RVing with Spinal Stenosis
Hi. I have had a bad back for a very long time. Recently my back pain has gotten much worse. I have had an MRI that shows spinal stenosis at L5, S1. Without medication I'm in so much pain that I...
Forum Discussion
I have spinal stenosis with 2 biologic fusions.... have been in a lot of pain at times.
The one thing that has worked for me is a daily dose of 15 mg Mobic, PLUS diligently doing all the exercises DAILY as recommended by the physical therapist. It's critical to keep ALL the muscles in your lower back, buttocks, hamstrings and calves stretched out. The physical therapist explained to me that the stenosis causes pressure on the nerves, which causes the muscles to tighten, which increases the pressure on the spine, and it's a vicious downward spiral. The only way to interrupt that spiral is to stretch the muscles, to keep them loosened up.
I had seen 2 surgeons and 3 physical therapists---this last physical therapists was the only one who ever explained it to me, and worked with me to get a resolution.
Talk to your physical therapist about that and see what he/she says.
The daily exercise is a chore, but it beats being in pain. Occasionally I have some pain resulting from a long day on my feet, or doing too much lifting, but it's not too bad, and quickly resolves with rest.
The one thing that has worked for me is a daily dose of 15 mg Mobic, PLUS diligently doing all the exercises DAILY as recommended by the physical therapist. It's critical to keep ALL the muscles in your lower back, buttocks, hamstrings and calves stretched out. The physical therapist explained to me that the stenosis causes pressure on the nerves, which causes the muscles to tighten, which increases the pressure on the spine, and it's a vicious downward spiral. The only way to interrupt that spiral is to stretch the muscles, to keep them loosened up.
I had seen 2 surgeons and 3 physical therapists---this last physical therapists was the only one who ever explained it to me, and worked with me to get a resolution.
Talk to your physical therapist about that and see what he/she says.
The daily exercise is a chore, but it beats being in pain. Occasionally I have some pain resulting from a long day on my feet, or doing too much lifting, but it's not too bad, and quickly resolves with rest.
