Back pain

barneygumble99

Hi, I've been suffering regular back pain for the past 11 months. I didn't injure it, at least I don't remember a sudden pain and it's quite erratic sometimes it's very bad, sometimes there's nothing at all. I'm 35.
I've been to physio, had X-ray, blood test done, MRI scan and now CT scan on my abdomen after visiting a private consultant. I got this done in a different hospital 11th October and despite numerous calls to the consultants secretary I haven't gotten any results yet despite her confirming that he has received them. Is this normal to wait this long? Any advice for me?

Gremlinertia

Hi Barney, were you referred by a doctor or how were you put in touch with these people?. That would normally be the place to ask.

barneygumble99

The physio basically said there was nothing she could do so recommended going to this particular consultant, this consultant won't see you unless you've had an mri done, for which I needed a referral letter from my doctor. The doctor did the blood tests to rule out anything 'sinister' and that proved negative.
So when I went to the consultant with my MRI disc, he examined both me and the disc, couldn't find anything and said I needed a ct scan on my abdomen to rule out anything serious. So he wrote that referral letter , I got the scan done and results were sent to him that day (11th October). That's over 6 weeks now.

Gremlinertia

Have you asked if they are scheduling an appointment for you? Have to say in my own dealings with the offices of various consultants it really can be like talking to a brick wall if you mention results/diagnosis but if you ask about a future appointment you may get somewhere. Hope the pain isn't too bad for you lately, cold is very bad for mine..

thegodlife

The back pain issues I have had in the past were all muscular, tension would build primarly with muscles in my back pulling my spine in a direction resulting in pressure and pain.

Not saying this is your issue but worth considering as it's not structural but rather stress causing muscles to tighten and excerpt pressure somewhere. Might be worth seeming an osteopath and there are a few different types one I use doesn't bone crunch but works on releasing tension in your structure.

NIMAN

Often back pain can come out as a result of your body mechanics being off balance, have you ever got your gait analysed?

Also, do you carry much weight? I heard an interesting thing on the radio today that a lot of back pain issues come from the body carrying around too much weight.

NIMAN

Often back pain can come out as a result of your body mechanics being off balance, have you ever got your gait analysed?

Also, do you carry much weight? I heard an interesting thing on the radio today that a lot of back pain issues come from the body carrying around too much weight.

Tiddlypeeps

Physio in Ireland is pretty ****. I had back problems most of my life with no real explanation for them, nothing from any of the tests or scans and just a bunch of wildly differing theories from all sorts of physios, chiropractors and osteopaths.

I could have just been unlucky but of the 4 different physio therapists I've seen in Ireland over the years they all did the same routine. Apply electrodes, in some cases do acupressure, (both of which have almost no scientific backing), and do a few flimsy sets of stretches.

I moved to Canada earlier this year and decided I'd see what physio is like this side of the pond. It's a totally different style. The sessions here were very intensive, I would be winded by the end of a half hour session and she would give me a routine to go through of the same intensity several times a week. It was very challenging, I never felt challenged with any of the physios I seen back home.

It turned out my issue was really just that my core strength was just very weak, and strengthening it made the pain go away. The type of exercises I would have been doing prior to that were just not intensive enough to actually build core strength.

There isn't much to be done about the ****ty quality of physio's back home, but you can find ways of working on core strength, like attending good pilates classes regularly. There are very few back issues that aren't dramatically improved by building core strength.

barneygumble99

Gremlinertia wrote: »

Have you asked if they are scheduling an appointment for you? Have to say in my own dealings with the offices of various consultants it really can be like talking to a brick wall if you mention results/diagnosis but if you ask about a future appointment you may get somewhere. Hope the pain isn't too bad for you lately, cold is very bad for mine..

The consultant told me to ring him within a day or 2 of the scan for result and we would go from there. He mentioned pain management if nothing showed up. Pain is no worse during cold weather. Really bad when standing in a queue for a long period like an hour or more.

barneygumble99

NIMAN wrote: »

Often back pain can come out as a result of your body mechanics being off balance, have you ever got your gait analysed?

Also, do you carry much weight? I heard an interesting thing on the radio today that a lot of back pain issues come from the body carrying around too much weight.

I had my gait analysed when I bought proper running runners in the past and it was normal but not sure how accurate that would be in relation to identifying my back issues. I'm 5' 11 and 10.5 stone.

barneygumble99

Tiddlypeeps wrote: »

Physio in Ireland is pretty ****. I had back problems most of my life with no real explanation for them, nothing from any of the tests or scans and just a bunch of wildly differing theories from all sorts of physios, chiropractors and osteopaths.

I could have just been unlucky but of the 4 different physio therapists I've seen in Ireland over the years they all did the same routine. Apply electrodes, in some cases do acupressure, (both of which have almost no scientific backing), and do a few flimsy sets of stretches.

I moved to Canada earlier this year and decided I'd see what physio is like this side of the pond. It's a totally different style. The sessions here were very intensive, I would be winded by the end of a half hour session and she would give me a routine to go through of the same intensity several times a week. It was very challenging, I never felt challenged with any of the physios I seen back home.

It turned out my issue was really just that my core strength was just very weak, and strengthening it made the pain go away. The type of exercises I would have been doing prior to that were just not intensive enough to actually build core strength.

There isn't much to be done about the ****ty quality of physio's back home, but you can find ways of working on core strength, like attending good pilates classes regularly. There are very few back issues that aren't dramatically improved by building core strength.

The physio gave me core building exercises to do back in June as I was preparing to go to Canada and spend 2 weeks leisurely hiking in the Rockies. I felt the exercises actually made things a lot worse to be honest and stopped them after a month. Incidentally I had no pain whatsoever whilst doing various hikes but when we went to Toronto and queued for about 2 hours to go up CN tower, my back was killing me.

BMollie

I pulled my back at Irish dancing 3 years ago. The pain got worse over time and went from my back to my right hand side in the past year. I have been to many physios and they cost me a fortune and did nothing for me. I cannot stand long and it has stopped me doing very much including the mental anquish. So I paid for a private MRI scan last week (for which my doctor had to give me a letter and wasn't from his recommendation either). Got a disc after the scan. Report was sent to the laid back doctor, and rang him yesterday. He said it was wear and tear on my disc and the pain in my side was from the nerve endings. That was a short phone chat. Here I am still with the same pain and not knowing where to go from here. I am in my l fifties,but my doctor ignores the fact that it started from an accident. Can anyone give me advice please? Where do I go from here?

barneygumble99

BMollie wrote: »

I pulled my back at Irish dancing 3 years ago. The pain got worse over time and went from my back to my right hand side in the past year. I have been to many physios and they cost me a fortune and did nothing for me. I cannot stand long and it has stopped me doing very much including the mental anquish. So I paid for a private MRI scan last week (for which my doctor had to give me a letter and wasn't from his recommendation either). Got a disc after the scan. Report was sent to the laid back doctor, and rang him yesterday. He said it was wear and tear on my disc and the pain in my side was from the nerve endings. That was a short phone chat. Here I am still with the same pain and not knowing where to go from here. I am in my l fifties,but my doctor ignores the fact that it started from an accident. Can anyone give me advice please? Where do I go from here?

I too paid for a private MRI and waited ages for results from the consultant only to get a letter saying they haven't found anything wrong in the MRI. No advice as to what to do next or what's the next step I should take. It was a handy €220 for the consultant for 5 minutes work.

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This post has been deleted.

MB Lacey

BMollie wrote: »

He said it was wear and tear on my disc and the pain in my side was from the nerve endings. . Can anyone give me advice please? Where do I go from here?

I had chronic issues with my lower back discs, it was down to wear and tear and also a few specific incidents. Similarly to you I was years paying out money and going to physios etc.
Eventually I was lucky enough to have a physio at DBC (Ciara Everard) request an apt with a consultant at Beaumont (Ciaran Bolger) who recommended a cortisone injection into my spinal nerve.
The difference in me has been unreal, the inflammation and constant pain has gone. I'm early 40s and feel like I got my life back, no exageration.
It doesn't seem to work for everyone, but perhaps request a cortisone injection (I had mine done in Beaumont hospital and could see the procedure live on a monitor), it might ease the pain you're experiencing.

barneygumble99

....... wrote: »

I had ferocious lower back pain that would move up and my whole back would be in pain. Went on months and I went around from physio to chiropractor to consultant to deep tissue masseuse etc... Spent thousands.

Anyway, what it turned out to be - and this was pointed out by the last physio I went to - was that I was walking badly after a previous knee surgery and putting uneven pressure on my pelvis. It was subtle. Over time one side of my bum was getting really tight and then because it was painful, I would sit awkwardly, and this would cause other parts of my back to over tighten and the end result was my whole back was getting locked up. I couldnt even exercise through it because everything was so tight.

The answer was knee physio and core strength work. The core work hurt worse initially alright - because my core had gotten so weak. The standing in a queue pain is from a weak core alright - I totally relate.

The only relief was deep tissue massage to loosen the over tight muscles. The physio also showed my husband how to release a particular spot that would get really tight and sore.

It was gradual improvement. But I knew within a week that i was on the right track with it.

Sounds quite similar to my problem except there was no operation. I was doing core exercises for about a month and I had to stop as the pain was getting unbearable.

BMollie

MB Lacey wrote: »

I had chronic issues with my lower back discs, it was down to wear and tear and also a few specific incidents. Similarly to you I was years paying out money and going to physios etc.
Eventually I was lucky enough to have a physio at DBC (Ciara Everard) request an apt with a consultant at Beaumont (Ciaran Bolger) who recommended a cortisone injection into my spinal nerve.
The difference in me has been unreal, the inflammation and constant pain has gone. I'm early 40s and feel like I got my life back, no exageration.
It doesn't seem to work for everyone, but perhaps request a cortisone injection (I had mine done in Beaumont hospital and could see the procedure live on a monitor), it might ease the pain you're experiencing.

How much was the injection and how long does has it lasted for you? Thanks

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This post has been deleted.

MB Lacey

BMollie wrote: »

How much was the injection and how long does has it lasted for you? Thanks

It was the cost of seeing the physio for the letter (€45) and the consultant (€250) and I'm sorry but I can't remember if I paid for the injection or not, if I did it was around €250?
I had the injection June 2015

Jull

I heard that massaging with essential oil (like lavender oil, tea tree oil,...) can help reducethe back pain
You can try it
Lưu

Kurtosis

Mod note

Just a reminder folks that medical advice is not allowed on the forum. You can post about your own experience but shouldn't be advising other posters what to do.

For instance, using undiluted essential oils, even on the skin, can pose risks.

Any queries, please PM myself or another mod.

hopeso

This is an old thread now, but it's the most recent one that came up on a 'Back Pain' search.... I'm wondering if anyone has tried this, or has any opinion on it? http://fcescan.ie

decky1

had back trouble for at least 30 years on and off went to a Spine doctor on Kilcoole co wicklow got great results with him but it can come back now and again just a visit or 2 with him and it's sorted again only takes a few minutes, worth a try if there is one near you? no real cure for back pain once you get it, you just have to learn what you can and can't do.