Lower back pain and numb feet!

Devonroy

I have suffered with back problems for the past 20years which over the last 7/8 years have gradually got worse.

It started of with pain in my lower back which was helped by regular trips to a Chiropractor.

This allowed me to continue walking with my local walking group.

But slowly over the past 7 years the pain has gradually worse with pain in my lower back, down my right leg plus both feet are numb.

I had an MRI scan November 2015 which showed problems at L5/S1 which causes moderate stenosis compressing the L5 nerve root.

Feb/2016 had a nerve block injection, this had no effect.

Pain management tried Pregabalin and Gabapentin, both did not help.

Pain was so bad now that I could only walk comfortably for 10mins, therefore walking group came to a stop.
.
Had a private consultation with a spinal consultant who made his own diagnosis of the MRI scan, which was that degenerative scoliosis was producing narrowing @ L4/5 and L5/S1 plus grade 1 spondyolisthesis @ L4/5 level. He suggested a lateral recess decompression surgery which I had December 2017.

Result being that the surgery made no difference and the specialist said that I would have to learn to live with it!

Have tried living with it but GP sent me for a further MRI scan June 2019, followed by another nerve block injection, which also has had no effect.

GP now also says that I will have to live with it.

The pain is slowly getting worse sometimes stops me sleeping.

It seems the Chiro, Hospital, GP, Physio have all given up just live with it !!

What should I do know, by the way I am 84 years old?

I would just like to go for painless stroll now and again, also my other concern at the moment is that the numbness in my right foot is getting worse and is now making driving difficult in that It is hard to feel my foot on the accelerator pedal if I drive any distance.

Thanks for reading.

Needhelpandadvice

@Devonroy You have really answered your own question for yourself. You have mentioned that the specialist and GP said that you will have to learn to live with it.

So sadly, no one on here is going to be more qualified than the people that you have seen.

At 84, you are doing a lot better than most, you are just age related illness, however I would be very careful about driving, especially with medical issues where potentially it might lead to you killing someone if your foot locks up on the gas pedal.

Sadly, you have to learn to deal with illnesses and then manage your life around them. Your condition is never going to get better, only worse in the future.

So time to accept, that you cannot go bungy jumping any more, or hang gliding.

However, do not give up on life, just accept what has happened and deal with it the best way possible.

Sorry if this is not what you want to hear, but you have to accept your health and your age.

Rachel_Scope

Hi @Devonroy. I'm sorry you're having to put up with so much pain and aren't getting relief from it. I'm not sure what to advise as both your GP and specialist have said 'you need to live with it'. I'm hoping they used kinder words than that! Is there no other pain relief you could try that's stronger?

Devonroy

Thanks for your post Rachel, GP's have tried all sorts of pain relief plus hospital have tried injections, but nothing seems to help.

Needhelpandadvice, thanks for your reply, maybe I'm clutching at straws but thought it was worth an ask.

Rachel_Scope

I'm sorry @Devonroy. It's so difficult living with pain that can't be eased. I found the Action on Pain Charity that is for those who suffer with chronic pain and they have some helpful advice on how to cope. Some are practical and some are focused on changing the way your mind thinks. It could be worth a go 😊

I struggle with Rheumatoid Arthritis and fibromyalgia so I understand how horrible it can be. You need to remember to be kind to yourself and don't push yourself too far.

Devonroy

I also asked the same question on another pain forum and got the following reply, I did send him a copy of my scan:

7/05/2018.

Just to let you know that I am a retired rehabilitative specialist with a specialization in scoliosis from the USA..

You have a page long report of all that's wrong and needs fixing.  

Your specialist is definitely thinking like a surgeon though, and it would be an enormous surgery to go in and fix that opening that is getting too small for the nerve to fit through.

There are other ways to optimize things without always going in like a gorilla and operating. You have a lot going on with the scoliosis and arthritis and all of it causing the nerves leaving the spinal cord to have little room to do so.

One thing that epidural steroid injections can do in these situations is calm everything down and reduce any swelling so that the nerves have more room. I would think that one of the biggest parts of your diagnosis is your scoliosis and how it affects your nerves.

Have you done any kind of treatment for it? Any physical therapy? YES  

You do have a significant enough curvature that it is causing narrowing in the foramin, which is the hole in the bony vertebrate that the nerves exit through.  

Obviously ,it would have been best if they had caught your scoliosis when you were still growing and could have "straightened you out" ,but there are still things you can do in rehab, physical therapy to strengthen the muscles to pull the opposite way to try to lessen the effects of the curve that might help some of the nerve entrapment.

As your problem is scoliosis ,you ought to get help from a specialist in that--not only a surgeon who specializes in treating patients with it, but also is a habilitation specialist.  

There is a lot they can do for you, you do NOT have to live with this.  

You need to find the right docs and other help.

I mean that you need to deal with a scoliosis specialist, not just any old orthopaedic surgeon. Sometimes a rehabilitative specialist will have a specialization in scoliosis.

A lot of what is said in your radiology results is that the scoliosis has caused so much compression on nerves as they are trying to exit the spinal cord.

That's why I asked if anyone had tried physical therapy on you when you were younger, that's when they can try to undo the twisting. At this point, to really go in and straighten it all out would be an enormous surgery with rods and screw, very painful and not necessarily leading to a good outcome in your leading a pain free life.

You basically need to get a referral to someone who treats scoliosis patients, that is now your primary diagnosis, it is the reason for your pain, your entire problem.

I think if you see a whole new set of doctors as what you really are- a late diagnosed scoliosis patient who now has pain because of the curvature of the spine. I really believe that will set you on a different course of treatment than the one you are currently on with the surgeon telling you they have run out of options, live with it.

I have shown this the above to my GP and the hospital, with no effect or suggestions, perhaps I need to move to the USA!!.

Wibbles

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/904406#Comment_904406

I agree about the driving - have you informed your insurance company - because your car insurance may be null and void - what about DVLA ?

Devonroy

It would seem that American Specialist does not think that I need to live with it.

Devonroy

Regarding driving I am fine to drive short distances around Devon and Cornwall but no longer able to drive up to the lakes, Yorkshire and Scotland, coach holidays now for those distances.

Wibbles

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/905427#Comment_905427

You still need to inform DVLA - Otherwise if you did have an accident and your insurers refused to pay out because of an undisclosed illness, that you are aware of - you could be in big trouble.