What can my husband do for his chronic low back pain?

Question

On my husbands MRI it said Large Herniated Disk( L4). All the doctor has done for him is give him pain killers. There has to be something eles he can do . The doctor also said he is to young for back surgery so all he has done is write him pain pills every month there after. There has to be something eles besides having to take pills for the rest of his life. I really hate feeling so helpless. When he is in pain its chronic. It really hurts me because I cant take the pain away. I would give him my back in a second. Thanks to anyone who can give some helping words.

Answer 1

He definately needs to find a good pain management specialist and sounds like he might benefit from some PT IF and I put that in caps they are affiliated with pain management and can show ways to decompress the area and strengthen around it.

Here are a few tricks that have helped me greatly (and I have disc problems, nerve damage and a clearing list of low back hell).

First, hang a towel over a door (and make sure it's a sturdy door lol). Have him grasp on it and slowly move his weight to it so he is decompressing the spine. This can bring major relief in a hurry, but it is temporary, as are most of these things sadly. But hey, they get me through the day, and I find pain meds alone definately don't do it.

Next thing I highly recommend and couldn't live without it one of those heat/massage pads. I have one in my car, one on my desk chair, and a full length chair with one built in in the living room (that was a miracle find at Costco...it was either buy that chair or move into Costco..and it was under a hundred!). If you shop around for the cushions you should find good deals on them. I got really nice homedic ones for under $20. Now they also have many different varieties so he might want to see what feels best. For me the main element is heat. This has made me been ok to drive when I didn't think I could....I highly recommend these.

I found a hand held infrared heat unit on sale so gave that a shot. I've found it really helps on bad days. I tried a more expensive TENS unit that my insurance didn't cover and while it gave some temporary relief it wasn't much better than these other things. I'd see if your insurance would at least give a trial of one of these units to see if it helps him.

Last, I don't suppose you guys have a jacuzzi? That was one of the reasons I bought this house and it has saved me some days. If not if you can afford it I'd look into it or save for one. They are awesome to relax anways, but some nights when I am near crawling out of my skin in pain a long soak with the jets makes it livable.

Oh one more trick.....sometimes I have found laying flat on a hard floor and half sitting up or turning sideways until it sort of pops/feels like it aligns can help. I have several types of back pan as I said and that helps one. The other tips seem to help all.

I wish him the very best. I can tell you with 100% certainty a good pain specialist who will adjust medications and use other modalities can help a lot. I've had a bad pain md, the best in the world, and now he's away I have someone ok. I know all to well the difference they make. So best of luck in finding one of the good ones. Be sure to check the sites for the major pain management accreditions (I'll list below), and I'd suggest starting there. The first one lists accredited MD in each state.

And make sure he knows that with legitimate pain there is virtually no risk of addiction to pain medication. The body becomes chemically dependant, but you are not addicted (nor get the euphoria that comes with an addiction). Less than 1% of those taking pain meds have any problems with this. There are tons of sites and resources, and a few great pain forums so I'd suggest you both go exploring!!

Best of luck to you both and let me know if I can be of any more help...I've been playing the home game on this for too many years now. Sigh.

Answer 2

Hello! I have had serious back problems for about 11 years now. I had surgery at 20 on L3/4, L4/5 and L5/S1 for serious herniations and again 18 months ago at 30 on L4/5 to remove bone around a calcified part of the disc and removal of the protrusion on the other side.
Pain in a hard thing to deal with, both on the person suffering, but also those around them.
You haven't mentioned if you have done this, but I would reccommend consulting a specialist, either a neurosurgeon or an orthopaedic surgeon, just to have a consult and hear what options might be available to your husband, because there are constant improvements bing made in this area.
Over the years I have tried many things to reduce pain, but I would say whatever you do, do not consult with a chiropractor as they can make the problems worse. I would see a physio therapist who can ease the pain, but also give your husband exercised to strengthen the core muscles around the spine. Some physios also do accupuncture which can help relieve the muscle tension in areas such as the glutes which tend to make the pain a little worse.
Anti-imflammatories can also be of assistance in conjunction with the pain medication, whilst you are working towards reducing the pain.
Epidurals are an option which can work very well, whereby they inject the 'dural', hopefully resulting in the disc being shrunk, so the disc does not imede on the nerves which is what causes the pain.
Something I have recently discovered which is working wonders for me is prolotherapy, it is hard to explain without a huge long answer, but you can read about it on www.prolotherapy.com. I have had about 5 lots of it, and feel probably 80% better than what I did when I started and have reduced my use of pain killers substantially to the point where I can go for a week without them, from taking them daily.
The last resort would be surgery, which I have had great success with. If you choose to go this way, investigate the person who will perform the procedure, perhaps ask if they have any patients who might be willing to talk to you about their expereince.
A pain management program might be a good way to go, or alternatively see a psychologist who specialises in pain management. I did this not long after my last surgery and found it helpful, they don't take the pain away, but they give you the tools to cope with the pain, and also how you can better manage how it affects those around you. I know from experince that pain affects you mentally as well as physically and you see those around you hurting as well because they feel helpless.
I really hope this helps you out, because I know what your husband is going through. Things will get better for him once you find something to relieve the pain and he will get back to doing normal things again. Im back snow skiing, playing tenis and all my normal activities.
It is great that he has someone like you who is obviously caring and loving, and I know that it hurts you that feel like you can't help him, but I am sure that because he has someone who loves him, supports him and is there to give him a hug when he really needs it, you are helping more than you will ever know.
Good luck with it all and feel free to email me if you would like anymore information or even just for a little bit of support when you need it! :)

Answer 3

Work with both a chiropractor and massage therapist (and the principles in the book below)

Much pain is from muscles below is an example of what may help (based on headaches).
Begin with a couple swigs of molasses or a couple of bananas daily - magnesium (which regulates many things in the body) and potassium (a needed building block for muscles).
Drink at least 1/2 gallons of water per day. Running a body low on water is like running a car low on oil is the analogy the head of neurology at UCDavis told my husband about 10 years ago.

Now to the cause - muscles - your back, neck shoulders and head have tender spots. They are knots in the fibers of the muscles called trigger points. It makes the muscles tight which makes them press on nerves and other things causing the pain.

The cure - start with a professional massage, you will also want to go back over any place you can get to 6-12 times per session up to 6 times per day rubbing (or lightly scratching on your head) every where that is tender until the knots go away. The place where the skull connects to the spine press up under the edge of the skull (to get to those muscles).

For more information read The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Davies. It teaches what to do and where the pain comes from.

Answer 4

Don't take this wrong. Although I am a distributor and can get any of these items that I am referring, I always recommend a doctor's advise and research. I'm not trying to sell this product to you, just trying to help because I know how irritating and frustrating it can be to deal with pain.

I use these products becuase they work for me. They work for many people as well. It's all natural and patented.

You can go to nikken.com to see exactly what I'm talking about. I wear a magnetic pad on my lower back to increase circulation in that area. My wife uses the water system which adds minerals and takes out chlorine from our city utility system.

It has so many benefits that I can not explain here. I'll be glad to answer any questions. Email if interested.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What can my husband do for his chronic low back pain?
On my husbands MRI it said Large Herniated Disk( L4). All the doctor has done for him is give him pain killers. There has to be something eles he can do . The doctor also said he is to young for back surgery so all he has done is write him pain pills every month there after. There has to be...

Answer 6

There is no medicine in this world to treat it. Only Alternate Systems of medicine treat it.
As the disc is herniated you should try acupuncture first. The acupuncturist must be skilled.
Yog will also treat it but it will take time.
Control the sex till he is alright - once a week or twice?
We do such things very nicely but you will have to come here. Otherwise go for surgery.

Answer 7

L4 and L5 are herniated in my back. I have been receiving epidurals. I have experienced relief with each epidural. The key is taking time to rest your back. Sounds like your husband may need to find a new doctor. Mine was very helpful with my pain.

Answer 8

This is too long. Anything over 2 months is considered chronic. He needs to see a doctor and have some x-rays taken.

Answer 9

Have you tried Back Pain Relief 4 Life system? Go here : http://BackPainInstantRelief.com . This might certainly teach anyone!

Answer 10

Below is the website of Dr. Robert Goodman. He is located in Las Vegas, and he has patients fly in to see him from all over the country, and from other countries too! He is the past president of NUCCA. Take your husband to see Dr. Goodman. If that is impossible, contact Dr. Goodman, and ask him to refer you to someone in your area. He is the best person to help you. Please read his website:

http://www.nvspinecenter.com/keys.html

Your husband is lucky to have such a loving, caring wife. I wish the best for you both... :)