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Hi there,
I am new to this forum but having been reading people's posts and they are very helpful and enlightening. I am a concerned daughter whose mum's health has detoriated rapidly due to leg and back pain over the last 6 months.
My mum is 64 and her job over the last 40 years has involved standing for 8 hours a day; a job she has now had to retire from due to her leg pain. We did now know until a MRI scan was done that the pain was being caused by her back, but are thankful to know now.
The MRI showed up saying that she has cysts on her lumbar spine, right worse than left which are impeding onto her spinal canal. I am still confused as to whether she has sciatica in her leg, spinal stenosis, nerve damage, a slipped disc. Without a proper diagnosis of what it is, it is difficult to find the right resolution.
She has been having sessions with a chriopractor, takes D3 vitiamin tablets provided by GP as this will apparently make her bones stronger?! The chiropractor sessions have been aboot 5 in total, and even though she is better than before the pain seems to go from so bad to sometimes hardly noticeable.
She has gone from a lady who was so active and did a lot of wlaking to someone who can now only stand for 10 minutes or less before she has to sit down.
Should she continue with the chiropractor or try physiotherapy? I have advised her to start doing some excercises to see if that helps, but I am not sure if it will. She is scared of the thought of having surgery but obviously if this will restore her life back to normal then its worth doing surely?
Any help that anyone can provde based on their own experiences would be greatly received.
Many thanks
What about trying a less 'invasive' therapy such as Bowen? Has to be worth a shot.
If the cysts are impinging on the spinal column, have the specialists suggested surgery to try and remove them or do they want to leave well alone and hope that soft tissue work will ease the pain?
Hi, welcome to HP.
you said
The MRI showed up saying that she has cysts on her lumbar spine, right worse than left which are impeding onto her spinal canal. I am still confused as to whether she has sciatica in her leg, spinal stenosis, nerve damage, a slipped disc. Without a proper diagnosis of what it is, it is difficult to find the right resolution.
The MRI is just the first step your mum should get a referral to a neurosurgeon or spinal expert to get the full diagnosis and prognosis. Spinal cysts are usually cause by something, perhaps the facet joints or a bulging disc. Sciatica is pain from the sciatic nerve being compressed by most probably the cyst.
This site might help you and then you can research it all further. [url]Synovial Cyst in the Lumbar Spine[/url]
Hi, welcome to HP.
you saidThe MRI is just the first step your mum should get a referral to a neurosurgeon or spinal expert to get the full diagnosis and prognosis. Spinal cysts are usually cause by something, perhaps the facet joints or a bulging disc. Sciatica is pain from the sciatic nerve being compressed by most probably the cyst.
This site might help you and then you can research it all further. [url]Synovial Cyst in the Lumbar Spine[/url]
I would say a neurologist rather than a neurosurgeon.......avoiding surgery is good if you can.
I agree the cysts are the problem and will be causing the sciatica - so the other diagnoses mentioned are probably irrelevant.....
Have you discussed options with the chiropractor? If what I am doing isn't working for someone I normally have something else I can try. He may have some suggestions...
I agree about the neurologist, but the NHS seem to have a differing idea of the chain of command or route to experts. They seem to reserve neurologists to people with certain neurological diseases like MS etc that are not caused by physical problems like discs and cysts.
Luckily I have seen both, and the neurosurgeon was the most helpful and it didn't involve an operation. Of course an operation should for the most part be seen as the last resort but for something as removable as a cyst it may be required.
I'm sorry to hear your mother is in so much pain.
Have you heard of the charity called 'The Brain and Spine Foundation'?
[url]Contact a nurse | Brain & Spine Foundation[/url] Tel: 0808 808 1000
I thought I'd mention it as I found the manager of the helpline excellent when I needed advice about something last year.
I hope she is able to help with your mother's particular situation.