I consulted with my back doctor yesterday. We looked at my recent MRI and discussed some of the issues going on with my back stiffness and spasms. There’s good news and bad news.
What I Hoped For
I had hoped that the doctor would look at the MRI and find an obvious issue to be addressed. “See here? This bone is pushing on a nerve. We can do x procedure and your problems will go away.”
What Really Happened
The doc said I have arthritis in my lower back and in some areas the vertebrae are bone on bone. In some areas of the back there is limited room for the nerves which causes them to pinch and produce pain. Also I have a couple of discs which are slightly bulging.
Good News/Bad News
In a way, this report is both good news and bad news. The good news is that I don’t have anything super major wrong. No risky surgery required. The bad news is that there’s no simple solution and my pain and discomfort is likely to continue, and probably get worse.
Prescription
The doc said if I have more pain or can’t shake the issues, he could try doing some steroid shots. He said they could last a varied amount of time, even as short as a month. He prescribed physical therapy to strengthen my core and supporting muscle structure. I start that next Thursday. He also set me up with a prescription one-a-day anti-inflammatory.
I’m a little miffed there’s no quick/simple solution, even surgical. At the same time I don’t have to worry and endure the stress and risk of back surgery at this point.
I’ll give the PT a worthy effort.
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