Quote Originally Posted by birdgirl73
Sounds familiar to me! I have degenerative disk disease and a condition called spondylosis and spinal stenosis in three areas of my spine. The most messed up section was in my neck, and I had that surgically fixed this past summer, but before it was fixed I had lots of pain and some numbness. All sorts of things can cause back pain and numbness, but often car wrecks or other hard physical stresses on the body can cause disks to bulge and put pressure on the spinal cord and the spinal nerves that extend out the little intervertebral foraminae, the little bony tunnels through which those spinal nerves travel. I spent 7 years lifting heavy stretchers as a fire-rescue medic and have probably also over-done my weight training over the years, which didn't help.

Here's what you can do:

- Go see a neurologist or an orthopedist and explain your pain and have him take the necessary pictures, probably MRI images. I can't remember whether you have insurance or not, Mark, but I hope you do. That'll give you an accurate diagnosis of what's causing the pain.
- See what that physician recommends once the pics are in. Often there are injections patients can take for swelling that'll reduce the inflammation. There are also pain injections that help. Let's keep our fingers crossed that you won't be referred to a neurosurgeon.
- Get some physical therapy. Your doctor can write you a script for an evaluation and course of PT treatment. Often with injured backs, you're offloading stress from the injured area of your spine to another, which aggravates or causes pain in both areas. For me, strengthening the muscles that support the areas above and below the areas of spondylosis makes a huge difference in relieving my pain. It's important to get a qualified evaluation, though, before you begin therapy or attempt PT exercises on your own, however, because you don't want to worsen your problem.
- Avoid chiropractors until you know what's up in there. If you have bulging disks or injured vertebrae, the last thing you need is someone manipulating or adjusting your spine until you know what's causing your discomfort. Some types of chiropractic treatment could worsen a pain/numbness situation into paralysis, and that's the last thing you want to do. Once you've got a diagnosis, it might be that some hands-on manipulation and heat/massage could be beneficial. Just make sure you get clearance from someone other than a chiropractor first.
- Take non-narcotic meds like NSAIDs for your pain. They'll help alleviate pain and inflammation and won't make you a junkie.
- Be resourceful with your cannabis connections and look for something in a nice Indica or Indica-dominant hybrid.
- Let us all know how you're doing. We want you comfortable and pain free so you can continue to fight the noble cannabis fight!

As usual, I've written too much, and for that I apologize. I sure hope you can find some help, babe. I know that's not pleasant.
Thanks a lot..we do have insurance...but it's not really like insurance once you have to pay your own share of it..sometime soon hopefully I'll have something better and will be able to seek professional help..

Birdgirl, any idea if I continue how I am just dealing with it what the likelihood of it worsening severely over the next couple of years? I know it's hard to say but I'm just hoping this isn't anything that's incredibly serious..I've lived on self-diagnosis and the help of others most of my life..but this is something I'm someday going to have to turn into the hands of a medical professional..I'd just hate for it to be too late then, but it's so expensive to go to the doctor..

I'm able to mitigate it quite well with smoking..a bit before work and a bit after work I'm fine except for maybe the last hour or so if we've had a busy night..I know too many people who have it much worse than I do..I can't even imagine what others have to go through..
Markass Reviewed by Markass on . A question about my back pain..? Okay, to sum it up I was in a car accident a couple of years ago and it wasn't until several months after it, I began to have sporadic back pains..It's nothing serious however, when my physical activity is increased it bothers me..Okay now for the point...I've began noticing the past few weeks when sitting after it starts bothering me I get an almost numb feeling in my lower back that runs up and down my back and nearly into my arms..A really strange feeling..does this sound familiar to any of Rating: 5