Lilsam, I am so sorry to hear that you have several ruptured discs; a nightmare of any chiropractor. I am not sure if you had been to a chiropractor in the beginning but judging from my experience, I have helped many people with you condition and have actually avoided surgeries. In your case, you have no choice but to live with the pain. The condition becomes very complicated after the surgery and often gets dangerous if you go for another surgery.
Let me tell you guys the side effects of the injections. First of all, the cortisone shots (facet blocks) would cause local osteoporosis in the area involved if used for a long periods of time. Look up on the net and you will have all types of side effects listed for this type of treatment. I am against this type of treatment because it only alleviates the pain but doesn't address the cause. However, to my surprise, I have seen some people get well from this treatment.
This is what happens: If you move in a certain direction /position and if you irritate the nerve root which is pinched then your body gives out a pain signal to your brain to halt your motion and prevent further damage to already inflamed nerve. But if you take the injection and feel pain-free (numb the nerve) you will move in the adverse motion and cause further damage to the nerve root, without even feeling the pain. I see people everyday in my office who have taken the injection and had gone back to work, the next day or 2, they couldn't get off the bed anymore.
Most doctors don't understand what chiropractors do or what type of education we receive at universities. All the doctors who are against chiropractic have no clue what we do. Most have never been inside a chiropractic office, let alone know one personally. I do not think it is to the best of the patient's interest if a patient is not referred to a chiro, if the case was 100% chiropractic related.
In my office, I have helped hundreds of patients in my 4 years of practice in DR. Most people swear by me and drag people into my office for back pain management. The trick is to find the right chiropractor who actually have become a chiropractor for the sake of helping people and not for simply making big bucks. Being an engineer, I see people from the engineering point of view. I study their x rays well. Figure out the problem bio-mechanically. Talk to the patients and actually listen to what they have to tell me. After investigating the problem, I explain to them exactly what needs to be done and what they have to do on their part to help themselves. With this patient / doctor cooperation, the therapy becomes much more effective.
I urge people to go see your nearest chiropractor for spinal related pains and even headaches (can't tell you how many women are headache free from my treatment) and see what you have been missing. Of course, not all spinal pains are chiropractic related, so if you have tried conventional medical treatment and still feel that there is more room for improvement, do see a chiropractor.
Have a nice day.
AZB at your service in Santiago.
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