Back and Hip Pain

I highly recommend a Chiropractor.. I had knee pain for years. I did the anti-inflammatory thing and the Physical therapy.. none of that worked.. I started going to the Chiropractor and I no longer have knee pain...just a thought

J.--I had been having a lot of hip pain also to the point where it would wake me up at night. Yoga did the trick.

There is already a lot of great advice posted here - but here is my two cents! :)

I have had degeneration in my back since I can remember - it's hereditary as far as we can tell. Any who, I had surgery in 1997 and have seen five different chiroprators over the years since about 1995.

Some are good, some are not. I had one I thought was good, but didn't realize what had been missing until he moved and I had to go to a new one. All of a sudden, now my feet are in alignment! YEAH!

But as far as the SI joint. That can be inflamed because of your alignment and might be easily corrected - if the alignment is corrected. As awkward as it might be, you might want to try someone else.

Also, try some ice to reduce swelling (even if it takes doing it 2-3 times a day for 15-20 minutes). Also, try some anti-imflamatory (ibuprofen) for the swelling in the joint. You can even take a tennis ball up against the wall and put your butt into to massage the joint.

Good luck!!! I know where you are!!!

J.-I would get to an Orthopedic Doctor ASAP. I never ever had back problems in my life until I went to a chiropractor for my shoulder. My back started to go out all the time after his "alignments". Your Chiro could be causing irreversible damage with whatever he is doing. It is at least worth a second opinion because it sounds like your quality of life is really suffering.

I suggest you see your primary care physician and get a referral to physical therapy. I had severe pain in my hip and leg. The strengthening exercises and even more importantly, the stretches, have kept me out of trouble for years. At the time of my most acute pain I did have to have an MRI to determine the source. Once they knew the source I started PT right away. I couldn't walk, sit or stand comfortably and did require 1 cortisone injection to get me through the initial severe pain but what I learned in PT has helped keep me healthy over the years. Good luck.

Hi J., I really recommend you go to a specialist and try some physical therapy...it really works! Best wishes.

Hi J.,

There is a Chiropractor in Jeffersonville, (Norristown), who is excellent with unrelenting back problems.

Dr. James William Stein at ###-###-####

2525 W. Main St., Jeffersonville, PA 19403

He offers free telephone consultations as well.

Check his web site.

Hope this helps. Good luck. D.

J.-
Have you had an MRI done? I work for a chiropractor, and injured my back about two years ago very badly. After her treatment didn't resolve my issue after a few weeks she told me to have an MRI done. Although my MRI didn't show anything wrong, it's good to rule out any other potential problems. I ended up getting the cortisone shots - they really helped get a handle on the inflammation issue, and continued chiropractic tretment. It was a lengthy recovery, but I would recommend getting some further testing done. Good luck, I hope you feel better soon.

Hi J.,

I'm currently seeing a physical therapist twice a week. Although my problem is different from yours, I believe it's worth a try. I've been helped considerably from physical therapy.

K.

My Doctor recommended a book by Pete Egoscue called Pain Free.

I also have low back and hip pain since being pregnant (2 yrs ago) and the yoga streches that I had been doing were not helping. But the streches in the book have helped.

I just started my streches so I can't say that I'm pain free at this point, but I do feel alot better. And I can tell that my posture is improving (which helps).

Good Luck. I would try all options before surgery.

K.

Hi J.,
I am a Physical Therapist Assistant. I would definately recommend some therapy and see if that helps. Have surgery only as a last resort. Many patients that I have worked with that had back surgery, wished that they never had the surgery.

I would recommend Physical Therapy! I would ask if they have someone on staff that specializes in the spine and/or orthopedics. I worked for one that specialized in the spine and insurance usually covered it and she was awesome! There is a method called the McKenzie method, I'd maybe ask if anyone has trained for that and try and get them! You may need a Rx or referral from your Dr. but they are pretty good to do that for patients. Good luck!! If not, I'd go see an orthopedic Dr. What area are you in?

Hi J.,

Yes, it can get better! After having surgery to remove part of a herniated disk at L5-S1, I started to get a lot of problems with my left SI (likely from bearing my weight oddly from the sciatica, etc. resulting from the disk protrusion). I felt nearly incapacitated. Anyhow, it was great physical therapists who focused on my SI joint and diagnosed that as the ongoing problem, first noting that it had decreased mobility, then giving me exercises to keep it mobile. My surgery was when I was young, but as I got older and smarter about taking my PT seriously, it's been a lifesaver. Once I got it loose and stronger, I didn't have to do my PT daily as I substituted other routine exercise to keep in shape and keep the pressure off the SI joint (yoga helps too; I made it through my pregnancy with just three weeks of back/hip issues that my phys. therapist helped me sort through initially and prenatal yoga kept me strong until delivery). When I do get the occasional flareup, I just do my old PT exercises for a week or two and I can usually get the "stickiness" in my joint to loosen up. Every couple of years, I might need to see a physical therapist just to help get it kickstarted. I highly recommend a visit to a physical therapist because not only can they help get it loosened and feeling better, but they'll give you the tools to keep it at full mobility yourself. Good luck!! (ps, I definitely also recommend seeing a doc because you might need an MRI and you want to get any problems like this on a doc's radar; plus, someone mentioned injections which can be beneficial -- I had them on my spine, not SI, but for other post-op spinal issues and they helped).

You don't say how long you have been seeing your chiropractor, but if his treatment isn't helping you, then you really should get evaluated by an orthopedist. I agree with the other poster who recommended you find one who specializes in back pain. They will probably do some x-rays and an MRI to evaluate you, and recommend treatment and/or physical therapy based on those results. I have occasional hip and sciatic pain as well as low back pain, but luckily with exercise (yoga is great for this!) and monthly chiropractic care, I have been able to keep it under control without medication. Best of luck!

Hi
I have been going thru the same thing. Physical therapy has been invaluable. Good luck.

go to an orthopedist have you had xrays?

My recommendation is to locate a reputable pain clinic. Not many people know they exist and there are conservative treatments to help your chronic pain. The pain clinic I used to work for worked well with chiropractors in conjunction to their own treatments. Pain truly interferes with your life and can be debilitating. If you are interested, let me know and I can give you a more in depth description of what kind of treatments are available and where I used to work.

R.

I would go to an orthodpedic Dr and have scans done. Don't mess with your back, find out what's wrong. I have had a spinal fusion on L5-S1 so I know what you are going through. They might even be able to give you injections- there are so many different forms of treatment. But you need to find out what is wrong. I can only imagine how hard it is with little ones and being a single mom. Do you have any type of support system? If you want to talk send me a personal message.
best of luck!!!
Di

Of my gosh! I had problems with my SI joint - started about 3 years ago. I had been in great shape, running, lifting weights, etc then my hip/back started hurting to the point I could not exercise at all. To make a long story short, went to the orthapedic specialist and physical therapist. After about 2 years, I am finally feeling better. I think that the body has a way of healing itself and given enough time, it will. BUT, you have to listen to your body. Let me know if you want to talk further, I can give you my email address.

J., this area is difficult to treat because the pain can radiate from one area to another. They can get better. The suggestion you get an appointment with an good orthopedic surgeon is good, but make sure it is a doctor WHO KNOWS BACKS. I emphasize that you need to ask the question because many orthopedist do specialize.

There are many possible treatments once you know the root cause of the problem. They include steroid injections to bring down inflammation; physical therapy; and exercise. I learned exercises from my physical therapist to realign my pelvis and hips myself and now I know as soon as I get out of bed whether I need to do them.