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Graybeard

Distinguished member
Joined
Sep 24, 2014
Messages
440
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
12/2013
Country
US
State
Ca
City
Surf City
Could back pain be related to ALS? I wrenched my spine in an odd way while crawling over pipes under our old house two years ago, aggravating an old injury that hadn't bothered in many years. The pain started about the time as my appetite loss, and increased as bulbar onset symptoms increased.

MRI showed no space L5-S1, and one neurosurgeon said they were inflamed from being bone on bone. He prescribed heavy doses of Ibuprofen, which I took for a couple of days. Another advanced neurosurgeon recommended only painkillers. A couple of epidurals provided short term relief.

I have no pain sitting, but great pain when I try to stand up straight. I walk like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Can any of you relate to this?
 
Sounds more like an injury to me, but as muscles supporting your back weaken it will mean that injury may cause more problems.
 
My PALS suffered no back pain at any time before or during.

I don't think there's any connection between cell death the UMN in the brain, in the LMN in the brainstem, and herniation of the lumbosacral joint.
 
I think that we are susceptible to nerve damage and injuries when we are still somewhat active. For me walking like Frankenstein has made my hips and knees very sore. And every time I do light manual labor it aggravates old lower back injuries.
I think when as we loose muscle it makes us more prone to injury. Loss of core muscles can wreak havoc on backs, hips, and knees.
 
> ("MRI showed no space L5-S1, and one neurosurgeon said they were inflamed from being bone on bone.")

Graybeard, have they spoke to you of artificial disc replacement? My wife had two replaced and now has a steel rod tying three vertebrae together. Brought great relief to her problem. But, how much you could hold up to the surgery and recovery would need to be discussed.
 
Thanks for the replies. I have related my spinal pain onset to my bulbar onset, as a coincidence, but not sure.

No, Al, painkillers is all they have offered. I don't even ask anymore. I won't take a general pain killer for a specific, localized pain. Pain is a signal. As of last year, Mediscare would not pay for artificial discs. At this point, I think surgery would not be a good option.
 
My husband had severe back pain at the beginning of this journey. He has a lot of spasticity now, so looking back it appears he was experiencing cramps in his back. Also, now his core is very weak, so it could have been weak last year as well, and he just was not yet aware of it. A weak core will usually always cause back pain due to muscle compensation.
 
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