Hi, so I have been following BBM pretty close for a couple of years and am familiar with some of the content, ie. bps model of pain, training templates, rpe, nutrition guidelines etc. I always refer to BBM with many things and have the highest respect for what you do. I recommend BBM to all my friends as the leaders in your fields of study. Just wanted to start there so you know where I am coming from and am not just posting in a forum randomly.
What I need help with is where I should go next. I trust that you aren’t just gonna refer me to get a consult to make some money and I believe you have me (the patient) in your best interests.
I have had back pain that started about a year ago that is intermittent, but usually at night when i go to lay down. I get the most severe nerve pain in about the T12 ish area on the right side of the spine. I will almost always get it if I sit up in bed with flexion against some pillows for 10+ minutes and then try to get up. The pain is short lived about 2 seconds or so but literally stops me dead in my tracks. Then will happen a couple more times before going to bed and when moving about. I almost completely avoid sitting in bed to try and prevent it but this is what makes it worse. I live a pretty normal life outside of this pain, I train with barbells 3 x week, ride mountain bike, walk, swim, play disc golf, work hard on the house building things, swinging axes, hammer, saws, etc. with just some normalish back soreness here and there. But this evening debilitating pain has gotten to a point where I just don’t know what else to do. I dont know how to make it go away or at least minimize. I have been through some physical therapy, eaten fistfuls of nsaids ( but havent had any for 3 months cuz they werent working anyways), done yoga, seen chiropractors for adjustments and therapies, (im afraid of a chiropractic back adjustment now because it hurts so bad when they push on that spot), stretching, ive lost 15 lbs but still about 30 lbs overweight, massage therapy, foam rolling lol, menthol rubs, heat pads, ice pads, tart cherry, turmeric, etc. I have been consistent with all of these things and just still this pain persists on almost a nightly basis. It seems to always happen when I am winding down from the day and getting ready for bed. It always happens in the same spot. I really try not to overly worry about it and try to stay positive that it will go away eventually. But when it happens, it is not fun at all, and it should be obvious from all the things I’ve tried that I’m kinda desperate here.
I even talked to my PCP about it and she said I could go see a Pain Management Doctor at a back place if I wanted a referral. She did an xray and gave me the good ol’ obvious Degenerative Disc Disease diagnosis which just about everyone has. Especially by 43 years of age. I know that BBM and my stance is to exhaust all other possibilities before doing something like going to a pain management doctor. I don’t want to take pills for sure, but what should my next course of action be? Are local steroid type injections safe or useful? Is this what I would likely get at Pain Mgmt place? would they charge me lots of money for MRI’s and such? ugh
Would the low back pain rehab template be good for me? Or is that for someone with muscle soreness type pain and not this type of nerve like level 10 pain.
Should I get a consult with Drs Ray or Miles? Is this something you guys consult about or feel that you could help me with? Does my pain seem extraordinary or present some red flags that i would maybe need some type of imaging or tests?
Some advice on what my next course of action would be greatly appreciated. I could really use some help here.
Thanks,
Mark