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This is a question from a male friend. He has been going to doctors about spinal disc problems. Dr. A suggested sedation and injection of cortisone to reduce inflammation. If that doesn't work have spaces put in.   Dr.B was recommended  and someone told him to go see Dr. B @maskaras and get a special gel injected into space.

Anyone have any of these treatments or different ones that might help spinal disc compression?

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Cortisone is ‘nasty’ stuff but has been used for decades by orthopedic docs as a ‘first try’ at some relief. It addresses pain and inflammation and if that is what there is, it can work but it is not guaranteed. It has never worked for me. If it doesn’t work the first time I would NOT do it again if that is recommended.  The immediate relief from pain is not the cortisone but a local anesthetic that is always given ‘with’ the steroid shot. If it’s going to work it will take a few days to a week to start relieving whatever is wrong.

In some cases a compressed disk.... the disk itself can sometimes with age begin to ‘crumble’. That can often be ‘corrected’ with a gel injected into the disk. It has the effect of ‘pumping up’ the damaged disk and relieving pressure on a nerve maybe. It solidifies and often the symptoms (spelled pain!) of the crumbled/compressed disk are fixed. My FIL (97) had this done this year and his pain was reduced by a significant %. This was done out-patient by a pain doc in Florida. 

I do not know what “spaces put in” might mean.....

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If it's a case of the main nerve being pinched, it will often cause a leg to "collapse",  with the result being a involuntary fall. An MRI will show if that's the case.  The least invasive permanent "fix" is vertebroplasty (Google-able), in which a (very expensive) medical cement in inserted into the damaged disc.  Function restored.  For some reason, most orthopedic surgeons do not even mention this option and they tend to offer full spinal fusion instead.  That has uncertain results, and it is not only very expensive but requires months of rehab.  I suggest anyone with spinal problems get a second opinion from a neurosurgeon before having surgery.

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Sometimes you meet the most interesting people. Met a young man at the hospital urologists, his father had his prostate gland removed, and he was there (waiting - as usual) to change this bags. Anyways, an intense young man, very dedicated to his work, which was with a Guadalajara stem cell lab, he mentioned that he delivered live stem cells to a Dra. Elizabeth in Chapala/Ajijic, and she had recorded some very positive results on spinal injuries and stem cell treatment.

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Here is another article about relieving chronic back pain. I can say that there is something in this. Modifying posture and body movements to a more natural state has made my sciatica "cured" and no more sore backs. Losing weight is also important of course, also wearing your orthotic footpads. I wish there was a local kineasiologist who could analyse your posture and gait - but my doctor does not know of one.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-different-way-to-relieve-years-of-back-pain/2018/09/27/f3e663f4-b505-11e8-a2c5-3187f427e253_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a68255f56cb1

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Chilllin:   I would describe him in his late 40s.  From my perspective he is indeed “youngish”.  He is a big, strong man who had no trouble in tossing my dead weight around.  I have no idea as to whether or not he boxes.  If I remember correctly he is also from Spain.  

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Before trying any physical therapy program, it would be wise to invest in the very unpleasant  and expensive MRI procedure to find out what is really wrong with your back.  If it's ruptured discs, it is unlikely than any type of physical therapy is going to cure the condition and it could might make it worse.

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Is your friend lifting weights or lifting heavy objects daily? Many weight lifters rupture the discs between the vertebrae. The MRI sounds like your best option to find out what is damaged and how bad.  I personally don't like to rely on concocted chemicals to correct my medical conditions. Since the discs are cartilage and humans rarely eat anything cartilage I would eat Knox flavored gelatin everyday  to replace the cartilage if I had that problem. That same cartilage is at every joint in our body and if I have pain at the joints I eat Knox gelatin also. I am not a representative of the Knox Gelatin company. 

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A lot of people have back problems from bad posture, etc..Yes, weight lifters, but also truckdrivers, computer programmers, researchers. They are not kidding around when they equate the health risks of sitting too long as the same as smoking tobacco. You gotta move baby! Now MRI - it was a painless experience for me using the Star Wars grade equipment at the American hospital in Guadalajara, bladder, kidneys and prostate. Cost? 2'500 pesos. Included 4 hours of doctor time, and ambulance to and from the public hospital (General Hospital Occident - supposed to be opening doors on a brand new, already constructed 350 facility this month).-------------------------------------------- But will probably wait for AMLO,s debut in December.

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