Went to an orthopedic today for a knee problem but complained about my back too. The orthopedic looked at the x-rays of both knees and my back before seeing me for the first time. His conclusion as he told me:
Right knee - looks like a 50 year old;
Left knee - looks like an 80 year old;
Lower back - Looks like a 100 year old - seriously.
Then he took me to his office and showed me the picts. I can't read x-rays but both LOML and I could see the problems with my back. He said I probably injured it 20 years ago and pointed out what looked to him to be a broken bone. Got spurs growing around it, inflamation from osteoarthritis - severe, I could see it as he pointed it out. The back bones were not curved like you normally see, two were jammed together and an angle to each other. He said it has been that way for a while.
At least I know now that I am not imagining it.
20 years ago in Japan, I lifted a heavy table and carried it up a flight of outside steps about 12 feet up. (Our house was on a hill). I heard and felt something pop. I went to a hospital in Kobe that specializes in back injuries. Because I did not have tingling going down my leg, the doctor dismissed it. Later in Tokyo at Tokyo Medical, an English speaking doctor said the same. Then back in the States my wife's favorite doctor said basically the same. One other doctor said similar at a later physical checkup. I chalked it up to just chronic back pain as all 4 doctors said, and lived with it. None did x-rays or MRIs.
I did have an MRI on the back about a year ago but it was because of a right foot problem that the neurologist traced back to a problem in the lower back. Still no tingling feeling, just pain. The neurologist diagnosed it as moderately degenerative disks and gave me some drugs - that I stayed away from as much as possible. They made my brain feel like I was on drugs more than helping the pain in the back and foot!
Two months ago while helping work on the soffet of a church being built, I contorted on a ladder to hold a piece up and fell from about 3 ft off the ground. Both knees twisted some and my back jolted. After taking enough Ibuprophen over 6 weeks to open a pharmacy, I went to my local doctor last week and examined my knees and said that they needed to be examined by an orthopedic, as my left knee was way too loose in the joint. Then the doctor said "Why are you standing funny, kinda leaning?" I told him I jolted my back also. He said to have that checked also. (BTW - this doctor gave me a prescription for tramadol and pregnazone (sp?). Those affect the brain more than the injury. I hated them. Just took one of each as prescribed and went back to Ibuprofen.)
My orthopedic said that I am a tad too young (67) for a knee replacement and recommended to wait as long as I could for that. He did offer me 4 injections, one every week for 4 weeks for the knee. But for my back, he is sending me to a back specialist for some kind of epidural shot.
Thanks for letting me rant.
It burns me up that I went to doctors 4 times and none would bother to x-ray because I didn't have "typical" symptoms - i.e. tingling nerves. One went so far as to say "you are just aging, If I could cure you, I could cure myself."
Right knee - looks like a 50 year old;
Left knee - looks like an 80 year old;
Lower back - Looks like a 100 year old - seriously.
Then he took me to his office and showed me the picts. I can't read x-rays but both LOML and I could see the problems with my back. He said I probably injured it 20 years ago and pointed out what looked to him to be a broken bone. Got spurs growing around it, inflamation from osteoarthritis - severe, I could see it as he pointed it out. The back bones were not curved like you normally see, two were jammed together and an angle to each other. He said it has been that way for a while.
At least I know now that I am not imagining it.
20 years ago in Japan, I lifted a heavy table and carried it up a flight of outside steps about 12 feet up. (Our house was on a hill). I heard and felt something pop. I went to a hospital in Kobe that specializes in back injuries. Because I did not have tingling going down my leg, the doctor dismissed it. Later in Tokyo at Tokyo Medical, an English speaking doctor said the same. Then back in the States my wife's favorite doctor said basically the same. One other doctor said similar at a later physical checkup. I chalked it up to just chronic back pain as all 4 doctors said, and lived with it. None did x-rays or MRIs.
I did have an MRI on the back about a year ago but it was because of a right foot problem that the neurologist traced back to a problem in the lower back. Still no tingling feeling, just pain. The neurologist diagnosed it as moderately degenerative disks and gave me some drugs - that I stayed away from as much as possible. They made my brain feel like I was on drugs more than helping the pain in the back and foot!
Two months ago while helping work on the soffet of a church being built, I contorted on a ladder to hold a piece up and fell from about 3 ft off the ground. Both knees twisted some and my back jolted. After taking enough Ibuprophen over 6 weeks to open a pharmacy, I went to my local doctor last week and examined my knees and said that they needed to be examined by an orthopedic, as my left knee was way too loose in the joint. Then the doctor said "Why are you standing funny, kinda leaning?" I told him I jolted my back also. He said to have that checked also. (BTW - this doctor gave me a prescription for tramadol and pregnazone (sp?). Those affect the brain more than the injury. I hated them. Just took one of each as prescribed and went back to Ibuprofen.)
My orthopedic said that I am a tad too young (67) for a knee replacement and recommended to wait as long as I could for that. He did offer me 4 injections, one every week for 4 weeks for the knee. But for my back, he is sending me to a back specialist for some kind of epidural shot.
Thanks for letting me rant.
It burns me up that I went to doctors 4 times and none would bother to x-ray because I didn't have "typical" symptoms - i.e. tingling nerves. One went so far as to say "you are just aging, If I could cure you, I could cure myself."
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