Back problems and inversion

[kitelights]

I've suffered from lower back problems over a long period of time, starting in my early 20s. Early on, they were occasional, and most often, not severe. I have consulted Chiropractors, Osteopaths, Orthopods and Neurosurgeons. I was on anti inflammatory drugs for a few years that were effective and then stopped them, did well for awhile, and then had a major episode.

A neurosurgeon said that I had to have surgery quickly to avoid irreversible nerve damage and I got a second opinion from an Orthopedic surgeon.

While I was waiting for scheduled surgery, I had several members from my church come to my house and pray for me. After the prayer session, I had complete return of my previously absent ankle jerk (reflex) and quite a bit of strength to toe raises that were also absent as well as relief from pain.

I didn't have surgery (the physical findings are documented in my medical records, although the doctor noted that the patient 'denies presence of pain.) Let me assure you that I am not macho and if I'm in pain, others will know.

I enjoyed another 10 years or so of relatively good back health with only occasional problems and several of those years involved consistent, strenuous, heavy work. I was in the wood stove industry and did service work for several years, servicing and installing wood stoves and a few years of theater work, building sets, etc.

I had a major setback about 10-12 years ago and didn't respond to conservative treatment (Osteopath) and had a MRI which revealed several herniated and fragmented disks. I had a couple of epidurals that were effective for pain for the most part as long as I didn't do anything physical.

Recognizing my limitations and changing my lifestyle, I was able to enjoy more time without problems than with for a few years, but that started to reverse and in the last year or two, it has progressed to consistent, debilitating pain. I've been told that I'm now also dealing with the onset of arthritis.

I won't get into what has happened to my business, finances and mental health, but out of desperation and after a great deal of research, I decided to try the use of an inversion table. The results have been almost miraculous.

'Back problems' are very subjective, which is why I listed so much of my history in detail for you to draw your own conclusions.

My research led me to a Teeter Hang Ups product. I noticed some 'results' almost immediately, with definite improvement in a 3-4 day period. After about a week, I was pain free getting in and out of cars and chairs and while sleeping. I was to a point that while I was sleeping, it was so painful to turn in my sleep, I would wake up. I had become conditioned to waking when I needed to turn over to attempt to minimize the pain when I moved. I still am 'conditioned' to wake up because it's been going on for such a long time and I'm still amazed that I don't have pain when I turn over or move.

I had some pain (burning) in my lower back for the first 1-3 weeks while inverting that gradually got better and is now gone. I am not completely pain free in everything, but have at least a 70% improvement. The results are not permanent, at least not yet for me. I invert 1-4 times a day and actually look forward to it. I try to invert before any activities and if I'm in a rush I may get only 3-4 minutes in. Most of my sessions upside down are about 6 minutes and almost never more than 10 minutes.

They recommend gradual angles of inversion and gradually increasing the time. I had to get clearance from my cardiologist (4 stents and high blood pressure controlled by meds) and I had to push to get it. The normal response from the office was not to recommend it for cardiac patients. There are some contraindications, so you may have to get clearance if you have medical conditions.

I was fortunate to require very little time to acclimate to inversion. It could be my lower blood pressure (medication), but I was able to go to full inversion within 2 days and started out at 2-3 minutes. They say that you receive the full benefits of inversion at 60° (which is 60% of your body weight), but you can do much more when completely inverted. I think that my good fortune to adjust quickly aided in my dramatic results in such a short period of time. If it takes you 3-4 weeks to adjust to 60-100% inversion and 5+ minutes, it will likely take you longer to realize results.

I sat out one day that I had a bad headache. Another day I had a slight headache and inverted once late in the day to see if it would make the headache worse and it did not. I need to experiment more to know what works and what doesn't.

Some info for those of you with back problems. My research and personal experience has shown that sitting is about the worst thing that you can do for a bad back. I've known that driving was, but I thought that was due to the 'bouncing' (compressing your spine) experienced while driving. Even while lying down, your back still experiences 25% compression. It requires 60% of your body weight to completely decompress your spine.

For those of you that are into spinal manipulation, I often feel my own spine 'crack' into 'alignment' while inverted.

I shared my results with my pharmacist that I'm very friendly with and he told me that he's been using an version table for years for his neck. He says one minute a day does it for him.

YMMV, but I wanted to share my 'miracle' with others that may benefit. This has truly been a life changer for me. Inversion is not the new age snake oil that I suspected that it might be. There are many more claims of benefits from inversion, such as increased blood flow to the head, that I can't speak for or against. Do your own research.

If this is a serious issue for you, feel free to contact me if I can answer questions for you. Email in my profile is best. I'm not around as often as I used to be, although I will try to monitor this thread for a while. I do not sell or represent these products in any way, just sharing my personal experience.

 

[jtr1962]

Thank you for sharing your experiences. My mom has had ongoing pain in her legs which may be related to scoliosis and a herniated disk. I saw the commercial for Teeter Hang-Ups on TV and suggested that might help but she is reluctant to even consider it. Maybe if I let her read about your experience she'll think about it. It can't hurt, and it may even help.

Also, don't overlook diet factors as this can be another cause of pain and inflammation. For example, here was my own experience using vitamin B12 several years ago. Recently, I've tried to cut out as much high-fructose corn syrup from my diet as possible, and have also reduced my intake of nightshade vegetables. I'm not sure yet if the effect is positive, but recurrent pain in one of my toes seems to be a little less.

Anyway, thanks for the detailed information! :twothumbs Hopefully some will be helped by it.

 

[LuxLuthor]

kitelights, fascinating, detailed, and very useful experience you described. Thanks for how you shared it. I think I might try the Teeter, as I used another inversion system with clamp on boots many years ago, and loved it.

 

[Toohotruk]

Very interesting! I too have suffered for almost fifteen years with an injured back. It changed my life (for the worse), more than anything else I have ever experienced. I don't think I have had a single day without pain ever since the injury happened. Add Rheumatoid Arthritis, and at times it's very hard to cope. The back pain dramatically increases during these episodes. As I write this, I am in serious pain, waiting for an anti-inflammatory shot to kick in after a moderate flair up of RA. Thank God for Tramadol!

I have resisted surgery, at the advice of my Rheumatologist, who told me that people with similar injuries often experience a serious increase in pain after surgery, and that it should be considered a last ditch option. I have known several people that have had back surgery, with mixed results...a couple of them told me they wish they hadn't had the surgery, because their quality of life took a dramatic downturn...that's pretty scary to me. I have more than enough pain in my life, without taking such a serious risk.

I have heard about inversion therapy, but haven't really done any research into it...your thread caught my eye. I think I'll have a talk with my doctor at my next appointment, and see if he thinks it could be something worth a closer look, and if there are any risks considering my condition(s).

I hope you continue to improve and I thank you for sharing your story! :thumbsup:

 

[Reaper]

I might have to consider inversion also if the results are good. I've had severe spinal stenosis for roughly 15 years and stenosis of the neck for 8. Throw in burning from diabatic neuropathy, gout, arthritis in shoulder and knees and you have a very unhappy camper.

Been on class II drugs like morphine, methadone, fentayl, oxycontin and others. Didn't like the side-effects at all so stopped.

However I've been using a reasonable, cheap alternative to drugs without their side-effects for awhile now. I've gone back to the benefits of using Marijuana either of the edibles or tincture variety.

 

[kitelights]

kitelights, fascinating, detailed, and very useful experience you described. Thanks for how you shared it. I think I might try the Teeter, as I used another inversion system with clamp on boots many years ago, and loved it.

I didn't mention it, but I used them, too (more than 25 years ago). They were loaned to me. I was 30-40 lbs lighter, too. I had the unfortunate experience of unexpected pain one day while I was inverted and at home alone. I was quite frightened about how I was going to get down. I didn't stick with it because of that scare.

The tables were born because of experiences like mine and people that just aren't in good enough shape to use boots with a doorway bar. The 'boots' are still the most comfortable on your feet and ankles and are still available. They are also available for use with two of the Teeter tables, the 550 and the 850. The 550 is available in a Sport version which includes the boots and a conversion bar to add to the table. The 950 cannot be used with boots.

If you don't go with the Sports version, the 550 from Costco or the 850 from Home Shopping Network are the best deals. If you're a budget kind of person, you may want to check Craigslist, but warranties are not transferable and the Teeter does come with a 5 year warranty. You can also check the 'warehouse' store online at Teeter.

The biggest negative about the table is discomfort of feet and or ankles and the boots take care of that problem. I didn't go with the boots because I couldn't afford them and I wasn't even sure that I would get any results from inversion at the time.

I still have the option of adding them later and may do so, but I'm doing OK with just the table. I've experimented and have found that a mid high lightweight hiker style shoe with a nice padded tongue is the most comfortable for me, but I also use just a regular pair of cross trainers. Hanging doesn't create a problem for me, but I'm careful when I do full twists while hanging. That can create some discomfort on the tops of my feet and I'm sure that the 20-30 lbs that I need to loose doesn't help.

That's another compounded issue with back problems - weight gain. The constant pain made me less active and less motivated to exercise and quickly leads to weight gain which compounds back pain. I just started walking again and plan to loose 20-25 pounds. I'm down about 5-7 lbs in the 5 weeks that I've been inverting. I do crunches in moderation while inverting (left, right and front - two sets of 5 for each position, holding the last one of each for a 5 count).

Very interesting! I too have suffered for almost fifteen years with an injured back. It changed my life (for the worse), more than anything else I have ever experienced. I don't think I have had a single day without pain ever since the injury happened. Add Rheumatoid Arthritis, and at times it's very hard to cope. The back pain dramatically increases during these episodes. As I write this, I am in serious pain, waiting for an anti-inflammatory shot to kick in after a moderate flair up of RA. Thank God for Tramadol!

I have resisted surgery, at the advice of my Rheumatologist, who told me that people with similar injuries often experience a serious increase in pain after surgery, and that it should be considered a last ditch option. I have known several people that have had back surgery, with mixed results...a couple of them told me they wish they hadn't had the surgery, because their quality of life took a dramatic downturn...that's pretty scary to me. I have more than enough pain in my life, without taking such a serious risk.

I have heard about inversion therapy, but haven't really done any research into it...your thread caught my eye. I think I'll have a talk with my doctor at my next appointment, and see if he thinks it could be something worth a closer look, and if there are any risks considering my condition(s).

I hope you continue to improve and I thank you for sharing your story! :thumbsup:

Tramadol didn't do it for me. It helped with some knee and elbow problems, but not my back. I had prostate surgery over a year ago and was on the heavy duty stuff for several months and that was the only time my back was pain free.

I asked an Ortho about inversion and he laughed. Asked an Osteopath (my favorite choice for my back) and he claimed a lack of knowledge about them.

I researched decompression therapy (which is another option for you) but I couldn't afford it. There are two basic choices with decompression - one simply has more complex equipment to control and monitor the pull. Both have the benefit of decompressing your spine while lying flat, rather than inverting if inverting is an issue for you and it is for some people and also the benefit of being under the care of a professional.

Most often decompression therapy is offered by Chiropractors, but if you search you can find some Neuros and Orthos that do. I have mixed feelings about Chiros. Like car mechanics, it can be difficult to find a good one, although there are 1000s of them out there. I think that too may of them are a bit too zealous about their services. Osteopaths are my favorite - they are actual MDs that utilize the manipulation therapies that Chiros use when it is appropriate.

The more complicated decompression claims to not only decompress the spine, but to actually create a negative pressure on the disks that can actually 'suck in' expelled nucleus pulposus (disk fluid) from ruptured disks and the protruding bulges on herniated disks.

My research on decompression therapy is what made me finally decide to try inversion. Inversion while not as 'powerful' as Decompression Therapy has some benefits over DT if inverting is not an issue. Your spine actually falls into it's proper natural position and realigns itself while inverting.

The first benefit that I noticed from inversion even while I still had pain was that I was standing straighter than I had been in years and I had an instantly expanded range of motion again (able to tie shoes, bend in the shower, etc.)

I would advise finding a local retailer that sells inversion tables and to try one before making a purchase.

 

[McGizmo]

I picked up a teeter at the end of last year because I have some lower back problems at times. When it arrived I found I couldn't get comfortable with it because I was having a serious bout with sinus and ear problems and the pain and discomfort as soon as my head was lower than the rest of my body was just not worth putting up with. Once the sinus problem lessened, I was able to go for full inversion and I always feel better after a "stretch". I should use it daily but then there are a lot of things I should do on a daily basis....

I think inversion makes sense and the actual experience supports the perception of benefit if nothing else! :thumbsup:

My wife got into rebounding last year and I also bought a rebounder for her when she is here as well as for myself. I am also convinced that spending 10 - 20 minutes a day bouncing on a rebounder has benefit. On a good day, I will bounce and then relax on the inversion table. Probably not a good idea if you have any serious back problems but it certainly beats doing nothing if you have the health to do more than nothing!

 

[kitelights]

I might have to consider inversion also if the results are good. I've had severe spinal stenosis for roughly 15 years and stenosis of the neck for 8. Throw in burning from diabatic neuropathy, gout, arthritis in shoulder and knees and you have a very unhappy camper.

Been on class II drugs like morphine, methadone, fentayl, oxycontin and others. Didn't like the side-effects at all so stopped.

However I've been using a reasonable, cheap alternative to drugs without their side-effects for awhile now. I've gone back to the benefits of using Marijuana either of the edibles or tincture variety.

I'm expecting continued improvement, but if my progress has peaked, I'm more than overjoyed with my present relief. I can't say it strongly enough - this has been a life changer for me.

I did the Oxy and Hydro thing after surgery for about 5 months (PRN) and I was so frightened about the addiction stories that the fear of it kept me from having any problems with it. Being 'out of it' while taking the stuff wasn't an issue for me. Enduring the pain just wasn't an option - it was much too severe.

That's a funny thing about pain. Whatever hurts the most is what gets your attention.

Not an MJ kind of guy, and I've always been anti the whole drug culture, but my personal experiences in the last few years have made me much more accepting of those that need medical MJ.

 

[kitelights]

Hi Don-
I wasn't familiar with rebounding and just did a quick Google. Like you said, probably not good for those that already have compression issues. Interestingly, some of the same benefits claimed are claimed to be achieved through inversion also. One method is by 'pumping' the disks by teetering back and forth on the table thereby pumping toxins out and drawing fluid in to hydrate them. This is done w/o increasing pressure on the disks to the extent that rebounding does. Looks like many good benefits from rebounding including the obvious cardio.

Sorry about your bad start on the Teeter. I've got sinus issues, too, but I've benefited from inversion. It seems that inversion causes my sinuses to pool to the 'top' of my sinuses (the bottom while inverted) and makes it easy for me to empty them when I finish inversion.

I don't doubt that the perceived benefits are beneficial. I think they were instrumental in getting me started, but the actual benefits that I've experienced are very real. I can't stress enough how much of a life changing experience this is for me.

I suspect that those w/o problems like pain would not notice as much obvious benefit as those like myself who have had drastic relief of pain and about 50% increase in motion and flexibility.

 

[Toohotruk]

Tramadol is a hit and miss thing with me...works better some days than others, but even on the best days, it merely takes the edge off.. Definitely better than nothing, at least for me. Lortab and the heavier stuff tends to make me nauseated, plus it's not all that easy to come by for me...I'm not into doctor shopping just to get drugs. There are a LOT of days I wish I had something stronger than Tram, but when it's not available, there isn't too much I can do about it, but take an extra pill or two.

MJ doesn't seem to help much, in fact, sometimes it makes me feel all the aches and pains all over my body even more so, kind of weird.

I definitely have sympathy for anyone with back pain. :shakehead

 

[Apollo Cree]

Sometimes changing your work chair and/or the chair you spend a lot of time in can work wonders. In my case, it wasn't a special "back" chair that did the trick. I got a high wide back chair for work that I could slightly lean back in all the time, digging my shoulder blades into the chair and supporting my whole back. I did a slight mechanical mod such that it only leaned back a little.

At home, getting the proper recliner where my back rests easy also helped.

 

[DoctaDink]

Another variation on spinal traction is through unloading on a treadmill. The "patient" is placed in a harness and an hydraulic device lifts the patient partially (often around -40 lbs.) and then they walk partially suspended on a treadmill. It is thought that the natural walking motion helps to relax the muscle spasms, improve tissue nutrition, reduce nerve root compression, etc.
I've seen it help many people.
The downside is that it is not convenient, and is bulky and in most cases requires a therapist.

eg:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1318357/

 

[kitelights]

Another variation on spinal traction is through unloading on a treadmill. The "patient" is placed in a harness and an hydraulic device lifts the patient partially (often around -40 lbs.) and then they walk partially suspended on a treadmill. It is thought that the natural walking motion helps to relax the muscle spasms, improve tissue nutrition, reduce nerve root compression, etc.
I've seen it help many people.
The downside is that it is not convenient, and is bulky and in most cases requires a therapist.

eg:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1318357/

Very interesting. It appears that the main advantage of this therapy is the continued ability to stay in shape when recovering.

I recently saw another blurb on a new technology that almost mimics weightlessness and allows spinal cord injured patients to 'walk' on a 'treadmill.' Similar thinking about the nerves firing and muscles being worked and developed. The thinking is that it may become a 'cure' for cord injuries.

I've looked more at Don's 'rebounding' and this is becoming more and more interesting. The better units that use bands instead of springs claim to create less impact than walking and the benefits appear to be much better than walking. The activity itself is much more interesting and challenging than walking, requires a smaller period of time, and not subject to bad weather. I wish I could afford to try it.

Apollo, I've been pretty much living in a recliner. Less now that I can get around w/o pain. Prior to inversion I found my office chair to be fairly comfortable and I've spent hours in it on my computer. Now, I'm not comfortable in it and can't stay seated for long periods.

My best guess is that now that I'm much closer to pain free while standing and walking, sitting exacerbates what's left of my problems. I was so uncomfortable constantly before inversion that sitting offered some relief. Hopefully as I continue inversion, walking and building up my core, the sitting issue will improve, too.

I've been suffering with this for so long, that pain has become an accepted part of my life. Quality has been determined by 'how much' for today or now when I want to do something. I still have pain, but it's so decreased that my perception is that I'm pain free comparing it to where I was.

If someone had not dealt with severe back and was suffering with my level of pain now, they'd probably still be pretty bummed out. I guess it's a matter of perception. I'm pretty psyched about my condition now.

 

[Toohotruk]

It is amazing how "used" to pain you become. It becomes such a persistent part of your life, that you accept it and on better days don't really think about it much...but it's always there. Once in a great while, I'll have a day where I feel pretty good, and my back pain seems minor, but one wrong move and I'm instantly reminded that my constant unwanted companion is alive and well, and more than willing to give me a jolt get my quick attention.

I can now understand why people commit suicide due to back pain...a guy I went to high school with did it years ago, leaving a note explaining his decision. Pretty sad, he was a great guy. I could never do something like that to my family, but I can sure understand it. :sigh:

 

[powernoodle]

Kite (and others):

Please watch this video from ABC's 20/20, and then spend $15 on John Sarno's book "Healing Back Pain". Your time and money well spent. At worst, this approach is completely harmless, but I have found it highly effective - in fact miraculous.

:twothumbs

 

[CLHC]

'Back problems' are very subjective. . .

My research led me to a Teeter Hang Ups product. I noticed some 'results' almost immediately, with definite improvement in a 3-4 day period. After about a week, I was pain free getting in and out of cars and chairs and while sleeping.

Similar but not to the point of surgery in my case. The HangUps was recommended to me by friends of mine who let me try theirs before I bought mine. I was paying $75 per visit to a chiropractor who I saw three (3) times a week when I lived in San Jose. After trying the HangUps, the pain (and yes pain it was!) on my right side lower back and groin and hip did go away. Till this day no pain there! I started that inversion in 1999.

Take care and Good Health to You!

 

[jtr1962]

It is amazing how "used" to pain you become. It becomes such a persistent part of your life, that you accept it and on better days don't really think about it much...but it's always there. Once in a great while, I'll have a day where I feel pretty good, and my back pain seems minor, but one wrong move and I'm instantly reminded that my constant unwanted companion is alive and well, and more than willing to give me a jolt get my quick attention.

I can now understand why people commit suicide due to back pain...a guy I went to high school with did it years ago, leaving a note explaining his decision. Pretty sad, he was a great guy. I could never do something like that to my family, but I can sure understand it. :sigh:

Yep, this is something both my mom and me can relate to. I've become so used to pain in my hands from CTS that it just fades into the background until it gets so extreme I just can't move any more. That explains my long posts here. I'll type until I just physically can't any more. And I probably make my hands worse in the process. Add in the pain in one of my toes, sometimes a severe throbbing pain. And yet I'll just get used to it to the point I walk along at a fast clip, at least until the rest of my feet ache.

It really is truly amazing the levels of chronic pain people can learn to deal with. It's a good thing in that it allows some semblance of functionality despite injury. It's bad as it often allows the injury to become worse. Most of the nerves in my mom's hands are gone now. I'm probably not far behind ( I can hardly feel in the fingers on my right hand, the left isn't much better ).

 

[gadget_lover]

I can fully relate to Kitelight's pain and his joy at finding relief. I lost a year to back pain, unable to sit in a car long enough to go anywhere, unable to sit in a chair, etc. A nerve pinched between a bulge in a disk and a bone in my spinal column was the culprit. Constant pain colors every aspect of your life.

The best treatment depends on the exact source of the pain. With the modern miracle of high resolution MRI they can actually see the disks and all surrounding tissues and bones. They can see where the nerve is being crushed, and they can tailor treatment accordingly.

In my case, the bulge hit the nerve when I leaned forward (as in getting into a car) or when my spine flattened as when I was laying down. Others would, of course, have different restrictions.

I bring all this up to get to the following point. If the pain <i>increases</i> when you do the inversion, your injury might not be caused by spinal compression but by muscular or bone entrapment. If that's the case, other options might be needed.

If you start the inversion therapy and anything starts to go numb, you should abandon it. My Dr said that was a sign the nerves were being damaged. Too much damage and they do not recover. Ever.

Totally off topic: in a case like mine they have out-patient surgery available where they can shave off the bulge and snip out the offending bone. Microdiscectomy. I went in barely able to move and walked out pain free. I had a hole the size of a quarter in my back, but my legs and hips were pain free for the first time in years.

Daniel

 

[kitelights]

Kite (and others):

Please watch this video from ABC's 20/20, and then spend $15 on John Sarno's book "Healing Back Pain". Your time and money well spent. At worst, this approach is completely harmless, but I have found it highly effective - in fact miraculous.
:twothumbs

Halfway through the video, I was thinking 'this doctor is wacko,' but I have a great deal of respect for John Stossel and I remembered that my assessment of you from many other posts is you're one of the normal ones around here. I've ordered the book. BTW, they're available on eBay for as little as $5-6.

I can fully relate to Kitelight's pain and his joy at finding relief. I lost a year to back pain, unable to sit in a car long enough to go anywhere, unable to sit in a chair, etc. A nerve pinched between a bulge in a disk and a bone in my spinal column was the culprit. Constant pain colors every aspect of your life.

The best treatment depends on the exact source of the pain. With the modern miracle of high resolution MRI they can actually see the disks and all surrounding tissues and bones. They can see where the nerve is being crushed, and they can tailor treatment accordingly.

In my case, the bulge hit the nerve when I leaned forward (as in getting into a car) or when my spine flattened as when I was laying down. Others would, of course, have different restrictions.

I bring all this up to get to the following point. If the pain <i>increases</i> when you do the inversion, your injury might not be caused by spinal compression but by muscular or bone entrapment. If that's the case, other options might be needed.

If you start the inversion therapy and anything starts to go numb, you should abandon it. My Dr said that was a sign the nerves were being damaged. Too much damage and they do not recover. Ever.

Totally off topic: in a case like mine they have out-patient surgery available where they can shave off the bulge and snip out the offending bone. Microdiscectomy. I went in barely able to move and walked out pain free. I had a hole the size of a quarter in my back, but my legs and hips were pain free for the first time in years.

Daniel

I agree with everything you said. Teeter is big that this is not a 'no pain - no gain' gig. It should not hurt. If it does - stop and see a doctor.

One comment on the 'location' of the source. Necessary for surgery and usually revealing for treatment, but there are exceptions to that, too. When I received my epiderals, my treatment was for pain on the opposite side of where the MRI showed that I should have had pain. They couldn't explain it, only that it was possibly referred pain, but also no explanation as to why the affected side was not painful.

I did not know that the micro was an outpatient procedure. That's amazing. I do know that it is now being done with with robotics. That's supposed to be even more precise and require an even smaller incision.

 

[gadget_lover]

One comment on the 'location' of the source. Necessary for surgery and usually revealing for treatment, but there are exceptions to that, too. When I received my epiderals, my treatment was for pain on the opposite side of where the MRI showed that I should have had pain. They couldn't explain it, only that it was possibly referred pain, but also no explanation as to why the affected side was not painful.

One of the interesting things about back pain is that the pain is often registered where the nerve ends, not necessarily where it's damaged. A pinched nerve where my neck meets the shoulders caused a numb hand and constant aching in my forearm. A nerve impinged at the base of my spine caused pain in my lower leg and hip. It's possible that there is more than one injury site involved.

I did not know that the micro was an outpatient procedure. That's amazing. I do know that it is now being done with with robotics. That's supposed to be even more precise and require an even smaller incision.

There was a DiVinci robot there, but the surgery was manual. The skill lies in managing to work in the small area without hitting a nerve. For the lumbar area, the micro does not involve cutting muscles or tendons, so the recovery time is minimal.

Daniel