Advice for Back Pain?

My DH has been suffering from back and neck pain for over six months. He's seen chiropractors, massage therapists, an osteopath, an orthopedist, physical therapy... all to no avail. Actually, his pain has been getting progressively worse. He's tried stretching and being more active but he's not getting any relief. The orthopedist prescribed an anti-inflammatory drug that sometimes makes him feel better and sometimes makes him feel worse. I try to be positive and give him encouragement but I feel like I'm so helpless. I want to help him in any way I can but I don't know what to suggest anymore. Has anyone been in a similar situation and found a treatment that worked? Your input would be much appreciated!

Advice for Back Pain?

does he have a diagnosis for the back pain? herniated discs? spinal stenosis? makes a difference as to what things could help. has he had an MRI done?

Re: Advice for Back Pain?

Re: Advice for Back Pain?

I would get a second opinion with an orthopedic surgeon. I don't live in the area so cant recommend anyone.

Re: Advice for Back Pain?

Advice for Back Pain?

ortho should have sent him for PT at minimum. building up muscles in the back and stomach will help take pressure off the area. which anti-inflamatory was he prescribed, there are tons of them. some find one works better than another. should also get a second opinion, its possible there is something else there that was missed by one doc. were any bulges or herniations mentioned? is it just back pain, or does he have pain down and arm or leg as well?

Advice for Back Pain?

He needs to see a neurologist and possibly a neurosurgeon.

Re: Advice for Back Pain?

Advice for Back Pain?

new mattress. i had to change my bed after my back went to hell. i've got one made by natural form now. its like a sleep number with the air chamber, but its self adjusting. the air chamber is baffled so its not one huge open space inside the bed either. same company that makes most hospital beds, but its a consumer line. it really has helped with alot of the back pain i used to wake up with, but i also have an adjustable frame with it to keep my head raised up without the use of pillows, or risers, etc.

i'm not sure on the NSAID he was given. its not one of the ones i've used in the past, but you have others to choose from, naproxyn (which is prescirption strength alleve), mobic, celebrex, difloenac, valtoren, relafen, arthrotec, etc. i used to find the max dose of alleve (500mg, vs the 220mg in the otc) worked pretty well, but it did a job on my stomach. relafen was my last one and it worked well for about a year.

he does need to give alot more time to PT. pain won't go awake so quickly. it can take months to see an improvement due to pt. so tell him to stick with that for a while longer.

does he use a tens unit at PT? you can get them through insurance for home use too. sometimes that can help as well.

another option would be llidoderm patches. they literally numb the area being covered. 12 hours on, 12 off. i tend to use those when i know i will be on my feet for long periods of time. keeps me able to stand longer.

also heat and or ice. i always preferred heat, but you can get differing opinions on which is better. technicallly inflammation means ice. but i found the heat to be soothing.

Re: Advice for Back Pain?

DH has changed the mattress seven times since April. He tried out a few Tempurpedics, Stearns and Foster and now he's on a firm Simmons. Did you get your mattress from Sleepy's? He's not entirely comfortable on it so he's bought a whole bunch of mattress toppers, too (we just put a new one on the bed today).

I keep telling him that he needs to give time to whatever therapy he decides to do but he wont listen to me. The only thing he stuck to was going to a chiropractor from March to mid-September but I think they did more harm than good.

I will ask him about the tens unit and lidoderm patches. He does ice and/or heat his back almost every day and does lots of stretches. He also has a teeter-hang ups machine that he uses from time to time but I'm skeptical about that, too.

Thanks for taking the time to reply and for offering so many suggestions - I really appreciate it

Advice for Back Pain?

we ordered my mattress directly from the company. you can look up the web site. they supply the consumer grade beds to i think its the hilton garden inn chain. so if you ever wanted to try it, that's the way to go. stay at the hotel for a night and see how it feels. i will say, i definitely prefer air chambers, they're less pressure on the back over the coils. and i've slept on a tempurpedic my FIL has. i hate that thing with a passion, gives me the absolute worst backaches every time we use it.

believe me, i've been dealing with the bad back for about 6 years now. i ended up with 4 spine surgeries, and ultimately a diagnosis of a connective tissue disease which is why my discs aren't strong enough and i herniate them at the drop of a hat. of course it also means rheumatoid like arthritis as well, so what used to just be my back has spread into a good percentage of my joints now. i've tried almost anything and everything to make the pain tolerable. at some point you just learn to live with a certain amount of pain no matter what. goal is to get it as low as possible.

also, i used to love soft mattresses, but hard ones actually end up being worse on my back. if its too hard, i feel like i am lying on plywood and that causes back spasms almost instantly. exam tables in doc offices are the worst thing in the world. i get down and can't get up again, and that is even with the padding on them.

Advice for Back Pain?

He needs to see a neurosurgeon. I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Vincent Leone in Great Neck. He did my back surgery 4 years ago.