Arthritis - Back pain

JB.

Hi there, Just looking for some info.

My father suffers extremely badly with back pain, some days he can't even get out of bed.

He is told he has bad arthritis. Maybe 2 years ago he got one of his ankles replaced which seems to have been a success but more recently nearly all his pain has been in his back. He had an operation on it less than a year ago and initially he thought it worked well but he was soon back to the normal amount of pain.

He's been on a large amount of strong medication, tried acupuncture, physio, hydro therapy etc. but nothing has made a significant difference to him.

I was wondering could anyone recommend a good specialist or does anyone know anyone that has suffered largely and improved somewhat with a specific method or medicine?

Spook_ie

JB we cant recommend a specialist for you. However, I can share with you the story of my OH's back. OH had ongoing severe pain in the back, and going down the leg. After various anti-inflammatories etc, GP referred her into Paraic O'Neill in the Mater Private - he did an MRI and it was discovered that she had a herniated disc at L4/L5 & a synovial cyst, she underwent a microdiskectomy the following week as she started to loose sensation in her foot. He told her that she would still have alot of pain for a few weeks, but by the time her 4 week checkup came, she was 90+% pain free. She had a repeat problem 3 years later with the opposite leg and had the same procedure done.

I think the best advice that we would give to anyone would be to get an MRI and see what you're dealing with. Best of Luck.

JB.

Hi thanks for the info, I was wondering does he work out of another clinic or is he just in the Mater Private?

Spook_ie

Unfortunately Paraic O'Neill now only works out of the Mater Private. One of the neighbours has seen a guy in Sports Injury Clinic in Santry, called Martin Murphy and she spoke very highly of him.

steveone

Sad to hear that Op. I suffer like that, if anti- Tnf treatment doesn't work or isn't an option (Google it if the term is not familiar) the best thing might be to re evaluate circumstances with a view to moving to a warm climate. I found. That when I was away the chronic pain was much less. Physios etc can only do so much.

speedygirl

Padraig O'Neill in Mater Private is excellent. the man is a genius as far as I'm concerned. Sorted out my Mam's back in 1 consultation and 1 operation. She had endured nearly 2 years of constant pain & Sciatica running down her leg from her back, attending various Physios, quacks etc for pain relief while waiting for Public Health system to do something for her. She eventually paid and went private and is now pain free :-) While yes it is expensive the woman is now pain free for the first time in 2 years so that to me is worth every penny we had to paid for this. BTW her problem was a herniated disc in L1 and L4 , He fixed both of them in the one operation.

cassid

Does your dad swim ? i have degenerative arthritis in back and hip and swim 4 times a week. I am a strong swimmer and love being in the water, I have no pain at all. Then limp away from the pool!! It's good for the mind to try be active as well, pain all day every day can cause havoc with the brain