. by the end of my day im in lots of pain and as soon as I get home im bedridden. im nervous that this is going to make me lay off work for some time. these 2 weeks cant come quick enough. ive known ive had back pain for 2 years but i didnt know it was this serious.
can someone please give me their opinion on the seriousness of my fractured L4
0 likes, 5 replies
lis10127 Randomguy280
Posted
Hi, i'm really sorry to hear your predicament. I had a friend who fractured her L4 from going down a slide into a too shallow swimming pool and thunping her back on the bottom of the pool. She had to wear a brace after some bedrest and took painkillers. I think fractures are quite rare and there are various types and treatment depends on which type you have. I would of thought that they may require you to have an mri to see any nerve entrapment etc.You may be lucky and not need surgery but either way I'm sure you will need to have some form of rest or reduction in activity to let your injury heal. I know when you're the family earner thats really hard to do but you may not have a choice. If you dont allow proper healing you could give yourself more problems in the future. I hope you have some good painkillers at the moment until your orthopaedic appointment. I wish you the best of luck and i hope your orthopaedic appointment goes well x
Randomguy280 lis10127
Posted
it was just my primary care doctor that discovered it. they had an xray machine in their building. im pretty sure the orthopedic I'm seeing next week will schedule me an MRI. I have a feeling that my sciatic nerve is being pinched. they offered me pain medicine but I refused. I've been taking kratom for my pain instead.
amkoffee Randomguy280
Posted
You don't mention your age, but I'm guessing your fairly young. And since your a male as well then osteoporosis would be unusual,. I mention this because it can cause a fractured vertebrae.
I've had 5 (compression) fractured vertebrae myself and I agree it is VERY painful. The surgery to fix it is called kyphoplasty. This surgery is usually fairly safe and can relieve your pain. BUT there is a risk, though rare that happened to me. When the surgeon injected the bone cement into my vertebrae he accidentally injected it into my pulmonary artery which runs right next to your spine. So the cement, which goes in as a liquid solidifies after placement. Well once it hit my pulmonary artery it traveled to my lungs. 2 hours after coming home from the procedure I was in the ER, then spent 3 days in ICU followed by 6 months of wearing oxygen.
You need to know that this is rare but obviously it can happen. The surgeon did not tell me that this could happen, so I want you to know. Good luck. I hope everything works out for you.
Randomguy280 amkoffee
Posted
thank you for your advice. i am 29 years old. that is very scary that that can happen. If I have to get the surgery that is definitely something I will bring up to the surgeon. ill tell him I am worried about this. i have an appointment with the best back surgeon in Nashville so hopefully all goes well. I'm sorry to hear about your situation and hope you're better now.
alpine Randomguy280
Posted
Hello Bret
Earlier this year I had such lower back pain I could no longer stand. I had CT scan that showed two vertebrae being eaten away. The surgeon put me on priority and successfully operated on
L4 & L5 creating man made vertebrae and added some hardware. The pain has gone but I avoid heavy lifting & I have exercises to do every day. Hope you have success finding a cure.
alpine