Severe rotoscoliosis with intense bilateral knee pain, help!
Posted , 3 users are following.
I am a 72 yr. old that has been dealing with this pain for the past year that was recently exacerbated by more than usual walking while being caregiver to 68 yr. old sister with Alzheimer's. My doctor just doesnt seem to understand nor even recognize the intensity of pain that drives me to spend a lot of time in bed. I have been seeing a chiropractor and when he gets my sacroiliac back where it is supposed to be so I can walk properly the pain is relieved for a few hours! Yesterday my doctor came up with the idea that I probably just needed a bilateral knee replacement??? How she came up with this I have no idea since she has never ordered any films, mri, etc. My chiropractor explained to me that he believes my pain is coming from discs being squished due to spine curve and rotation and is nerve pain. If this is true, what would knee replacement do as I was under the assumption that it is not of benefit for nerve pain. All I know is that this past year I have gone from an active Senior to an individual who has spent more time in bed than she has being a motivated individual able to help others. What do I do?
0 likes, 3 replies
patriciac1945 connie02867
Posted
im assuming they think it might realign your back becayse the bad knee will cause that leg to be shorter hence throwing your back out of alignment but thats just a guess. you may go to pain specialist they have injections that can ease the pain in your back
CHICO_MARX connie02867
Posted
Do? You go to a really good neurosurgeon who will order an MRI..or even better, a CT/Myelogram with contrast...to see what's really going on in your spine. If your chiropractor (and I love them) cannot keep your spine aligned, it's time to take the next giant step with a neuro...kings and queens of the spine.
If there is something amiss, it could be a fix as simple as a same-day decompressive laminectomy to free up any nerve roots being impinged by a calcified disk or bone spur. I've had this done twice with great success. There are different ops that take care of specific problems that the doc might suggest. I once had stenosis that turned my legs into wet noodles; that was fixed with an LLIF (XLIF or OLIF) fusion that required one night in the hospital and zero rehab time...miracle op. Then there's the big, multi-level TLIF fusions with the rails and screws to fix more serious spine issues. PS: I've had them all!!!
Don't jump to any conclusions. See a good neurosurgeon and get the imaging done. Then take your care from that point. If you just need the laminectomy, then that's an easy fix. If a fusion is required, look into someone with lots of LLIF experience since the TLIF requires lots of hospital and rehab time.
Good luck.
connie02867 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Thank you so very much...you sound as though you have had a lot of experience with neurological maladies and I appreciate your help!