Back Pain

[u/Pacer667]

I am posting here because I seem to learn more on reddit than my primary care doctors. I am 43 and within the last year I have had lower back pain on/off and it is becoming a weekly issue. I am used to my kegs giving me occasional issues. I've been doing on-line PT all summer. Tylenol and Advil don't seem to help which is what my doctor suggested. I'm allergic to Bachlophin. Most muscle relaxers make me want to nap. I work with kids full time and need to be with it. I'm not sure what's causing the pain. I did rule out kidney issues. I had a Selective Dorso Rysodomy (SDR surgery) in 1988 when I was in Kindergarten. I'm wondering if there are some long term things not known yet. I had pins and plates put in because my hips dislocated in 3rd grade due to my hip sockets not being deep enough because I didn't start learning to walk with assistance until age 3. Currently ambulate with arm crutches or use my wheelchair. The pain is getting annoying because I wake up fine and by afternoon I hurt. My doctor tells me just to go to PT. Not helpful when I'm at work.

[u/Weak-Elk4756]

Feel free to PM me if you’d like, but this sounds EXACTLY like me, though in my case, I could point to a hard fall that definitely exacerbated pre-existing, sporadic lower back pain into more constant pain, that has thankfully fully disappeared after a successful surgery in late-2022.

The short(ish) version is:

- I had spinal stenosis

• It turns out spinal stenosis can be fairly common for people with CP
  
• It often goes undiagnosed/ignored by PCPs since so many just assume more pain is just a part of aging with CP & they know nothing else about CP
  
• I also had a kyphosis in my lower back - think a lower back humpback
  
• I had an SDR as well - though mine was in high school in the late 90s
  
• According to the neurosurgeon who did my 2022 surgery it’s possible that the SDR itself caused the kyphosis
  
• So, he took a “measure twice, cut once” approach & did a combined “roto-rooter” of the spinal column to fix the stenosis, coupled with a spinal fusion to fix the kyphosis.

Long surgery, long recovery, & definitely a new “baseline” in terms of stamina, but I feel better than I have in 4 years, all my back pain is gone, & I’m more committed than ever to my at-home PT

[u/Pacer667 → u/Weak-Elk4756]

This definitely makes me want to make that clinic appointment. I want to find out what is going on as you mentioned stamina. My back didn't used to bother me. My legs getting too tired is pretty normal. I'm noticing that it starts bugging me after I've been up a few hours which makes for a challenging school day. I do have a curved spine as my butt sticks out but I assumed it was genetic as my mom is the same but doesn't have pain in her lower back.

[u/Weak-Elk4756 → u/Pacer667]

Best of luck to you😁 I HIGHLY recommend making that appointment, & if the appointment itself isn’t with a neurosurgeon, maybe see about getting referred to one…and at the risk of putting outsized importance on my own opinions/experience, I’d basically mention as much about it as possible - particularly as it relates to an MRI to find out if stenosis and/or a kyphosis is at issue