PN, PNE or Disk Problems?

[tigerlily]

HI All,
i started getting butt pain while sitting briefly after I fell on some steps in 2010. It came back in 2011, and I got an MRI. The doctor saw bulging disc at L4 L5 and a small annular tear at L5 S1. That is what he said was the cause of my butt pain while sitting.

Fortunately for the most part heat helped and over the next few years things got much better. Unfortunately I had a horrible experience where a trainer gave me heavy weights – will they were too heavy for me – and insisted that "I would never get anywhere if I didn't use these weights" even though I was in a hydrotherapy class with her for over two years and she had done my intake. I had no idea that lifting weights could exacerbate PN, etc. and I trusted her. About within a month of my third use of these weights, I felt horrible all over, so I stopped using the weights!

And along with this, a slow burn came on and suddenly I had to sit on ice, and I could not use heat any longer. And the pain got worse, much worse than it had ever been before. However, not only do I have butt pain now, but also pain in my lower back. Well it's even worse than that, because some of my discs in my neck got blown out but I won't go into that.

So it's confusing. I got a new MRI. My doctor now says that it's an annular tear and possibly facet joint pain and maybe just pain. How does one know if one has PN, PNE, or an annular tear? With all this other stuff going on? I know all of these are somewhat controversial to conservative medicine.

Has anyone else had to sort through so much? All along. I've wondered which it was. But since before this incident. I was getting better, I had kind of let sleeping dogs lie.

I really miss sitting on heat and it's freezing cold to have to sit on ice all day. Of course I'm not doing that much sitting anymore at all! I tried to stand as much is humanly possible. Thanks in advance. Not sure who to go to or who to talk to it all. It's so confusing.

[Violet M]

Tigerlily, you might find some helpful info on the symptoms and diagnosis pages (left hand menu of the homepage at pudendalhope.org). The symptoms page links to the Nantes article on how to determine if you have PNE.

If it's an annular tear does the physician think it will heal on its own over time? What is he recommending?

Violet

[tigerlily]

I haven't gotten that far yet in my discussions. Some annular tears do heal but my case is complicated by having some symptoms already of PN or PNE and a small annular tear and disk issues which could also cause nerve pain, trigger points, muscle tightness, etc... plus i've never had this kind of pain before in terms of intensity.

it's a shame that dr.s are not more well versed in PN/E.

A good book i just read on Amazon kindle, Othopedics 2.0, links the two, but only at the end. A good read and only .99. It's more about regenerative medicine.

[Lilas]

Hi!
Just read part of what you wrote and am surprised that the same questions are the ones I ask.
It seems that everything is related to everything (one body, one mind).
I was perfectly OK until 4 years ago (disk hernias/bulges/protrusions - whatever). It has been a downward spiral. Have very little faith in doctors but am waiting for the next consultation with another orthopedic surgeon. Will post impressions later because now I feel I know WHAT to ask.
Mesotherapy, Apostherapy ...will try anything before surgery!
I certainly don't know what IS wrong (yes, CT and MRI confirm disk bulges and a cyst and something wrong with the coccyx). My GP refused to go into any of this but will give Percocet 10. To be fair to him, he did refer me to any specialist or treatment I asked for. Am waiting for consultation at a Pain Clinic in March.
Any ideas on future treatments?
All the best,
Mia

[tigerlily]

i think regenerative medicine while experimental is very promising. Once my diagnostic tests are done that is certainly what i would do next. you can download Orthodpedics 2.0 from Kindle on Amazon for 99 cents. Very good intro to the subject. He makes it inexpensive so many can access the information, it's very high level info.

However, these procedures are experimental and not cheap. Still if you have the correct diagnoisis (sometimes it only gets as good as "we think it might be..." and "therefore you can try..." this is what i would do for disc pain and facet pain where possible.

Thanks for your ideas too. Let me know what else you are thinking of! I also just purchased another book on regenerative medicine. Learning alot. I've had a lot of prolo in the past before this stupid injury with weights, and it helped like nothing else ever did.