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This is going to be short because I already typed this out and it said spam and lost everything. So….
Low level fall in sept, by dec during christmas I was unloading a truck and every night ended in pain. But was fine when rested, in may i got off work and the pain increased and never went away. I went to the E.R and the doctor comes in and says “you broke your back”. And then left. Shortly after a nurse came in gave me a shot, releas4ed me with paperwork saying to see a neurosurgeon. Which unfortunantly is impossible with the lack of insurance.
Current date, in constant pain. Somedays are ok others are not. the paperwork said “L4 vertabrea break with end plate spurring. there is loss of disc height at this level and mild posterior end plate spurring”. Can you translate this for me? What do I have to expect? He stated that it may be the cause of disc degenrative disease, since there is no cure for it, am I technically disabled? Will it typically get worse? Is it manageable? Why is there severe pain in my right leg at the hip? Occasionally my neck has severe pain and cracks like your knuckles, but nothing was found wrong with my neck? Is surgery typically the end result for an injury like this? I understand they said that an injury like this heals on it’s own or with a support brace. But in your experience does an injury like this normally result in surgery as an end result?
I understand that it is impossible to give a diagnosis over the internet, exspecially with the x-rays I will be posting. i’m more looking for information on things that will be coming my way and what to prep for.
The X-rays do not demonstrate a back fracture but a limbus vertebra. If you look carefully at the top of the L4 vertebra, you see a bone that looks like it split off of the top of L4 but it is a perfect triangle piece that would fit into the missing corner of the vertebra. You will also see that the L4 vertebra is wider than the L5 vertebra underneath it. These all have an explanation.
When you were younger, like all children, you had open growth plate rings at the top and the bottom of the vertebra. This is how your spine grew in height. One ring had a weak spot between the body of the vertebra and the ring. With a bend, a lift or a fall, you herniated a disc into one of the growth rings and split off a piece of the ring. Since this split piece was designed to grow, it did indeed continue to grow and that is what you see as the split off piece in the top corner of the vertebra.
The width or diameter of the vertebra normally gets larger with each lower vertebra being larger than the one above. If you look carefully, you will see that the diameter of L4 (the one with the limbus) is larger than L5 below it. The reason L4 is larger than L5 is that when you injured the L4 vertebra so many years ago, this injury stimulated more blood flow to L4 and it consequently grew larger than it’s lower neighbor, L5.
You state that you have significant lower back pain and right hip pain (I assume you mean the buttocks region and not the groin region). Most likely, you tore the annulus and possibly herniated a disc at the L4-5 level or the L3-4 level (both discs exhibit degenerative change on the X-ray).
If you have either one of these disorders, the typical treatment in my practice is an MRI, epidural injections and physical therapy or chiropractic treatment (see web site for descriptions of each). If there is pronounced muscle weakness, surgery should be considered.
Dr. Corenman
PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.Would this be considered a disability then? I’m aware that whatever you state obviously would not be defginitive and I should consult someone in person. But I’m just asking for the sake of theory.
Unfortunantly the pain is in fact in my groin area. It actually forces me to have limited range of motion. And pain when I lift my right leg. I did have associated pain in the buttocks area there as well off and on. But that pain subsides. What about the pain in my neck? My neck cracks and has intense sharp pain when I move it on occasion.
I just dont understand how this injury is causing some much pain and lack of sensation. I have pins and needles down my left leg. Bending over is extremely painful if I’m picking up something. Some days if I apply myself, I can’t sit upright the following day. Sitting in certain positions bring sharp stabbing pain. Si that free floating piece in danger of moving or lodging to another location pressing on a nerve? If this is an old injury why did I have x-rays of the same region the year before and it wasn’t there? Should I be worried about the dark spots that are in my stomach region on the x-ray? And why is the majority of my pain located above the small of my back?
I apologize for asking so many questions with your busy schedule. But the magnitude of pain I am in, I can not even describe. I’ve never experienced anything like it.
This was a preexisting condition that you had many years before onset of pain. You should not be thinking in terms of disability but in terms of diagnosis and treatment.
Herniated discs can cause even professional athletes to fall to the ground in severe pain. You need to find a clinic that at least has access to an MRI machine and a proficient clinician to get an appropriate diagnosis and treatment program.
Dr. Corenman
PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books. -
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