Back Pain in the Slope

My wife has some serious back pain issues and can't seem to find anyone who can help. Doctors, chiropractors, PTs and stretching every night for a year.

Does anyone have any suggestions for the Slope (or other NYC areas) for doctors or therapists who can help and LISTEN concerning back pain?

Maybe there are some gynecologists who can help because of the issue of back pain and childbirth?

Thanks.

Have you tried Rolfing? The message technique, it claims to be a miracle worker. I have back pain too and want to try it, but don't have the money right now.

do you know what's causing the back pain? is there some underlying problem?

she might need an mri.

if it's a bulging or herniated disc, they do great things with lasers these days. my 75yr old grandfather had some kind of micro laser spinal surgery about 5 years ago and was up and about the next day.

Mamacita: My wife haven't tried Rolfing, but I mentioned it to my wife.

vidro3: The problem is, we don't know if there is an underlying problem. The chiropractor says it is spinal, the PT says it is muscular, and the doctor barely listens, so it is a mess.

my parents are huge fans of rolfing. they are doctors, fwiw, and not otherwise into massage, etc. rolfing is different. my understanding is that rolfing deals more with muscles (and with tough tissue that can cause muscles to no longer slide easily past one another and do their jobs well) than chiropracty (sp?) does. chiropractors are more into bone work, which seems kinda scary to me.

doing a full round of rolfing is expensive, but you can also see a rolfer for fewer sessions to deal with a particular problem. a rolfer (in chicago, or i'd recommend by name) solved the gf's long-time debilitating wrist pain, after she'd seen plenty of docs. we were very impressed.

oh, and chiroprators think basically everything is spinal. it's the basis of their whole understanding of the body. not that they're always wrong, but something to keep in mind.

Sweet tea,

Thank you, I will check out rolfing. Shame that our insurance will probably pay for MRIs and the like, but not rolfing I am sure.

Does anyone know a therapist who does rolfing who is good? I have been to some therapists in the Slope who just aren't that good to be honest, which is why I ask.

Please only list therapists you would recommend, it is my opinion that we shouldn't be listing names in a negative way.

Thanks in advance for all of the helpful responses.

you need to figure out what the problem is first. if your insurance lets you go to a specialist without a referral, go straight to an orthopedist. At the very least they will order an MRI and offer a diagnosis. If you can't go directly to an orthopedist tell your primary care dr that you want a referral, insist on one. bother him till you get one.

then you can decide about rolfing or whatever. most of what i've read after googling rolfing seems to indicate that it's basic quackery/snakeoil.

Vidro,

Thank you, I am not sure if we can go to an orthopedist straight off, but I think so. We have GHI and I can't recall them ever asking us to get a referral to a doctor (for a test, yes).

Thanks again Vidro,

no doubt some rolfers (some chiro's, plenty of back-surgery specialists, etc.) are selling snake oil and some problems would resolve through multiple therapies. in my personal experience, i have seen some great results from rolfing (notably the gf's wrist pain and my father's funky posture and running difficulties, which relate to a congenital foot problem he had many surgeries for as a child). i have no idea who else this would or wouldn't work for, but it definitely did work for those 2. my mother (who is chronically ill and somewhat frail) also thought rolfing was great, but i'm not sure if she saw as dramatic results as those 2.

i don't have any knowledge of local rolfers, but if you want, dexter, i can ask the 2 i trust in other areas if they have recommendations here.

I had a very good experience with New York Physical Rehabilitation and Wellness (www.nyprw.com) - Drs. Antell and Allen and their PT staff really collaborated to diagnose and treat my chronic pain.

Sweet Tea,

Yes, a name would be great! I would really appreciate that.

Dex

Dexter - do you have Aetna health insurance by any chance?

Rather than Rolfing, I can recommend a much less expensive and marvelously effective cure for back pain:

Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by John E. Sarno

It will cost about $12, and will almost certainly cure your wife's back pain, as it cured mine.

fyi, Dr. Sarno was John F. Kennedy's personal physician. He is the farthest thing in the world from a quack.

I wish I had an answer to this, but my husband is in the same situation. he has been to chiros, acupuncturists, massage therapists, regular medical doctors and he is still in tons of pain all the time.

We don't have regular insurance (only hospitalization), so, we can't do certain things that other people can.

Quigly - no, we have ghi, why?

LongTimeSliper and others: Yeah, back pain is a mystery, wrapped in a puzzle, surrounded by, well, you get the point.

Because I know of a fantastic back pain doctor, who has an approach different than chiros, orthopedics, and PTs. He changed my sister's life. Unfortunately he only takes Aetna.

Quigley wrote: Because I know of a fantastic back pain doctor, who has an approach different than chiros, orthopedics, and PTs. He changed my sister's life. Unfortunately he only takes Aetna.

whats his name?

Yeah, what is his name Quigly?

That's a good book.

Rolfing ain't quakery. It works with connective tissue (fascia), which surrounds all the muscles and bones.

(Fascial restrictions are why traditional chiropractic manipulations don't last. The fascia has a strong memory and pulls the back out of alignment again.)

Rolfing is not cheap, but it's a very powerful therapy.

Here's a link: http://www.consciousbodynyc.com/

Ugh, Dexter. As a long-time chronic back pain sufferer, I really feel for your wife (and for you since how I know much everything I have gone through has also affected my husband). I don't know your situation very well, but I really suggest doing everything you can to get tests done (mainly an MRI) on your wife's back to find out the exact nature of the problem.
I spent years trying to heal my back through all the already mentioned methods (and a few others) to no avail. Finally, four+ years after my last MRI I had another one and it showed the true problem, which could only be fixed through surgery. I am still recovering, but feel so much better already that I am now an advocate for doing whatever it takes to really get to the source of the problem and heal it. Learning to live with debilitating and chronic back pain is not the answer.
I hope you and your wife get to the root of the problem and get it resolved.
Sorry I offered no real solutions and rambled on for so long, but I am very sensitive when it comes to this topic! :oops:

Littleagle:

Thanks so much for writing. If you don't mind me asking, what was the problem that you finally figured out? Can you recommend a path of doctors? What type of doctor helped you the most?

Thanks,

Dexter,
I had a herniated disc pressing against a nerve in my lower back. I figured this out after my regular doctor referred me to an orthopedist and pain management group. They sent me for MRI, which showed the problem. I then worked with them for several months to try to fix it through PT, etc. When that didn't work, I finally had surgery about five weeks ago. I am still in some pain and need PT, etc again, but I already feel so much better...it was well worth it.
First recommended step, get your doc to refer you to an ortho specialist and get an MRI performed. That should get to the root of the problem and then you can move forward from there.
I hope this helps. Good luck!

Thank you, I will let my wife know. I appreciate you taking the time to explain your experience to me.

Dex

booklaw wrote: Rather than Rolfing, I can recommend a much less expensive and marvelously effective cure for back pain:

Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by John E. Sarno

It will cost about $12, and will almost certainly cure your wife's back pain, as it cured mine.

fyi, Dr. Sarno was John F. Kennedy's personal physician. He is the farthest thing in the world from a quack.

Went to B&N and bought this book today. hope it helps hubby.

Cool,

I will check out the book. Thanks,

Dex

Dr. Norman Marucs www.backpainusa.com

Thanks Quigley, I will let my wife know.

Thanks for the book and website info.