Should I have back surgery or work on weight loss or get the corti shots?

Should I have back surgery or work on weight loss or get the corti shots? My back pain first started 7 years ago. I was playing racquetball for the first time in life (though I played tennis and other sports), and I quickly learned that I could not play for more than 3-8 minutes. I would attempt to return a serve and suddenly my back would lock it up. It would take forever to walk across the campus, the pain was very intense, and I would be half paralyzed. Anyway, I stopped playing. The pain and lock-ups came now and then over the years. At some points in time, I would literally be unable to move, except by dragging my body along the floor with the strength of my arms. I%26#039;ve been bedridden for 3 days at a time. Anyway, a year ago, I finally went to the doctor. I have a pinched nerve and a ton of arthritis (more than the doc has ever seen in patients 2x my age). He suggested a corti shot, and/or back surgery. The surgeon he sent me to was a joke, I never did get the shot. I%26#039;ve been on pain-killers for the past year now - I stopped taking the

Additional Details

1 year ago

Anti-inflammatory meds shortly after being on them. I do not like putting drugs into my body, and after being dependent on the pain-killers for nearly 3 months, I finally cut down on those and rarely use them now. Anyway, several ppl have told me to get the shot. Others swear by the surgery. I believe that if I lost weight and strengthened my back muscles %26lt;though I can barely get thru my suggested back exercises now%26gt;, the pain could be significantly reduced, if not completely eliminated. So please help me in answering a few questions - If I get the surgery done now, will the arthritis just continue to return over the years? If I do have less fat cells and weight, could this help keep the nerve from getting pinched? - I think there would be less pressure and uncontrolled movement? What other things should I do to work on the pain/arthritis.

And, I am 5’4 with an extra 100 pounds at a whopping 230 pounds %26lt;coming down from 250 and working on it%26gt;.

Best Answer

Of course, weighing less will help everything, but you may be putting the cart before the horse, so to speak. You wont be able to lose the weight unless your body is able to do some form of exercise.

There is a rather safe form of exercise for people with arthritis. Swimming. There%26#039;s no pressure on your joints and you wont be compressing your spine. I%26#039;d join a local community or county pool or YMCA and do a waist deep water exercise program. See how it goes, but it%26#039;s not a cure by any means.

The problem with cortisone shots is they don%26#039;t usually last and are sort of the last stop before trying surgery. As for whether or not the arthritis will return, that depends on what you have and what the purpose of the surgery is. Swimming is the first activity most people are allowed to do after any surgery.

I%26#039;m sorry the surgeon you went to see wasn%26#039;t helpful. Surgeons tend to be very difficult to communicate with; they are very detached and not used to seeing regular patients because their lives revolve around technical operations not human interaction. I suggest you try seeing another one and write down a list of questions to take with you.

Be persistant. If he or she isn%26#039;t able to answer all of your questions to your satisfaction, let them know you%26#039;ll be making another appointment or be calling. The more you know about what%26#039;s happening with your body, the more a doctor will be willing to listen to you. It shows a true desire on your part to heal and follow treatment plans.

Best wishes for you.

Asker's Rating:

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Other Answers (6)

• I am a Spine and Pain Management specialist. The treatment that will work the best for YOUR condition depends upon YOUR specific diagnosis and the severity of YOUR diagnosis. There are at least 25 different sites of pain generation of back pain. You must completely disregard what worked in another person, because it is extremely unlikely they have the same problem as you. %26quot;Arthritis%26quot; is not a specific enough diagnosis. A pinched nerve in one person may be quite different in another because of a variety of factors. Even when you have two individuals with essentially the same diagnosis/problem there are multiple other factors in determining what works best for one versus another. SURGERY SHOULD BE THE LAST OPTION!!! Do NOT have surgery unless: 1) you have lost control of your bowel or bladder functions and/or 2) you are experiencing PROGRESSIVE weakness of your legs/feet (numbness.
  doesn%26#039;t count).
  
  You must find someone who is knowledgeable, someone whom you trust and someone who provides you with options and assists you with making the best decision. Do not be %26quot;forced%26quot; or %26quot;scared%26quot; into a procedure. Avoid opiate medications--- except in some very unusual cases, this should be viewed only be a temporary option.
  
  The solutions that typically work are a combined program of Physical Therapy, NSAIDs, fluoroscopic guided spine injections (which can be useful in diagnosing and treating the problem). The problem there are wide variations of the quality of PT/rehabilitation and in physicians who perform injections. Unfortunately it is very difficult for a lay person to spot the Good from the Bad and Ugly.
  
  Lastly, unless you are extremely obese, it is unlikely your problem will be solved by %26quot;losing weight%26quot;.
  
  What State do you live in...I can try to refer you to someone appropriate.
  
  Good Luck
• If you are overweight....I would take the diet option first. Your pain will be significantly reduced. Also I would ask for a cortisone injection as they are really effective for pain relief. They do hurt as they go in but the relief can last a good length of time and these can be repeated. At least these injections would help you to get through till you lose some weight.
  
  Arthritis is a crippling pain so I really empathize with you.
  I hope you get some relief soon.
  
  Best wishes
• i guess everybody would suggest u try losing weight first. i don%26#039;t know whether it will improve your back situation, but at least it will improve your heart situation and appearance situation and it will make for the doctor easier to reach this spine of yours
• weigh loss needs to come 1st
• you can do surgery.