Why are GPs rubbish with back trouble...?

[Mercy1]

Been suffering quite a lot of lower back pain lately, across the bum and down the left leg - walking and twisting out of a car can be excruciating!
Never have bothered my GP much in the past, but I suspect sciatica so need an expert to tell me what is going on down there as I am hobbling like an old man at the tender age of 63...
So into the surgery, explain the problem - GP lifts my left leg...no pain...she lifts the right leg...no pain...I touch my toes (just)...she's pleased...
So what can I do doc?
Well, she says, back pain is the biggest of all the health problems in the country today - take ibuprofen, or self refer to NHS physio (20 weeks waiting time) or use our private clinic at £45 a go, start tomorrow...
Thanks a bunch! So, nervously, it's off to a chiropractor next week - hope he can do better! Anyone had any experience?

 

[stevieb15]

Suffered from it since I was 19.
Try heat, firm mattress, good posture and without wanting to judge you possibly losing some weight...I've tried them all other than the last.

 

[BEJ]

Had it!

Try a hot pad at the base of the spine for 10 minutes then an ice pack at the same spot and alternate for about half an hour.

GENTLE back excercises may also help. Good luck.

 

[spinaltap]

Not related to back-pain, but frozen shoulder...

I had excruciating pain in my one shoulder, which was diagnosed as frozen shoulder after the GP consulted 'patient.co.uk' while I sat there. I could have done that at home without visiting the GP.

Initially, she recommend steroid injections in my shoulder. That didn't work. It might as well been water being injected.

Then, I was referred to the local physiotherapist (aka sumo-wrestler). It didn't get any better after several visits - so I cancelled any further assistamce.

Eventually, the painful effects of my frozen shoulder subdued - but then I had the same problem in the other shoulder. At that time I didn't seek medical assistance because it was pointless.

From my experience; if you visit a physiotherapist your frozen shoulder will get better in about a year. If you don't seek physiotherapy your frozen shoulder will get better in around 12 months.

 

[Meldrew2]

Why are GPs rubbish with back trouble...?


Because they are also pretty rubbish with most other things too.

They do not have the time to treat patients properly.

They do not have the ability to refer patients effectively.

They run around like headless chickens trying to fulfil ever-changing government targets.


NHS = No Hope of a Solution


.

 

[stevieb15]

Had it!

Try a hot pad at the base of the spine for 10 minutes then an ice pack at the same spot and alternate for about half an hour.

GENTLE back excercises may also help. Good luck.

I've found the best device for getting heat to back/shoulders/neck is wheat bags.
Quite expensive but reusable, the neck and shoulders versions are highly effective

 

[M1 KRX]

I go to a chiropractor about every 6 weeks now and have very few problems now, very painful at first but worth it in the end. I have also used Acupuncture and that worked well for me but that just numbs the pain it does not solve the problem.
My man cost £50.00 fro the first visit then £35 for all follow up visits you should not be paying any more than this..

 

[bes1110]

Gp's a bit of a waste of time for almost anything.

 

[finisterre]

I have no idea how to mend a sciatic attack though I have every sympathy, debilitating is not the word.


btw. do you keep your wallet in your back pocket? The small twist can cause big trouble.


You could try smoking a marijuana joint or if you prefer not to smoke the pollen based forms will melt into cheese on toast. I find it helpful but that may be just me.

 

[HR17]

Not related to back-pain, but frozen shoulder...

I had excruciating pain in my one shoulder, which was diagnosed as frozen shoulder after the GP consulted 'patient.co.uk' while I sat there. I could have done that at home without visiting the GP.

Initially, she recommend steroid injections in my shoulder. That didn't work. It might as well been water being injected.

Then, I was referred to the local physiotherapist (aka sumo-wrestler). It didn't get any better after several visits - so I cancelled any further assistamce.

Eventually, the painful effects of my frozen shoulder subdued - but then I had the same problem in the other shoulder. At that time I didn't seek medical assistance because it was pointless.

From my experience; if you visit a physiotherapist your frozen shoulder will get better in about a year. If you don't seek physiotherapy your frozen shoulder will get better in around 12 months.

GPs only have a few weeks of orthopaedic training as they have to be jacks of all trades, hence better diagnosis and results with physios

Physio is the best solution for frozen shoulder(with anti inflammatories as and when). It takes time though, and you need to keep up with the stretches and excercises. It heals itself eventally, but regular physio helps accelerate it and maintains strength and range of motion. Also prevents recurrence(like on the other side!). Unfortunately, there's no magic pill or easy cure.

 

[Chrishazle]

The only way to really find the cause is an MRI scan (I've had 2). Sounds like a partially collapsed disc allowing pressure onto one or two of the 3 legs of the sciatic nerve. A good osteopath can also figure that out - I was told by an osteo exactly what the problem in my lower back was, 12 months later my first MRI scan confirmed every word he'd said.

I've tried a variety of osteos and chiros over the years, the only one that really worked was the first one - but he had to stop practising. His methods started with a good deep tissue massage, then a motorised flexion extension table with applied heat (hot towel on my back) and gentle manipulation, then the osteo table for a variety of clunk clicks. He made one heck of a difference in just 3 months before he had to stop, I've searched for years for someone using similar (I believe American) techniques without success until quite recently.

For the past 3 months I've been seeing a young newishly qualified chiro in Ashford, his techniques are somewhat similar but less intense than my first bloke, it's doing some good but nowhere near as much - and I've already spent £400 on treatments.

Check your posture side on. If you can't draw a straight line from your hip joint through your shoulder to your ear, chances are your head is tipped forward - which puts loads of additional strain on the base of the spine. I was sceptical when I was first told this (and shown how bad mine was), but I now know it's true.

 

[Mercy1]

Thanks for all comments and tips. Last autumn, I was able to jog for 40-60 mins and now I can sometimes hardly walk comfortably for a mile. Just like a hot poker in my back and my left leg feels as if it might let me down going downstairs!
Not a joint, nor a muscular pain - more like a sharp toothache so I suspect nerves.
Rather than treat the symptoms, I was rather hoping to get the root of the problem, assuming something has happened to the spine/disc/vertebrae. Is that an unrealistic expectation?
Since GPs seem to be useless in this area, I am told that chiropractors/osteopaths are my best bet and would be interested to hear of personal experiences. Sound scary to me!!

 

[brucemillar]

As above (all of them) Physio can be a god send but takes time and discipline (from you). I have a knackered back and butt muscle as a result of a car crash. The pain can make me vomit. Physio really helped as does industrial quantities of pain killers. Sitting in the car for long journeys is not fun. I now have (and I am not making this up) a rubber ring that I sit on. That eases the pain and makes it manageable.

Large amounts of Vodka help not tried the wacky baccie cure but have heard great things about its use for pain relief.

 

[Moonie]

GPs are jack of all trades masters of none. They're just over paid triage Nurses referring your on to specialists, thats if their computer can't tell them what drugs to palm you off with. Plus the fact that the plebeians are always using back pain and/or mental issues as an excuse to claim disability, so everyone else has to jump through hoops to prove it.

 

[Charles Morgan]

The principal reason why GPs aren't great with it is because nobody is that brilliant, even at specialist level. A friend, a leading healthcare economist, had severe lower back pain, did all his research on the health outcomes of back surgery to find that most procedures had little positive effect, and many increased the problem.

The only time, touch wood, cross digits etc, I have had back problems that hurt was getting out of my then Honda after a four hour drive, with a sore back at the beginning. Switching to a Mercedes made a big difference!

 

[grober]

Seconded for MRI scan [ best for soft tissue damage] . If you want rapid progress get referred for one privately. Sure it will cost £200-300 but frankly the only reliable diagnostic technique to see exactly what's going on. If you can't afford it press your GP for one. You probably have a "slipped disc" which is a poor description as its really a herniated disc where the soft inner bulges out and presses on the nerve roots as has been said, the main body of the disc doesn't move sideways as such. When you know exactly what's going on you are in a much better position to judge your next move. Rest and painkillers are still often the best option but at least you can be sure.

 

[ccp]

I've suffered from episodes of lower back pain since i was rear ended in my smart car. My brother in law is an osteopath and, despite my initial reservations, he has worked wonders on the initial problem and its reoccurances (normally brought on by bad posture at my desk!). The damage is permanent and the treatment recieved alleviates the problem - for as long as I look after my back!

I can't recommend osteopath's highly enough. Having taken some time to understand their holistic approach and training, I personally believe that the results from their treatments will always be better than that received from health practitioners who concentrate on treating the symptoms rather than identifying the root cause and working towards rectifying it.

Whilst conventional medical practitioners don't always "approve" of alternative medicine, my GP takes the opinion that what works, works and so supports me in my choice.

 

[Satch]

After a number of episodes with back pain and no real help coming from any "professional" source, found that what works for me is painkillers plus Voltarol (non steroidal anti inflamatory) and doing not much more than lying flat for 3 days whilst the disc that causes the trouble reinflates followed by stretching and lower back muscle exercises.

Anything else just prolongs the misery.

It is a bugger, worst time I ever had was when on way to JFK airport slipped and triggered it. Took a great many G&T's to get me across the Atlantic.

 

[Ted]

Another one for MRI.

Three years ago I was washing the slk just after Christmas, turned with the bucket of water and felt a pain in my back.
Nothing too bad, it will heal, it's happened before.
Well it didn't it got worse. Went to GP and she prescribed stronger and stronger painkillers.
In the end it just got to much. Unbearable pain in the lower back and into the left leg. Originally felt like I had done a major workout on the glutes, but ended up feeling like the pain was in my hip joint and lower back. I could only walk a few yards with a walking stick, and that in real pain. Ironically there was absolutely no pain while seated. I really dreaded walking to the car.
So i went for a private mri scan at a mobile unit near Birmingham.
While I was waiting (a long time) for the result, one of the doctors came to me with my gp on the other end of the phone. She told me to go straight to Coventry University Hospital a&e, and tell them my name as I had to have an emergency op.
to cut a long story short they took a disc out that evening.
A few days later I could walk again with absolutely no pain, it was really like a miracle.
I've not had so much as a twinge since.

So as I said. MRI then back with the results to get it sorted. You nay also need a strong willed wife who is a nurse to argue your case. Mrs Ted was brilliant at a time when I had no fight in me.

All at the grand old age of 55

 

[Red C220]

A GP is basically a sorting office, they decipher what they think is wrong with you then send you off to someone they think may help.

The problem comes when there really isn't someone beyond the GP that can help in any substantial manner.

There is a reason for this, modern medicine decided (or those that run it) that we are better off pursuing a drug based road to medical treatment and the many things that fall outside of drug based treatments considered "Alternative".

So say you have a condition that can't be treated with drugs, well that rules out vast areas of modern medicine to start with, physio won't help? Sorry we can't help you - you're left to your own devices.

This is actually more prevalent than you think.

I'm going to go off at a tangent here but there is a point to all this.

My wife has Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Modern medicine has no idea what MS is. The current theory is that it's an autoimmune problem, but after 160 years trying to either establish this or even work out any reasons for the etiology of MS being linked to the autoimmune theory, they still draw a blank. So for medical purposes "MS" is a general heading for people that have displayed two or more symptoms that fall into the category of "MS" separately but within a a specific time frame.

Current treatment for the best guess idea of this condition is to throw lots of drugs at people with MS, mostly classed under the heading of Disease Modifying Drugs (DMD's). As the name suggests, they aren't designed to cure the cause, but treat the symptoms, which they don't understand. On the whole these drugs cost a fortune, and two years ago they were considered a massive waste of money. Read here:-

Error

So unless my wife wants to take Drugs that the manufacturers don't understand what they do, for a condition they don't understand, then there is nothing they can do to help. You slowly progress until eventually you die of complications. Sorry, bye bye.

Well that won't do, so we do our own research which bizarrely lead us to a dental specialist (very very long story). Ultimately the following article pricked up our interest so off we went to Putney to see the chap.

How a dental brace could cure MS, migraines and paralysis - Health & Beauty - Life & Style - London Evening Standard

It turns out my wife has an underdeveloped jaw which is giving her TMJ issues and a lot of pain and making eating difficult. So she had some treatment start a little over a year ago and slowly, symptoms associated with MS are being removed and it is transforming her life. It turns out she has a skeletal misalignment issue which is causing all sorts of problems with her entire body. This isn't some new fangled medical theory, you can trace it back 2000 years plus to the Chinese who look at the body as a machine that needs to work in perfect harmony. One bit if it being damaged/wrong can cause all sorts of issues.

I documented her treatment here (I post as EJC):-

AtlasBalance (jaw misalignment) Treatment - EJC : Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI)

You'd think this would be well received or people would be queuing up to study it, well patients are queuing up to See this guy, but the powers that be are simply not interested. There's no drug to sell, no back end, no funding for studies because you can't earn anything out of it by curing people without drugs. There are certain people actually trying to discredit the guy because he is so outspoken about how little the NHS do for this awful medical condition.

If you have back problems, jaw problems, migraines all sorts, have a chat with this guy he's a breath of fresh air in this drug fueled world that we live in. His contact details are at the bottom of the Standard article linked to above.