Deciding Between Short-Term Relief or Long-Term Recovery

[yogacat]

Would you go for short-term pain relief or take the long route for pain relief?

So, I injured my back badly recently...

I was in southern LA and I walked like a mad woman up and down hills and pretty much everywhere. I came down with excruciating pain that limited walking to where I could only walk a few minutes before my legs felt like there were two giant rubber-bands constricting me.

I still have this type of limiting mobility and pain three weeks later.

The physicians said it was initially Sciatica but it is muscle spams that are compressing my nerves. The pain is not just in one leg, it's in both and my lumbar/sacrum area.

To prolong healing the Dr has recommended therapy and steroids. I am really nervous about trying steroids because of the side effects. But the thought of getting back to 100% ASAP is also appealing. 

I  am doing physical therapy, acupuncture, light walking and stretching. But alas, my recovery period will probably be extended out and I'm worried if I'll ever get back to 100%. I worked out religiously for years, and I stopped for a few months after my father had his stroke, so I suppose the muscles in my legs, back, etc. were weakened.

I wouldn't think though, that after having exercised regularly for years, just stopping for a few months would weaken my muscles to the point that steep walking would cause my back to flake out. 🤔

I was in a severe auto accident in my early twenties, a vehicle slammed into me from behind and my car seat whipped me 45 degrees back and forth and sent my back discs out of alignment. 

I was told by an acupuncturist that steroid injections will eventually wear away the bones and muscles in the body, causing further complications down the road. 

I'm so tempted to get them because the pain and limited mobility is debilitating and hindering my daily activities. Plus, I wanted to go on another trip soon which would be a lot of walking and and I'm afraid I'll have to cancel if I don't recover soon.

Grrr...decisions, decisions. 😒

[Batya33]

Probably won't be enough but I injured my back a few years ago and I bought this book Callanetics -totally old school book.  I read up on her recommended spine exercises and I picked 3-4 of them that were appropriate for my issues. Takes me about 8 minutes.  Since then I do them most days and I did heal, I did recover -it hasn't recurred.  I do walk uphill very often and often wheeling heavy stuff from the store but I am VERY careful now.  I also had a herniated disc in my 20s that healed. 

For me -it's so individual -honestly I would do the short term solution and keep alert about the effects of steroids etc.  

Is there any sort of middle ground where -you take fewer steroids, lower dose?

 

[Cherylyn]

I would do long term pain management such as yoga,  PT (phys therapy) and steroids as long as it's safely monitored.  There is a limit to steroid injections per year. 

[rainbowsandroses]

Given your username, have you considered Yoga?   There are various yoga poses and stretches one can do to alleviate back pain and muscle spasms that don't involve dangerous (imo) prescription meds or steroids.

YouTube has many videos if you don't have time to attend an in-person class.

Below is one, but there are many others if interested.   

Hope you feel better. 

 

[Seraphim]

I have sciatica and am having a bout right now. I have had steroids when I became entirely immobile for 8 weeks in a really bad bought . That particular steroid has been pulled from the shelves can’t remember why now or even what it was. 
I have had Prednisone a few times for asthma and let me tell you I was leaping like a deer down the stairs every morning and I have arthritis. Once my course of pills was done I was back to agony . 
 

I think the best course of action is usually medication and exercise together. 

[yogacat]

Thanks everyone!

I should clarify for the mods, not seeking medical advice.

Just wondered what has worked for others. Thank you for sharing!

@rainbowsandroses--> In response to your question, yes, I did Yoga for many years. I stopped exercising all together post my father's stroke. So, I was not exercising for a period of 5-6 months.

PT recommended that I don't get back into more advanced Yoga until my muscle spasms have stopped given Yoga consists of a lot of back twisting and bending poses that could exacerbate the spasms.

However, I do incorporate some basic, gentle stretches and breathing exercises from Yoga into my routine for the time being. Once my muscle spasms have stopped, I plan on reintroducing Yoga back into my workout routine. But, I will need to focus more on rebuilding my glutes, core and back muscles through weight bearing exercises. Thank you for the links and well wishes!

I'm just wondering if I should at this point, do the steroids, so I can recover quicker and get back to building muscle mass so that I can possibly avoid muscle spasms in my back in the future.

After having thought about it and doing a bit more research --> I think I am going to pass on the steroids atm. I just don't feel comfortable with all the side effects. It's more so with long-term use and higher doses but there are case studies that "no dose" is a safe dose. 

If I was bed ridden then I might reconsider but I can walk, it's just after walking for roughly 30 minutes my legs tap out. There is a lot of pain the entire 30 minutes when I walk but I am trying to just muster through it for the time being.

[Kwothe28]

2 hours ago, yogacat said:

I was in southern LA

Its your own fault, nobody should ever be in SoCal doing anything. Ever.

Also, acupuncturist is not a doctor, its a quack. Go for what doctor told you before a quack destroys your back even further.

[yogacat]

2 minutes ago, Kwothe28 said:

nobody should ever be in SoCal doing anything. Ever.

Sage advice, my man. 😂

[ShySoul]

LA? Try growing up walking around San Francisco. There's hills everywhere (ovet 40 to over 70 depending on the source). Let's make streets so steep you have to have stairs on the sidewalk! Wonder if I built up a immunity to back problems from dealing with them so much. At least, that's what I'll chose to believe until my body tells me otherwise.

As tempting as short term relief is, I'd go for the long term. I'd rather do the safer course that's less likely to cause me future problems. I can put up with a prolonged recovery if it means hoepfully not having the same issue, or something worse, later on. As a professor once advised me, do it once, do it right, never do it again. 

Of course it's your health, so ultimately it's about what you can handle and the risks you are willing to take. If it gets to be too much, try the steriods. Regardless, hope you recover soo

[catfeeder]

I know quite a few people who have had a single steroid shot and were able to build supporting musculature to avoid a need for further shots down the road.

 The key word in that warning was ‘eventual’, and my interpretation would be repeated use as your only source of treatment.

[yogacat]

On 6/23/2024 at 12:54 PM, ShySoul said:

LA? Try growing up walking around San Francisco. There's hills everywhere (ovet 40 to over 70 depending on the source).

San Francisco hills are no joke. I lived there when I was younger. Of course, when you're a child everything seems fun. It's only as you get older you think "that walk is going to be rough."🤪

I find San Fran hills more steep in terms of incline, but shorter, whereas some of the hills in LA are long but more gradual. 

Good for the burn!

Well...not so much in my case. 😂

[Vesna]

Have you already tried muscle relaxants? I take Zanaflex (Tizanidine) 4 mg. They can make me sleepy but they are scored two ways so I take the whole pill before bedtime as needed, and cut it in half or even in fourths during the day. I have a very long history of back problems. Presently I have two broken rods in my back from a surgery done in 2007.  Cant do anything about it though because I have other health issues.  Steroids used to help me but they lost their effect over time. Now I get RFA’s done- Radio Frequency Ablations. These are for my SI Joint, but they can be done for many different kinds of back issues and other health issues as well. These help quite a bit and last over a year for me. Good Luck! …Vesna
 

 

 

[TeeDee]

From what I understand, long term, repeated use of steroids can cause problems but so can anything.  One or two doses to facilitate healing should be fine. 

Discuss your concerns & what the acupuncturist told you with your doctor.  Ask the doctor or the pharmacist for learned treatises or other scholarly works about the steroids genuinely informed.  Do not simply rely on anecdotal info or the internet.  

[Seraphim]

2 hours ago, TeeDee said:

From what I understand, long term, repeated use of steroids can cause problems but so can anything.  One or two doses to facilitate healing should be fine. 

Discuss your concerns & what the acupuncturist told you with your doctor.  Ask the doctor or the pharmacist for learned treatises or other scholarly works about the steroids genuinely informed.  Do not simply rely on anecdotal info or the internet.  

I agree. I have had 4 short term courses of steroids over the years for asthma and sciatica. It reduces inflammation enough to heal and get in the exercise needed. 
 

I would ask your doctor for exercises for sciatica it really helps . Mine is totally gone today after exercises the other night . 

[yogacat]

This has been immensely helpful.

And yes, back injuries suck!! 🥰

I recall one time, I did chaturanga during Yoga an impinged both my shoulders. I was walking around like a mummy wrapped in bandages. 😩 Not sure which was worse. Probably the shoulder injury.

Just having read a few case studies and hearing from you fine folks, I think a steroid shot for inflammation if done 1-2 a year might not be that terrible... so long as 1) not used as substitutes for proper PT 2) done in moderation and 3) exercised are done year round.

I'll never say don't do it ever but just it's important to note that it won't (and shouldn't) replace proper treatment at least speaking for myself. That's what I hope to avoid. I don't want to get the injection and be like, "wohoo I'm cured!"

Thanks again for all the insights.

[Seraphim]

I never got shots. Just a 7 day course of pills .