Quote Originally Posted by Markass
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 can't tell you what that likelihood is, hun, because A) we don't know what's causing your pain and B) even if we did everyone's course of pain response and deterioration is different. Heck, not everyone deteriorates. With the right PT approach, people can often cure back or neck pain, halt or delay further deterioration, or prevent the need for surgery.

The fact that you've already noticed progression in your symptoms is not a great indication. You've gone from sporadic back pain after the accident to increasing pain with activity and overexertion now to pain and increasing numbness in a sitting posture. That indicates that your "disease" is progressing. Numbness and tingling are likely an indication that you've got some sort of nerve impingement, and while those are unpleasant symptoms, they're still better than the next progressive steps, which are worsening numbness and then paralysis. By the time you enter the territory of paralysis, you might not be able to reverse the symptoms or achieve a cure like you very likely could now. The other bad news is that, depending on what's causing your problem, a slip or a fall or a sports injury or another car wreck could be a really horrific, ruinous, life-changing event. That prospect was what scared me into seeking treatment for my situation. That and the fact that the doctor uttered the words, "The potential future prospects for your spine if you don't have this fixed range from horrific to completely devastating and crippling." Three doctors had to say the same thing before I believed them, of course, but I'm hard-headed.

I know you're reluctant to seek medical treatment because it's so expensive. We all are. Even those of us who work, or plan to work, in the biz. It's horrendously expensive, particularly hospital treatment and diagnostic imaging. But this is your spine we're talking about. That's like your brain or your eyes or your heart. Your spine is something you depend on every day for every movement. It's literally where you live.

That wasn't what you wanted to hear, I'm sure. I know you well enough to know you already know everything I've told you. You're a very smart young man. If I were in your situation and wanted to try and stave off medical attention as long as possible, I'd watch the situation for a bit longer. Like another four to six weeks. Note where the pain and numbness are now and keep track of how they progress. If you can hook up with someone who knows physical therapy, have that person recommend some possible back-strengthening exercises and see if that improves or worsens the situation. If things get progressively worse, with or without PT, the writing will be on the wall. It'll be time to seek medical treatment before things get irreversible.
birdgirl73 Reviewed by birdgirl73 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