Back problems. Need your advice!

[td1111]

I am/was a tall slim guy 6"2. 8 to 10 years ago, I strained my back badly a few times, twice lifting furniture, once squatting. Through lots of chriopractics, physio, and stretching, it healed but never quite right. For the last 5 years, when I look in the mirror, my head/neck seems to pull to the right, and when I walk my right hip never swivels freely like my left.

I have become quite dilegent with stretching hams, glutes, quads, hip flexors, plus using my inversion table, and it is a constant battle as everything always tries to tighten right back up out of whack.

I have tried 3 chiropractors, and lots of massage therapy, and all of them help temporarily, but never cure the root problem. It seems that my muscle memory is premanently stuck in the old injured pattern, and cannot allow my spine to be straight.

I am at a loss of where to go next. Who should I talk to? Are there any more options, like surgery? No chiropractor has ever asked for an Xray, or anything.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[revolutionofthemind]

Have you tried warm water traction? Have you had an MRI or CAT scan? Sometimes if a disc is compressing the nerve roots you will have the muscles contracting and pulling the spine out of alignment. At the time this originally happened did you have myofascial release message, extreme deep massage?

Who is doing the massage, just a massage therapist or physical therapist? Have you ultrasound, TENS - transdermal Electical Nerve Stimulation. Sometimes Ultrasound and TENS can get the muscles to relax enough, to allow a good massage therapists to start to release the damaged and constricted areas. The bad news is that after this long, the massage process isnt going to happen overnight, or by doing this once a week. You'll probably need it 3 times a week.


Also are you doing any training of the muscles on the opposite side. Sometimes we tend to favor the injured side, resulting in muscular compensation on the otherside, and you have that side become hypertrophied way beyond the injured side, and imbalances in muscle development can certainly through off spinal alignment. This becomes a double edged sword in so much as when the spinal alignment is off this puts a lot of extra tension on the spinal discs, tendons and ligaments. Abnormal hypertrophy of those tendons and ligaments and or atrophy of either of those, and or abnormal forces on the discs, through off the normal distribution of forces and can cause pain, nerve compression and muscle contractions.

These are just a few of many things that could be going on. It would be helpful to know additional information. Have you seen an MD? Scans and if so the results? What as specifically as can have the chiro, docs, therapists, massage people said and done? What as specifically as you can have you done?

As far as the hip issues, it sounds to me like imbalances in the hip flexors/abductors and/or the Quadratus Lumboram. It's important to remember the muscles in your back, hips and legs, form what is referred to as the Posterior Chain. This means that if you have a muscle issue in any one part, such as mid back for example, this can throw everything off, including normal gait. If the chiropractic and measures you've done so far are not helping it's probably time for an MD visit and MRI.

Please keep in mind that nothing I've said in here should be taken as medical advice, this is strictly my opinion and experience. Serious medical issues should always be brought to attention of a health care professional that you trust.

Good luck with this man, spinal problems can be a bitch and dramatically affect every other part of the body, and put a serious hit on the quality of life.

 

[td1111]

Thanks for your info, bro. At the time of injury years ago, I had many sessions of chiro and deep tissue massage. As time went on, I got more disciplined stretching hams, quads, calves, glutes, front and side hip flexors, and stretching my core spine muscles with my inversion table(traction). Doing this religiously regained the shortend length of my hamstrings and overall, offered the abiity to be mostly pain-free. But still the condition would always come back if I missed the rigorous stretching routine for a day or two, and would easily be re-aggravated by some activities.

I recently saw my doctor (MD?) and asked for help, and he recommended a good physiotherapist, which I will see next week. I'll have to ask for an MRI I suppose.

 

[Nobledude]

You should try acupuncture...

 

[lanky]

get an mri

 

[Zyglamail]

If your spine is continually going out of whack and needs adjustment you need to ask yourself why.

Look at a book on anatomy, what holds the vertebra together? What attaches vertebra to the muscles that support the spine? The answer you should come to is tendons and ligaments. If these structures get damages and stretched the joint they hold together gets lax. Lax vertebra cause uneven stresses on the discs between and leads to bulging/herniated and ruptured disks. Constant muscle soreness can often be from a muscle or group of muscles remaining tense in an effort to take up the slack.

The most effective method I have found to handle tendon and ligament issues is prolotherapy.

 

[buffut1]

Being that tall and thin, I would suspect you have some scoliosis. I've had L4-L5 fusion and have worked for several neurosurgeons. Nothing against chiro, but there are somethings they shouldn't mess with, backs and necks. You may try a sports medicine doc or a physical therapist who specializes in sports medicine. They could probably do a good exam and pinpoint your problem.