Spinal Stenosis

[ski diva]

Anyone here have it? Because I do.

I started to get pain in my hip and down my leg last summer, and it's gotten progressively worse. I figured it was sciatica and tried all the usual exercises to get rid of it, but nothing helped. A couple months ago I went to the orthopedist, who suggested PT. So I went through all of that, as well as visits to the chiropractor, and nope, nothing helped. Finally, about three weeks ago, I had an MRI. The diagnosis: spinal stenosis. The channel in my L5 vertebrae is narrowing because of arthritis so it's impinging on a nerve, and It is AWFUL. I have burning pain in my lower leg and hip, as well as tingling in my left foot. All. The. time. Thankfully, I can still ski, because it would be devastating not to. Since the PT and chiro didn't work, I'm now in the queue for a cortisone shot in my spine, but they tell me they're scheduling 4-6 weeks out. So in the meantime, I HURT. I'm still doing exercises for it 3 times a day, but so far, they don't seem to be helping.

Anyone else suffer from this? What did you do?

 

[VickiK]

I don't have a lot to contribute on this, but I am sorry to hear this, @ski diva

 

[santacruz skier]

Are you seeing a physiatrist? I had lower back pain several years ago and finally an MRI showed bulging discs L4 and L5, annular tear, and some spinal stenosis. Primary care MD sent me to the Physiatrist (MD that specializes in pain management).... I had two Epidurals (didn't really help) and then a cortisone shot to the periformis. That really helped. Have been seeing a personal trainer once a week for the last 5 years. And surprise, my great insurance pays and my co pay is $30.

Hope you feel better. Back pain is miserable.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Oh boy. So sorry to read this.

My late uncle and first cousin both opted for surgery (ultimately - not sure how long they suffered?). Both got excellent relief and results.

Sorry to hear you have such a long wait for cortisone injection. Wow, 4-6 weeks. Have you considered other medical facilities?

I say this only because I’ve been through my own back stuff and was quite fortunate not having to wait very long for treatment. It wasn’t stenosis, however.

Have you been put on rx anti-inflammatories? I had good luck with meloxicam. I also got relief with heat. Gabapentin is a well-known medication for nerve pain.

Ultimately, until you consult with neurosurgery, I’m uncertain of other treatment options other than surgery. It might be possible to ablate some of the surrounding nerves (which is what I had done, early Dec). But stenosis is its own monster.

PM if you want further details on neurosurgery at Maine Medical in Portland, ME.

 

[ski diva]

Are you seeing a physiatrist? I had lower back pain several years ago and finally an MRI showed bulging discs L4 and L5, annular tear, and some spinal stenosis. Primary care MD sent me to the Physiatrist (MD that specializes in pain management).... I had two Epidurals (didn't really help) and then a cortisone shot to the periformis. That really helped. Have been seeing a personal trainer once a week for the last 5 years. And surprise, my great insurance pays and my co pay is $30.

Hope you feel better. Back pain is miserable.

The doctor who's going to do the injection is a physiatrist.

Oh boy. So sorry to read this.

My late uncle and first cousin both opted for surgery (ultimately - not sure how long they suffered?). Both got excellent relief and results.

Sorry to hear you have such a long wait for cortisone injection. Wow, 4-6 weeks. Have you considered other medical facilities?

I say this only because I’ve been through my own back stuff and was quite fortunate not having to wait very long for treatment. It wasn’t stenosis, however.

Have you been put on rx anti-inflammatories? I had good luck with meloxicam. I also got relief with heat. Gabapentin is a well-known medication for nerve pain.

Ultimately, until you consult with neurosurgery, I’m uncertain of other treatment options other than surgery. It might be possible to ablate some of the surrounding nerves (which is what I had done, early Dec). But stenosis is its own monster.

PM if you want further details on neurosurgery at Maine Medical in Portland, ME.

I have looked into other facilities. It's at LEAST that long a wait pretty much everywhere that I've checked. So I guess I just have to sit tight. A friend of me had the injection recently, and he said they took him in a bit over a week even though they said 4-6 weeks. So here's hoping.

I've been using a heating pad, and that helps a bit. Oddly enough, it's really not my back that hurts; it's my hip and down my leg, because that's the route of the impinged nerve. This morning I tired some CBD cream, and it may have helped a bit. So I think I'm going to try that for a while.

 

[RhodySkiBum]

So sorry! my husband had an issue like this, right after the world shut down with Covid. We has skied all day that Sunday, which turned out to be closing day, and then he got up the following Wednesday am and could barely walk. With the same pain/tingling down to his foot. They feel his might have been compounded by a ski injury the previous year, as there was also a bone fragment in there. Luckily, his resolved after a few months with a lot of PT and walking. Hopefully you will heal quickly!

 

[MissySki]

Ugh so sorry to hear this, it sounds dreadful. :(

Doesn’t sound like you are at a surgery point yet, but if the time were to come.. Dr. Elizabeth Claus at Brigham and Women’s is a fantastic neurosurgeon to consult with if you wanted to be in Boston.

 

[lisamamot]

The diagnosis: spinal stenosis

Oh, well, shoot. I am so very sorry.

I am quite sure Mr Lisamamot has this in addition to the blown disc, bulging discs and the calcified cyst. He did facet blocking shots, which sadly did not do much of anything once the anesthetic wore off. He then had an ablation after Diva West. The ablation definitely helped, but we are unsure how long it will last. I believe he can redo the ablation, and when it stops working, he is looking at surgery. He also has neuropathy in both feet, so cannot feel anything until they get above his ankle bone. I cannot wrap my head around that.

The ablation helped with the tingling/numbness in his thigh as well as reduced the level of pain in the back. It is worth asking if that would be appropriate for your situation.

 

[snoWYmonkey]

Oh no I am so sorry! I too suffer from central canal and foraminal canal stenosis, but at the cervical not lumbar level. Also have subluxation and disc herniation. I had one spinal injection done in the OR which helped à lot about 15 years ago. Fusing 3 vertebrae is the answer but until pain or function are untenable or damage permanent I continue to endure. One on one gentle stretching and rolfing twice a year each work for me, but each case and person is so different amd docs may restrict those options.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

He did facet blocking shots, which sadly did not do much of anything once the anesthetic wore off. He then had an ablation after Diva West. The ablation definitely helped, but we are unsure how long it will last. I believe he can redo the ablation, and when it stops working, he is looking at surgery.

I had this, but the “block” was just a diagnostic tool to determine which facet joint nerves were candidates for ablation. They told me well in advance that the anesthetic would wear off in several hours.

A month later, I then had RFA at Maine Medical Neurosurgery. It took about 6 weeks to “settle in.” I’m good now, but I was clearly told that it was more of a “band-aid” than a cure, that I might need it again in +- 1 year - and again after that. The nerves can - and do - try to grow back.

The procedure was done by an anesthesiologist specializing in pain medicine.

Since the procedure took all of one hour, I’m glad to get it done again should it become necessary, versus surgery. I currently am back-pain-free, although I have copious scar tissue (thus an imbalance) from a gluteus medius tear from 2019. PRP helped that - but not the scar tissue. 2 years of limping from the gluteus injury probably contributed to the facet joint arthritis.

That and – Father Time. <sigh>

Nonetheless, at this stage of my life (73), I’m glad to be cruising the blues and enjoying skiing again, pain-free. Just a little weak on the left turn initiation. One learns to compensate...

 

[Pequenita]

Oh, crud, @ski diva. I’m sorry. I have what @snoWYmonkey has and was diagnosed January/February 2020. It’s the arm, fingers, and shoulder version of what you have. I have an emergency course of steroids in case of another flare, and my neuro recommended therapeutic massage and PT. The initial flare lasted about a month; I was unable to *be* without pain. I don’t think I tried heat, though.

 

[lisamamot]

Mr Lisamamot has been going to the spine clinic at New England Baptist so we know he is getting excellent guidance.

I had this, but the “block” was just a diagnostic tool to determine which facet joint nerves were candidates for ablation. They told me well in advance that the anesthetic would wear off in several hours.

Yes, he too understood the anesthetic would wear off in a handful of hours. Apparently the facet blocking shots are a form of treatment for some, but they were not for him.

The channel in my L5 vertebrae is narrowing because of arthritis so it's impinging on a nerve, and It is AWFUL. I have burning pain in my lower leg and hip, as well as tingling in my left foot. All. The. time.

Mr L has spinal stenosis in 6 different areas, but yours is definitely impinging more on the nerve that travels to the leg. His pain has stayed in his lower back and although he has numbness in the leg, no pain. He was told when his pain goes down the leg that is when surgery may be inevitable, but everyone is different. Hang in there and I so hope you find a course that helps your pain level.

 

[Abbi]

@ski diva I have nothing to add that hasn’t already been said. I do hope you can get the shot sooner rather than later. Being in pain takes a toll both physically, mentally and emotionally.

 

[Iwannaski]

Just sending good thoughts.
Sorry you are suffering @ski diva

 

[Jenny]

Sorry to hear this - wish the diagnosis was better.

 

[floridakeysskibum]

on the bright side, you now know what it is, where it comes from, and what you have to do. this may give you a little bit of peace of mind. sorry you are hurting. Pain just sucks!!

 

[newboots]

Oh Wendy, so sorry to hear this! I have gotten months of relief from a cortisone shot in my hip (plus PT). I didn't repeat it until over a year later. The effects diminished after around 4 months, but it was tolerable until month 14 or 15 (that awful day skiing at Stowe and standing on the side of steep trails).

Is the physiatrist at DHMC? Did you try UVMMC? I expect you did. . . so sorry for that wait!

 

[liquidfeet]

Anyone here have it? Because I do.

I started to get pain in my hip and down my leg last summer, and it's gotten progressively worse. I figured it was sciatica and tried all the usual exercises to get rid of it, but nothing helped. A couple months ago I went to the orthopedist, who suggested PT. So I went through all of that, as well as visits to the chiropractor, and nope, nothing helped. Finally, about three weeks ago, I had an MRI. The diagnosis: spinal stenosis. The channel in my L5 vertebrae is narrowing because of arthritis so it's impinging on a nerve, and It is AWFUL. I have burning pain in my lower leg and hip, as well as tingling in my left foot. All. The. time. Thankfully, I can still ski, because it would be devastating not to. Since the PT and chiro didn't work, I'm now in the queue for a cortisone shot in my spine, but they tell me they're scheduling 4-6 weeks out. So in the meantime, I HURT. I'm still doing exercises for it 3 times a day, but so far, they don't seem to be helping.

Anyone else suffer from this? What did you do?

Well, darn. So sorry to hear this.
So many of us have back issues. Wow.

 

[ski diva]

Well, darn. So sorry to hear this.
So many of us have back issues. Wow.

The weird thing is that I've NEVER had back issues. This just came out of the blue. The doc said, "Well, you're getting older. These things happen." True, but YUK.

 

[skibum4ever]

Aging is just so unfair.

Sending you healing thoughts.