MasterMan wrote:...
so has anyone had a problem like this? any advice would be awsome..
-Tyler
Western medicine with its quick fixes are a poor avenue to take in situations like this.
Our bodies are constantly regenerating themselves. That's what they are trying to do with the steroids, get the muscles and tendons to grow again. The thing is, they need to grow from the inside.
Unless you've had some severe injury such as a fall from a great height or major neck injury, odds are that surgery would be overkill and probably debihiltating <sp?>.
I seriously recommend tai chi, yoga, or any practice which has well developed qigong sets.
There was a time when I couldn't bend over and touch my toes, and I missed a bunch of work and had to dope myself up on IBProfeun <sp?> and even some muscle relaxers.
Lower back pain, especially when it involves discs, is usually the result of too much time spent in stationary positions. With the right sorts of massage, stretches and physical therapy, you can get that worked out and strengthened up much better than any surgery ever could.
You have to be realistic about it though. It's going to take a good 3-5 years of dedication. Your body is worth it though, at least if you want to hang around for a while.
The pain sucks, there's nothing like it. I used to drive Datsun 510 with a 300lb/ft clutch in Los Angeles traffic on a daily basis. It got to the point where the entire left side of my body would sort of tense up, and my leg would go numb. Not to mention the pain in the back... man, forget about it. Right between the kidneys, like where the hips and spine come together?
Make sure that you drink lots of water, it's like oil for the body. Keep it at a constant level. The more you drink, the more you'll come to understand that concept.
Definitely get a second opinion, from someone who isn't employed by the HMO industry. The MRI is a good tool, you're stoaked to have been able to get that. There are a lot of people out there who understand the body better than I do, who can make good use of that information. They also have tests these days that can measure muscle tension along the spine, and the degree to which side (left or right) of your body the tension is going.
Don't let anyone, no matter how convincing they may sound, crack your back for you. I've gone to a chiropractor, I wish I hadn't. To me there seems to be something wrong about pushing the body far enough to crack it, no matter how good the underlying intention may be.
Take some time to speak with any acupuncturist, physical therapist, internal martial artist, etc... and they'll be able offer you deeper insights into non-surgical ways to deal with what you've got going on. I've only begun to barely understand glimpses of what the body is capiable of over the last couple of years. I'll tell you that being able to touch my toes is the least amazing of the feats.
