What can I do?

[Liam1983]

Hey Everyone
This is my first time posting on this site. I am a 23 year old male in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada) and when I was about 14 I had a spinal fusion and herrington rod inserted. My curvature was approximately 75-80 degrees and it was reduced to below 50 but since has gone up to approximately 60. In part this is because the rod had to be removed about 2 years later due to an infection. (Cause unknown)

Anyway, my main concern is what can I do now for treatment? Had
I of known the implications of a spinal fusion at that point things might have bene different. I was recently involved in a car accident and have suffered shoulder and neck problems. I have been going to massage therpay for 2 years, began to see a chiropractor and am considering other options. My posture has been impacted and I have a major rib humping issue. Is there any corrective action that can be taken for these issues and to reduce the pain? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Liam

[Rachel Leah]

Hi Liam~
I'm so sorry to hear you're having such a rough go of it. I'm in the same boat as you in trying to find pain relief. It's funny, I just posted a new thread before I read your post about a pain relief procedure called a radiofrequency neurotomy. Basically the docs go in and put a lesion on the nerve ending that is causing the pain. I'm not scheduled for my consultation until May 1 and then I'm not sure how long it will be before the procedure, so I can't tell you much at this point. However, I have read up on it a bit and the sucess rate seems to be fairly high. You may want to talk to your doctor about alternative pain management and see what he/she says.

Also, do you excercise? I know that when I excercise it helps keep my pain in check. I do moderate weight lifting, stretching, some yoga and cardio between 3-4 times a week. When I don't do my excercises my pain level increased dramatically. And believe me, there are some days/weeks when I don't do it because I'm too tired and in too much pain after work. I don't really like doing it, but I've found that I just have to make it a part of my life or I'm in big trouble!

Hang in there Liam.

[Sharon D.]

scoliosis

You should look into the spinecor brace. I'm not sure if it will work after fusion but it has done so much for my son's scoliosis pain (he's 22) that he thinks it's a god send. It's definitely worth checking out- the inventors are at St. Justine's hospital in Montreal, a nice drive from Halifax.
Good luck.
sharondunn@rogers.com