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On 02/11/97 14:55:00 you wrote: > > Margie Swindler, CG for Dick wrote: >>Beth (and others who wrote about back pain) - >> >> Dick saw a back specialist (surgeon) last week - we didn't know Dick's GP >> had referred him to a surgeon until we met and talked to the doctor. It was >> an interesting experience, but not one that will offer any relief from the >> pain. The surgeon looked at the x-rays for about 60 seconds and said, "I'm >> afraid I can't help you." >>Snipped >> His only recommendation was a "corset"-type brace which might or might not >> help, plus regular exercise on a stationary bicycle. He named other types of >> exercise equipment, and didn't know that the difficulty a PWP has with >> rhythmic motion would prevent Dick from effectively using a treadmill, >> stairstepper, etc. However, Dick says he is able to use the stationary >> bicycle we have stored away. > >Margaret also has similarly severe back problems including scoliosis. >Our surgeon was equally emphatic that her spine was beyond surgical >redemption. Margaret then tried the corset-type brace you wrote of, >but it wasn't a success. She found that its tightness aggravated both >her dyskinesia and breathing problems. Had she persisted, there is >every possibility too, that the enforced immobilty of her torso >would have worsened other PD-related symptoms. > >In the past, Margaret found hydrotherapy (where her weight is >supported by the water) helpful, as well as the type of gentle >exercise you mention. However, her balance and mobility have >deteriorated to the point where group hydrotherapy is no longer >appropriate and she had to discontinue this activity because we have >no facilities for individual traetment. > >Take Care, >Mark (CG for Margaret 65/27 yrs) >[log in to unmask] > Spinal degeneration is often said to be an inevitable result of the aging process. This is not good news for PWPs. If my observations of my husband's condition is at all typical, it seems that the PD worsens the condition of the spine, and the condition of the spine makes the PD symptoms more difficult. The messages from Margie Swindler and Mark Atyeo about back pain and the condition of the spine yesterday certainly caught my attention. My husband has been nearly immobilized for a couple of months with what has finally been diagnosed as a couple of herniated lumbar disks. Like Mark's wife, he has always had scoliosis. This had never bothered him until recently when his severe dystonia has been twisting his spine far out of shape. The more inflamed the nerves exiting the spine became, the less weight Neal could bear on his leg, and the more his leg muscles weakened and atrophied. He has spent much of the day in his wheel chair and has begun to talk about nursing homes. We are in the process of getting help for his problem, and, thus, getting acquainted with a lot of health care specialists. The orthopedic surgeon prescribed a bone scan to rule out any fractures. His neuro prescribed an MRI and x-rays, and a nerve condiction test. The orthopedist prescribed a series of three epidural injections, for like Margie's husband, Neal's spine is in no condition for a laminectomy. Neal had the first epidural last week and will have the second tomorrow. These are done in hospital under general anesthesia. The whole procedure, including recovery, takes about three hours. The shots are a steroid, like those injected into a shoulder, for example, which are injected into the epidural area of the spine to reduce the swelling which irritates the nerves as they leave the spine. He already feels some improvement, so we are encouraged. After these injections are over and the swelling is reduced, the next step will be physical therapy to help strengthen his legs. We have learned the hard way that a health problem that seems unrelated to PD can have a very real direct effect on worsening the PD symptoms. Martha Rohrer (CG for Neal, 76/11)