Epidural Injections: A Case Study

I was once a swimmer. In October of 2015, my career came to a halt. During practice, I would have a sudden onset of sharp, shooting pains throughout my back. It became very intense and was painful. On meet days, I was limited to swimming two events when I normally swam four or five, and that was still painful; I could not physically put up with the pain anymore. I made an appointment to see an orthopedic doctor in Hutchinson. Dr. Nelson, the orthopedic doctor, took numerous x-rays and could not find anything alarming. He suggested physical therapy. He thought I had strained my back and needed exercise and guidance to get myself back into uniform. I did twenty-one weeks of therapy, three times, twice a week.
My back was not getting better. …show more content…
The focus of pain control is to reduce the amount of pain in order for the patient to be able to exercise. There are multiple medications that can help relieve pain such as Ibuprofen or Naproxen. Flexeril can help as a muscle relaxant. Therapy can also help the patient by relaxation. Chiropractic manipulation can help relieve pain by taking pressure off and reducing muscle tension, increasing the range of motion, and increasing blood flow. Steroids also are an option for treatment. Epidural injections provide significant relief from pain about half the time. Back braces are also used by limiting the motion of the spine. They are usually used on a short term basis otherwise it can lead to the weakening of muscles. A regular routine of back exercises can help the back regain its strength and flexibility. Correct posture is one of the most important things one can do to have a healthy …show more content…
Raise one leg, slightly bent, behind the knee. There should be no arch in the neck or back. Hold this for four to six seconds before lowering into the starting position. Two sets of ten leg raises is recommended as strength improves. Lying on your stomach with your elbows and arms stretched above your head, raise one arm with the opposite leg two to three inches off the floor. Hold this position for four to five seconds before returning to the starting position. As strength improves, two sets should be completed. Surgery is rarely performed unless you have instability and your symptoms have not lessened with nonsurgical treatment. Someone with this disease can eventually outgrow the disease with treatment. This disease can be hereditary, but it is not common.
The pain I feel on a daily basis is numbing. The cause is the disc’s inability to handle the stress. Eventually, the discs will collapse into stable position which will eliminate the pain. I am currently taking Naproxen and Flexeril which was prescribed to me when I made a trip to the Emergency Room because I was having severe muscle spasms. Nelson has suggested surgery since I have been going a year and a half with no improvement. He would approach this by breaking my chest cavity to access my back. It is a very intense surgery which is why I have pushed it off and resorted to the chiropractor and