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  • Charles555
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    Post count: 2

    I have severe lower back pain that feels like someone stabbed me and did not take the knife away. Ive had this for years and it is getting worse and worse.

    Had an epidural pain injection at the L3/L4 that took away my pain completely for a day and half. My MRI report has not listed anything obviously significant. I bought a dicom viewer and looked at that level and it looks like there is some effacement of the thecal sac by the spinous process at the L3/L4 level. One doctor said it did seem like something mild with the spinous process. And one doctor said it is the interspinous ligament that seems to be mildly effacing the thecal sac. I have a naturally small spinal canal (as mentioned on the MRI report).

    So far, neither doctor wants to do anything about it. But if I move the wrong way I get 9/10 pain, I cant sleep on my back or I get electrical pain, and the deep burning nerve pain never seems to end. The pain can be unbearable at times, but I am able to get into positions that seem to pull whatever it is sharp, away from the nerves in my back. Both of my feet feel like they are on fire when my back pain gets worse.

    I just got new x rays to see if I have Listhesis, but they look normal (to me). I have a follow up on 09/21.

    Any suggestions on what I can do or what I should ask for? I could probably get a new MRI, but Im not confident it would show anything the last two MRI havent shown. I would upload the pictures of my lumbar spine but I’m not quite sure how to do that here.

    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    The information you supply is not adequate to understand what your pain generator is. You sound like you have lumbar spine instability based upon your short description of your symptoms (“But if I move the wrong way I get 9/10 pain”).

    You need an MRI, standing X-rays with flexion/extension views and a thorough work-up. Some information is already helpful (“Had an epidural pain injection at the L3/L4 that took away my pain completely for a day and half”). This can be added to your careful history and physical examination to identify what your pain generator is.

    I can’t at this point accept uploads but I am working on it.

    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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