[Stonewall_Boris]

Hi CDW321,


I'll give you info on the prolo as I hope it would work for you as the least intrusive procedure. Of course I'll share my experience with surgery, as many others will here as well. And the forum posters have a lot of very good info.


In 2003 I started having back problems, and I classified it just as that, back problems. From one specialist to another one I went. Xrays, MRI's and CT scans did show significant DDD but nothing specific as to why I was in so much pain. NSAID's didn't help. My rheumatologists started me on gabapentin, some relief, then to Lyrica and amitrypilene, more relief. I spent a lot of time at home sick and ended up researching what could be causing my back problems. Acupuncture helped but didn't last, the same with massage therapy. Somehow I figured needling techniques could work. In December 2005 I got my GP to refer me to the pain clinic and to a private physiatrist, a doctor J.D. Watson in Winnipeg. He was doing prolotherapy, I didn't know much about it other than it was a needling technique and I thought what the heck I'll do this until I can get into the pain clinic.
Despite the fact I thought Dr. Watson was a bit different, he was the best and most understanding doctor I have ever had regarding pain management. According to him, the theory behind prolotherapy is that the ligaments and tendons are so weak that the muscles must kick in to, in my case, support the spine. Since the muscles are always tensed they become overworked and sore. In my case it was my spine but the same is true, I'm told, about other areas in the body. He worked Tuesday to Thursday. I had my first session on a Thursday and was warned it would knock me off my feet, he was right. The one thing that convinced me that this could work was on the Sunday, as I was taking out the garbage, I noticed something completely different, at first I couldn't put my finger on it, then after a while I realized I was not with back pain. It only lasted maybe 30 – 45 minutes but that made up my mind to continue the treatment. He “worked” mostly on my middle to upper back which I think you said is where your pain is.
He started with injecting my with dextrose I believe, less than a year later he started to use sodium morhurate, then something he refereed to as P25G, every solution was a stronger irritant. The last session I had with him he hit me with the hardest thing he had and I walked out like nothing happened. Which is indicative that the treatment is working. The plan was for me to go in for a “tune up” every few months but he moved to Burnaby B.C. so I see another physiatrist at the pain clinic that won't do prolotherapy on me only trigger point treatments.
When I blew a tire in my lower back in 2011, well that's another story.
One more thing if you decide to try prolo. The injections are meant to cause inflammation that the body naturally fights off. High dosages of vitamin C was suggested during treatment. Sometimes the inflammation doesn't calm down. Normally the inflammation should reside in about 4 days but there were times my inflammation went unchecked for more than 4 days. What the doctor told me was yes that can happen, if it happens get back to the doc to hit you with lidocain. Acupuncture and massage therapy can also snap you out of a uncontrolled flare up.