Physical Therapy

[Cycler]

Good. And so the bottom line according to Dr. Carragee is' “Disc puncture, even with modern discographic techniques, causes definitive structural injury to IV discs,” he said."

So , one has to ask; what is the indication for discogram then ?

Bad Boy Bad Boy Wrote:Cycler, we can access that report;

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19755936

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=22001810

But;
The investigation did have a few limitations, according to Carragee, including the fact that study subjects were predisposed to disc degeneration, and the effect may not be the same in everyone. Also, “The rate of degenerative changes is unclear, since we only used two time points in the study. Finally, the results were not homogeneous among the groups. Some discs showed no progression at all,” he said.

Carragee and his colleagues earned the Best Clinical Paper Award for their presentation at the ISSLS meeting.
http://www.orthosupersite.com/view.asp?rid=40067

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

I never had this test done on me. I did though have a couple of Myleograms done.

[capricorn]

Same here. Bill and I have both had Myelograms but neither of us have had a discogram. He had surgery, I didn't.

[kit]

BBBB---How do you afford to pay for your own second opinions. I have tried so many health insurance companies and they will cover my husband, but won't give me coverage at all. I lie one company will cover me for 5 doctors visit a year for a $100.00 copay, no medical tests like X-Rays or MRI's, mamograms, blood work, ER vivists, no RX plan, no dental, no vision for the low low price of $979.98 a month. We tried to keep just me on Cobra coverage from the hospital I worked at, but that was over $600.00 for me alone. I decided I would rather pay my mortgage. I tried to get the reduced Cobra coverage, but the Hospital I worked at is Church affiliated so they don't have to offer reduced Cobra coverage. We do have some funds set aside for "rainy" days, but it terrifies me if I have to deplete them for a second opinion that WC won't recognize anyways. I feel stuck in a never ending cycle of #$%^. Sorry to "dump" all this on you, but if I keep it all in I feel like I'll explode. Thanks for listening.

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

Paying for a second medical opinion. Is you would have to do like anyone else, and that is dig into those funds set-aside. It's as simple as that, and adjust your life style for a month or so. We all had to do it at some point, and like me and others, we still do.

[Gatekeeper]

kit Wrote:Hi everyone. I had some questions about PT. I have been back in Pt for about 4 weeks started making some real good improvement. They helped so much with my hip and groin pain in my right leg I felt like a new woman on week 2. The Pt was so happy, I was happy, so we decided to up the excersizes. I increased my walking to 2 trips around the block (before I couldn't make it a 1/2 block). Everything was going good still had the pain down my butt and right leg with numbness in my outer calf and 1/2 my foot, but after all the hip and groin pain gone I felt I could manage this little inconvienence. Then came the recumbant bike after 5 minutes on this thing I couldn't feel my foot at all, I began dragging my leg again and here comes the worst part. I'm having bladder incontinence again. This was on week 3. I now am back to square one, and very disappointed. The Pt took away all my previous excersizes and now has me just doing toe and heel lifts. I drive 45 minutes to therapy twice a week, which in itself kills me, just to have her rub my knots out, put on the electrical stim and then send me home. I'm no better off when I leave actually kind of worse and unable to take any pain meds until I get home (I can't drive on them). Enough whinning here comes my questions---Has anyone had setbacks like this? Is it just a setback? I see my surgeon again on 2/2/10. I'm affraid to tell him any of this, because he wants to go back in to see what is causing the narrowing of the nerve space. PT was my chance at avoiding another surgery.
I am so affraid of yet another surgery. Any advice or words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Hello Kit, I had spinal fusion from L4 to S1 in August. I started PT 12/16 and 2 weeks after I started to get low back pain and left leg pain down through my calf. After a half hour on the treadmill it gets worse and my therapyst says its from the exersize and I hope it is. I have an appt. with my surgeon on 2/4/10 and I may have to get L3 disc removed and fused to the others. I dont want another surgery either but if it is the only to solve the pain and get off the vicoden I feel its the right decision for me. I was a mechanic and now I have to go back to school but its all for the best. Keep positive and things will work out for you