[OBXDave]

Hi everyone. Well, here’s my overly longwinded story. Have always been athletic and also a building do-it-yourselfer. Both have gotten me in trouble. Minor disc bulge episodes in my early 20’s leads to a full L3-4 rupture at age 27 in 1986 while skiing. Laminectomy was successful and after a few months I returned to normal activities. Running/skiing/soccer replaced by lower impact windsurfing/swimming/biking. Always maintained reasonably good core strength and aerobic conditioning but of course not like I was 18.

Made it about 11 years until the lower back really started acting up again. New back symptoms were different. No disc bulge symptoms this time, rather vertebrae instabililty. My back would be fine one minute and give out the next, curving to one side (like someone who has scoliosis) when I tried to stand. No radiating leg pain, but rather an inability to literally support my upper torso. MRI’s show DDD at L3-4 and L4-5 but nothing pushing up on nerves. Doctor’s were not optimistic about more surgery but one suggested trying prolotherapy as a more conservative option.

Received 5 prolo treatments from Dr. Hauser (www.caringmedical.com) in Chicago around 2000 and they provided amazing results for the symptoms I had at the time. Prolotherapy is nothing more than an injected irritant to stimulate ligament/tendon strengthening using the body’s own immune system. Again, this didn’t return me to age 18, but allowed me to get back to most of my activities. Went another successful 9 years.

In 2009 I started to have new back episodes. Not exactly disc bugle, and not exactly ligament laxity. I went for more prolo treatments but they were having a reduced effect. Two prolo treatments last fall might have even pushed me back a few steps.

Currently walking and have no radiating pain but also no ability to lift much, bend forward, or do anything like swim-bike-run-kiteboard without plenty of irritation-weakness-pain. Too much of a good thing with the prolo (zero flexibility)? Continued DDD progression causing other issues? The 2 prolo treatments last fall were only on the right side so maybe they created a mechanical imbalance? No idea, went in for an updated MRI (attached) and x-rays (have previous MRI’s from 2000 and 1993) and will send them out to Boeree and Clavel as well as see someone locally in the Norfolk area next week to discuss and maybe look into a discogram (even that seems pretty intimidating).

Still working with my Prolotheripist and will give it more time, but we are running out of options and I would like to at least consider other options. Realize I might need to tone down the activity expectations no matter what route I take. Still want to be able to swim, bike, boat, etc. Not sure if I’ll be a reasonable candidate for ADR (or other options) or whether all the prior prolo treatments will complicate things (bigger distraction pain?). On the plus side still in good health, 180# at 6 ft, never taken any pain meds other than just after the 1986 surgery.

Amazed/inspired by the brave souls here who have gone the ADR route. Also seems strange that I would consider this if I am not currently grimmicing in pain (I likely would be if I increased the activity level much beyond walking). I do have the benefit of being an early retiree so no work-activity pressure other than the type A syndrome, and insurance coverage is not the primary concern, though it sure would be nice. My part time retirement playjob was kiteboard instructor before the back went south. Attached a couple of homemade waterplay vids I made with my 2 daughters the last couple of summers. Cheers and thanks for reading!
Summer2011B - YouTube
Latest10 2010E - YouTube