Chronic Pain

Hello All,

I am relieved to be a new member of this forum. Let me begin with a little backround info about me. I lifted a very heavy TV about 5 months ago and have been suffering from thorasic back strain ever since. I have had two series of Depomed shots and underwent two months of chiropractic treatment, both of which seemed to add to the problem more than help. My physician was treating me with Soma and Vicodin for four months which did at least bring some comfort to me and help to alleviate the worst of the spasms and pain. On my last checkup my doc told me that he could no longer prescribe the medications to me, that he could get in trouble for it and that I was young enough(I am 30 years old) and healthy enough to get by without prescription medications. Well I am pretty much back to square one, my back hurts like hell, I cannot sleep, have trouble sitting in my chair at work, and even have difficulty bending, stooping or holding my newborn child for more than a few minutes at a time. My military posture is destroyed, I feel as if I am just twisted up, my ribs ache, and at times I feel almost as if my own body is too sore and weak to support itself. I apologize if I sound like a whiner, but I am really sore, have come to tears at times from the pain and do not know what to do. If anyone could offer advice or constructive critisism, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank You.

Hi Ronniec,

I want to welcome you to the ChronicPainConnection forum. I'm sorry that you have a need to be here, though. First of all, please don't feel that you're whining. We all need to share the impact chronic pain has had on our lives. It's more than a little frustrating and discouraging to have your life turned upside down by unrelenting pain.

I'm afraid your experience with your doctor refusing to give you any more pain medication is not unusual. With the DEA making so many high profile arrests of doctors prescribing narcotic pain meds, many doctors are now afraid to prescribe them even when they are obviously necessary. You might want to try another doctor, but be careful how you present your pain issues lest you be labeled a drug seeker.

Two things I would recommend when talking to doctors about pain problems:
1. If they ask you to rate your pain on a scale of 0-10, don't exaggerate and say 12 or 25 to let them know how bad it is. If you do that, they will most likely no longer take you seriously. Try to give an accurate number, keeping in mind that 10 is the worst pain you can possibly imagine.
2. Rather than just trying to describe the type and level of pain, make it clear to them how significantly the pain has impacted your life by comparing what you could do before your injury and what you can do now. (Ex., how long you could/can sit in a chair at work; holding your new baby, etc.)

There are a couple of alternative treatments you might want to consider. Recent research has shown acupuncture to be more effective at relieving back pain than any conventional treatment. My pain issue is fibromyalgia, not back pain, but acupuncture has made a big difference for me personally.

You mentioned muscle spasms – myofascial release therapy can be helpful in relieving chronic muscle spasms. It's a very gentle form of massage. Not all massage therapists have training in myofascial release therapy, so you have to ask up front. Also this will take several sessions as it is usually a gradual process. Again, this is a treatment that has brought significant improvement for me.

Hopefully others here will be able to share their experiences with back pain, what has helped and what has not. Please keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. Feel free to share problems, ask questions or just vent anytime. I wish you the best.