money no object fix a back

[petemurphy]

out of interest if money was no object where would the best place in the country be to get a bad back diagnosed and fixed? where is the ultimate check up facility?

thanks

[fridaypassion]

Mri from Spire or whoever would be a start I guess. You need to find what the issue is then get looking for a specialist. I'm still paying the price for going with a general orthopaedic surgeon when I should have sought out a "knee guy" the general surgeon was scarily clueless with my condition.

[Phooey]

Probably a difficult question to answer with so little to go on on a forum but for starters I would find a well-recommend neurosurgeon, assuming you've already tried non-surgical methods like physio etc with little relief. As a last resort it might be a spinal surgeon is what you need for *your* issue but I think I would be tempted by knocking on the door of a neurosurgeon first..

[danb79]

petemurphy said:

out of interest if money was no object where would the best place in the country be to get a bad back diagnosed and fixed? where is the ultimate check up facility?

thanks

What are the specific issues and have osteopaths / sport's physio's been seen etc etc etc?

[petemurphy]

danb79 said:

What are the specific issues and have osteopaths / sport's physio's been seen etc etc etc?

From a car crash years ago but not sure if totally that or something else. Had pain all my life but becoming unbearable now. Can’t afford unlimited but would pay a lot for it to be better

[Phooey]

petemurphy said:

From a car crash years ago but not sure if totally that or something else. Had pain all my life but becoming unbearable now. Can t afford unlimited but would pay a lot for it to be better

In that case you need to see a specialist (I still think neurosurgeon but can't recommend one unfortunately) who can do tests / MRI's etc. The spine is a very complex mechanism and not always repairable without doing further damage down the years. Back issues can become a life sentence, ask me how I know..

[danb79]

petemurphy said:

danb79 said:

What are the specific issues and have osteopaths / sport's physio's been seen etc etc etc?

From a car crash years ago but not sure if totally that or something else. Had pain all my life but becoming unbearable now. Can t afford unlimited but would pay a lot for it to be better

I would absolutely seek out a good osteo and sports physio first before looking at private consultants/surgery etc - if you do see these and they can suss out what maybe the issue and they feel they can't sort it themselves; they'll be able to refer you to the right people

A friend of mine years ago damaged his L5 and C5/6 in a bad rugby tackle; compressed his neck and he got kneed in the lower back at the same time; we thought he'd broken his back; but it was impinged nerves and a ruptured facet joint, pressing hard on a disc (IIRC)

He had been to see loads of different folks via the NHS and private healthcare; a lot wanted to cut him open and he wasn't a fan of that route at all...

I referred him to the osteo I know very well and a very well respected sports physio here in Preston who looked after the UK Commonwealth team as well as the England Rugby team and they both sorted him within 6 months

Manipulation, acupuncture, various exercises, some stress treatment (as in pulling apart to aid releasing etc) and he's absolutely fine now. He does have scar tissue around his L5 and that'll never go... But the constant pain, neck and shoulder pain, headaches and mid back pain he used to have never comes back now!

[ALawson]

Professor Adrian Wilson sorted my knee out a few years ago and we keep in touch normally when I need a name to go and see (recently this was for a shoulder dislocation and gel lid fracture).

When I asked for a colleague who had a back issue and was also a heart transplant patient he recommended Mo Akmal.

I think this is website.


https://www.londonspine.com/about-us/mr-mo-akmal-b...

[Jack ketch]

From my experience; MRI. Gives the professionals an insight into the ‘problem’. I was lucky, although damaged discs, physio and actually doing the recommended exercises I was able to achieve complete recovery after around 9 months. It was a long process but worked, for me. I was told to look at surgery as an absolute last resort.

[Panamax]

Jack ketch said:

From my experience; MRI. Gives the professionals an insight into the problem . I was lucky, although damaged discs, physio and actually doing the recommended exercises I was able to achieve complete recovery after around 9 months. It was a long process but worked, for me. I was told to look at surgery as an absolute last resort.

^^^ This, this and this.

Money won't fix it. Decent MRI tells them if you need emergency surgery but it doesn't tell them anything else. The medics know the people who need emergency surgery because they can barely walk into the room. They also say that if NHS makes the waiting list long enough people get better on their own. Uncomfortable thoughts.

After seeing three specialists, physio and self-help were the way for me. Get a decent physio and check out this excellent book by Robin McKenzie,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Treat-Your-Back-Robin-McK...

[gangzoom]

Panamax said:

Money won't fix it.

Money in healthcare can get you access to faster diagnostics, but rarely can get you any thing else.

Healthcare is limited by biology (at present), and no amount of money can change biology (at present).

[Bill]

Panamax said:

Decent MRI tells them if you need emergency surgery but it doesn't tell them anything else.

Ish. Combined with an examination it can help find a target for intervention but it is far from perfect. In studies of people with no pain MRI shows disc bulges, degeneration etc in about 1/3 of people, and a similar proportion of people with pain have nothing significant found.

Surgery/intervention for mechanical back pain is very much the last resort. If you have leg pain then there are more options, and acute cauda equina syndrome is an emergency.

Edited by Bill on Monday 26th January 07:40

[peekay74]

A tricky one and finding the cause is difficult. I had numerous MRI’s to be told ‘nothing too bad’, made me feel like I was making it up and on a path to despair. Then had what I think was called an inflexion MRI - pretty uncomfortable bent over in awkward (painful for back) position but highlighted the disc that was bulging when I was ‘bent’. This enabled specific exercises, focussed rehab, physio to that area which really helped. Don’t eradicate back pain but made me able to move. I was told I would likely need a fusion in lower spine but really didn’t want to do it then as I was only mid-30’s. Early 50’s now and back ‘ok’. I know what triggers it and know that when I drop off exercises pain comes back. Unfortunately don’t think there is a golden bullet - you need to find a path that works for you specifically. I also used to spend 10-12 hrs a day at a desk and when I was able to reduce that the gains were enormous - sitting definitely a killer !
All obvious stuff I know but it is a number of little changes that creates (for me) a significant result/change

[Berocca]

I had surgery (after trying all sorts of physio etc.), with some complications to say the least. That said, all perfect now, but was a tough year.
Happy to discuss details offline if it helps, as rather not get into all of them on here.

[Peterpetrole]

Fair chance you might not need to spend anything, Dr Eric Goodman is the Boss for this sort of thing, does take 14 minutes of effort 3 times a week:

[petemurphy]

Thanks all am at work will reply later but all useful

[DT1975]

Having gone through several back surgeries please consider surgery as an absolute last resort. Best of luck.

[phil1979]

Where in the UK are you, Pete?

[Johnniem]

A bit 'left field' answer but have you ever asked a surgeon to check your leg lengths against each other? I ask this as I suffered from lower back issues from the age of 21 (I'm now 65). Three years ago I had a hip replacement. The surgeon at London Bridge hospital said that once I was recovered from the hip replacement, my back problem would be gone as he would be realigning my leg length with the prosthesis he was using on my hip. Three years later and no sign of a lower back issue at all. Just gone! It may be worth going down this route before spending £££'s on chiropractors, physio or similar.

JM

[petemurphy]

peekay74 said:

A tricky one and finding the cause is difficult. I had numerous MRI s to be told nothing too bad , made me feel like I was making it up and on a path to despair. Then had what I think was called an inflexion MRI - pretty uncomfortable bent over in awkward (painful for back) position but highlighted the disc that was bulging when I was bent . This enabled specific exercises, focussed rehab, physio to that area which really helped. Don t eradicate back pain but made me able to move. I was told I would likely need a fusion in lower spine but really didn t want to do it then as I was only mid-30 s. Early 50 s now and back ok . I know what triggers it and know that when I drop off exercises pain comes back. Unfortunately don t think there is a golden bullet - you need to find a path that works for you specifically. I also used to spend 10-12 hrs a day at a desk and when I was able to reduce that the gains were enormous - sitting definitely a killer !
All obvious stuff I know but it is a number of little changes that creates (for me) a significant result/change

interesting have had an mri before but not one of them thanks