Pain from Arthritis of the Spine

Mitch86

Mitch86

Member
Location
Connecticut, USA
I was diagnosed with arthritis of the spine after my geriatrician took an x-ray of my back. It causes terrible pain. I am 86. I use 2 Tylenol/Codeine pills every night at dinner and 1,000 mg of Tylenol in the morning at breakfast and at 11 PM if I cannot sleep due to pain. I also distract myself playing chess and Civilization VI on my PC.

What do you folks do for pain?
 

An infrared lamp, I have a CCTV Floodlight and a 12v power unit,
the sensor that allows it only to be used in the dark will have to
be disabled, just stick a tape on it. The bit in the middle, I bought
it from Ebay.

Mike.

Infrared Floodlight.jpg
 
I use Heat.. I too have Arthritis ( Osteoarthritis)... pain is predominately centred around V 1-2, V2-3, V 4-5, and a tear in V5- S6 in my lower back is pressing on my sciatic nerve , it can be excruciating sometimes.. and I use heat and OTC meds... sometimes muscle relaxants when I can't stand up because of it... but I find using the Alexander technique.. before getting out of bed in the morning helps me a lot to be able to stand when my spine won't hold me up....I find sitting for long without standing up and doing something every 20 minutes causes it to seize up and go into painful spasms ...

I can still walk and dance fairly normally, as long as I don't overdo things, but I can't lift anything heavy, nor can I bend from the waist,

All that said..despite lower lumber pain constantly everyday , it's only occasionally, thank God, that it gets as bad as I've stated above... yours sounds sooo much worse, as does @Murrmurr who also has back probs...

I also have OA in both my hands...right one worse than the left thus far
 

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I have osteoarthritis and as I knew my mom had it; I have tried over the years to seem medical attention for it. I have regular bone scans and have taken the Prolia shot every 6 months for the past several years. ($350 a shot but it is covered by OHIP for seniors). My last bone scan has shown an improvement in my bone mass. Most of my pain is in both arms now. It is hard to diagnose as there is no hands-on with the doctor right now. I take prescription Naproxen and it does help with the pain.
 
IrisSenior said:
I have osteoarthritis and as I knew my mom had it; I have tried over the years to seem medical attention for it. I have regular bone scans and have taken the Prolia shot every 6 months for the past several years. ($350 a shot but it is covered by OHIP for seniors). My last bone scan has shown an improvement in my bone mass. Most of my pain is in both arms now. It is hard to diagnose as there is no hands-on with the doctor right now. I take prescription Naproxen and it does help with the pain.
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I didn't even know there was an injection that could be given!! although I have had several cortisone injections in my back in the past over several year periods . I must ask my GP about that, thanks Iris...

It's funny how the pain affects us all differently, Naproxen does nothing for me at all... paracetamol works better on my pain than Naproxen
 
hollydolly said:
I didn't even know there was an injection that could be given!! although I have had several cortisone injections in my back in the past over several year periods . I must ask my GP about that, thanks Iris...

It's funny how the pain affects us all differently, Naproxen does nothing for me at all... paracetamol works better on my pain than Naproxen
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Naproxen is actually Aleve as a double dose. You can't take these meds too long. My injection used to be a pill (I forget the name) that I had to take once a month.
 
IrisSenior said:
Naproxen is actually Aleve as a double dose. You can't take these meds too long. My injection used to be a pill (I forget the name) that I had to take once a month.
Click to expand...
Similar to Ibuprofen but not exactly the same , which is an anti-inflammatory unlike Paracetamol... Unfortunately I can't take large doses of Ibuprofen, and neither should most people...:(
 
Mitch86, be careful with the Tylenol; only 3000mg per day. The sitting while gaming can cause a lot of your pain. It does for me if I sit too long. Hollydolly, Prolia is an injection for osteoporosis; not for spinal pain. It does not alleviate pain, only bone growth/improvement :).
 
shedevil7953 said:
Mitch86, be careful with the Tylenol; only 3000mg per day. The sitting while gaming can cause a lot of your pain. It does for me if I sit too long. Hollydolly, Prolia is an injection for osteoporosis; not for spinal pain. It does not alleviate pain, only bone growth/improvement :).
Click to expand...
oh Osteoporosis...not Osteoarthritis?... ok thanks for clearing that up...(y)
 
helenbacque said:
I had surgery for my spinal stenosis about 15 years ago and it kept me out of a wheelchair. Age is bringing back some pain but nothing like before surgery.
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I just saw this on the internet: "Spinal stenosis is not always caused by spinal osteoarthritis. For example: Sometimes spinal osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis develop in tandem, with another underlying cause. Spinal stenosis can develop without osteoarthritis because of another spine condition, such as a collapsed vertebral disc or an inherited spine abnormality."
 
shedevil7953 said:
Mitch86, be careful with the Tylenol; only 3000mg per day. The sitting while gaming can cause a lot of your pain. It does for me if I sit too long. Hollydolly, Prolia is an injection for osteoporosis; not for spinal pain. It does not alleviate pain, only bone growth/improvement :).
Click to expand...
I take 2000 mg of pure Tylenol per day but also take 2 pills of Acetaminophen-COD #3 each day which includes Codeine. Thanks for that information since that really equates to 4000 mg of Tylenol. Thus, I will only take 1000 mg of pure Tylenol per day starting this evening.

It's great to exchange health information here. I never realized this before seeing this post. I also sit too much at my PC. I'll get up and walk 10 minutes every hour to prevent sitting too much. I'm getting information here which my geriatrician neglects to tell me.
 
I take Percoset for pains around the body, however nothing helps my back. I can't take the 4 per day as the info on the prescription says because of the constipation. So I just live with the pain!
 
Mike said:
An infrared lamp, I have a CCTV Floodlight and a 12v power unit,
the sensor that allows it only to be used in the dark will have to
be disabled, just stick a tape on it. The bit in the middle, I bought
it from Ebay.

Mike.

View attachment 184443
Click to expand...

Mike,

Do you really get relief from it ? You & I spoke about this sometime back. As per our conversation I purchased an IR lamp, and used it regularly for some time. About ten minutes p/session, usually 2 sessions p/day . I got nothing from it ? ....... I bought a Mito-Red 12" x 9" 300 watt 660-890 nonometer. Like I said I'm pretty sure i used it correctly & for the reccommended length & number of time ....... No help at all.

Don't get me wrong .... I'm not blaming you for the suggestion:) ........ just disapointed.
 
Mitch86 said:
I was diagnosed with arthritis of the spine after my geriatrician took an x-ray of my back. It causes terrible pain. I am 86. I use 2 Tylenol/Codeine pills every night at dinner and 1,000 mg of Tylenol in the morning at breakfast and at 11 PM if I cannot sleep due to pain. I also distract myself playing chess and Civilization VI on my PC.

What do you folks do for pain?
Click to expand...
I get procedures on my back -- epidurals and rhizotomies and something else whose name I can't remember. They work well for several months; repeat. I have arthritis, breaks, and compression fractures. I also go to a chiropractor, but that doesn't have anything to do with the arthritis.
 
IrisSenior said:
I have osteoarthritis and as I knew my mom had it; I have tried over the years to seem medical attention for it. I have regular bone scans and have taken the Prolia shot every 6 months for the past several years. ($350 a shot but it is covered by OHIP for seniors). My last bone scan has shown an improvement in my bone mass. Most of my pain is in both arms now. It is hard to diagnose as there is no hands-on with the doctor right now. I take prescription Naproxen and it does help with the pain.
Click to expand...
I use Fosamax rather than Prolia or Reclast shots. Medicare will pay for Reclast for osteoporosis, but not for osteopenia. If I had osteoporosis (which I had at one time), I'd take Reclast because it works the same as Fosamax. I don't want to try Prolia whether or not Medicare pays for it because it works differently and I don't want to take the chance that I'm going to have side effects for six months.
 
Dancing_Queen said:
I use Fosamax rather than Prolia or Reclast shots. Medicare will pay for Reclast for osteoporosis, but not for osteopenia. If I had osteoporosis (which I had at one time), I'd take Reclast because it works the same as Fosamax. I don't want to try Prolia whether or not Medicare pays for it because it works differently and I don't want to take the chance that I'm going to have side effects for six months.
Click to expand...
My doctor prescribed the Prolia - I have never heard of Fosamax (ok, I googled it and I used to take a pill form where I needed to stay upright for at least 30 min). The doctor changed it to the Prolia when I was 65 and it qualified at no fee charged.
 
rgp said:
Mike,

Do you really get relief from it ? You & I spoke about this sometime back. As per our conversation I purchased an IR lamp, and used it regularly for some time. About ten minutes p/session, usually 2 sessions p/day . I got nothing from it ? ....... I bought a Mito-Red 12" x 9" 300 watt 660-890 nonometer. Like I said I'm pretty sure i used it correctly & for the reccommended length & number of time ....... No help at all.

Don't get me wrong .... I'm not blaming you for the suggestion:) ........ just disapointed.
Click to expand...
Hi Ron, I am sorry to hear that the lamp doesn't work for you,
this is the first time that anybody ever said that, others all are
benefitting from the knowledge.

A friend of mine who swears by it, actually told me to try it on
a sore knee some time ago, he had forgotten where he learned
about the lights and that I had told him.

Even sceptics come back and tell me it works.

I really am sorry.

Here is the full thread from 2019 https://www.seniorforums.com/threads/laser-therapy.43012/#post-1111795

Mike.
 
rgp said:
Mike,

Do you really get relief from it ? You & I spoke about this sometime back. As per our conversation I purchased an IR lamp, and used it regularly for some time. About ten minutes p/session, usually 2 sessions p/day . I got nothing from it ? ....... I bought a Mito-Red 12" x 9" 300 watt 660-890 nonometer. Like I said I'm pretty sure i used it correctly & for the reccommended length & number of time ....... No help at all.

Don't get me wrong .... I'm not blaming you for the suggestion:) ........ just disapointed.
Click to expand...
It's very likely the lamp doesn't work for you because your pain is caused by a nerve (or nerves) rather than inflammation. I get both types of pain, inflammation and neuropathathic (I believe most of us do, actually), so lamp therapy will ease the pain from inflammation, but has no effect on the worst of it...neuropathic (nerve) pain. Your options for that are limited to chemical substances.
 
Mitch86 said:
I was diagnosed with arthritis of the spine after my geriatrician took an x-ray of my back. It causes terrible pain. I am 86. I use 2 Tylenol/Codeine pills every night at dinner and 1,000 mg of Tylenol in the morning at breakfast and at 11 PM if I cannot sleep due to pain. I also distract myself playing chess and Civilization VI on my PC.

What do you folks do for pain?
Click to expand...
Mitch, I take a Norco tablet (Hydrocodone+Tylenol) three times a day. Since the Norco already contains Tylenol, which is hard on your liver, I also take prescription Ibuprophen two or three times a day. The Ibuprophen is an anti-inflammatory that is a little bit easier on the liver than Tylenol. I also take a magnesium supplement.

I limit my intake of granulated white sugar. I was advised that it exacerbates joint pain, and your spine is a whole bunch of joints. I do very specific exercises morning and evening; hang upside down for 8 to 10 minutes (great for the spine), and then some bar exercises and a few yoga positions. Plus I do deep meditation 2 or 3 times a day, and take a leisurely walk twice a day.
 
Murrmurr said:
It's very likely the lamp doesn't work for you because your pain is caused by a nerve (or nerves) rather than inflammation. I get both types of pain, inflammation and neuropathathic (I believe most of us do, actually), so lamp therapy will ease the pain from inflammation, but has no effect on the worst of it...neuropathic (nerve) pain. Your options for that are limited to chemical substances.
Click to expand...

Have you ever heard of a liquid supplement called Nervestra ? I went through one bottle of it [about one months worth] I am thinking maybe that wasn't enough .... might try maybe two months, to give it a real try, see if I notice any relief.

I went through a peripheral nuropathy therapy treatment sometime back. Ended it ... mid-June after two months & $4000 spent. It was 2-3 times p/week , it consited of IR light wraps, low level laser light, acupuncture , and spinal adjustments. During a few sessions they also applied a "tens" unit to my shoulder.

None of that helped either.
 
IrisSenior said:
My doctor prescribed the Prolia - I have never heard of Fosamax (ok, I googled it and I used to take a pill form where I needed to stay upright for at least 30 min). The doctor changed it to the Prolia when I was 65 and it qualified at no fee charged.
Click to expand...
Fosomax (Alendronate) needs to be taken that way. But there's another pill and I don't know the protocol. I take it once a week. By the way, Reclast is an infusion, not a shot.
 

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