Re: What is soft tissue damage?

[Guest guest]

--- paul patch wrote:

> The doctors tell me I have " soft tissue damage " which I do not

fully understand.

Hello -

Welcome to the group, although I'm sorry for the pain that brought

you here.

What kinds of tests have you had? " Soft tissue damage " isn't much of

a diagnosis. That's usually what they say when they can't find

anything on the films in the bones or disks to account for the pain

(soft tissue doesn't show up on x-rays or MRIs).

You should have had x-rays, MRIs, catscans and an EMG/Nerve

Conduction Study to help diagnosis the actual damage causing your

pain, at the very least. Without a real diagnosis, you could do more

damage by trying the wrong therapy or ignoring a potentially serious

problem like a break or herniation. There are just too many

potential causes for your kind of pain - I wouldn't want anyone here

to make a suggestion that would be dangerous, just because of lack of

information.

If you don't understand something your doctor tells you, refuse to

leave the office until you get all your questions answered! Too

often doctors want to run off in a hurry to the next appointment, but

it's up to us to force them to stay in the room and tell us

everything we need to know to take care of our health.

You also should have been given intensive physical therapy after the

accident to help improve your functioning and lessen your pain, once

they knew exactly what was wrong (by " intensive " I mean going on for

MONTHS at least three times a week with a very skilled therapist.)

Has any of this happened? If not, you need to insist, and change

doctors if you have to to get the level of care you need.

Cheryl in AZ

Moderator

[Guest guest]

--- " Cheryl in AZ " wrote:

>

> What kinds of tests have you had? " Soft tissue damage " isn't much

of

> a diagnosis.

Thanks Cheryl!, I have had a MRI of my neck. It showed that all the C

disks were mildly to moderately bulging. The MRI also showed that the

foramen was blocked, impeading spinal fluid flow, and that I have

degenerative joint disease and/or arthritis.

[Guest guest]

--- " tallpaul610 " wrote:

>I have had a MRI of my neck. It showed that all the C

> disks were mildly to moderately bulging. The MRI also showed that

the

> foramen was blocked, impeading spinal fluid flow, and that I have

> degenerative joint disease and/or arthritis.

Hi again -

Wow! That's a LOT more than " soft tissue damage " !

I have similar problems in my neck, including bulging disks and

stenosis and arthritis, but it's not the source of the majority of my

pain - the worst of my damage/pain is in my lumbar area causing

severe neuropathy in my legs and feet. But I can definitely empathize.

You definitely need physical therapy, in my opinion. It's the best

alternative for treating these kinds of injuries without making

things worse - but make sure you have a very experienced therapist.

There's lots that can be done to improve the situation and avoid

further deterioration by way of stretches, strengthening exercises,

massage, ultrasound and other therapies.

Massage in general is good for helping with the additional pain

caused by tightening up the muscles to " guard " against the spinal

column pain that is already there. It might help with the headaches

too, if they're from muscle tension from pain guarding.

Some people find relief with accupunture, but it depends on the

source of the pain. It is excellent for relieving muscle spasms, but

it does nothing for altering structural problems.

You probably also need to look into making as many adjustments to

your environment as necessary also, such as getting the best

bed/pillows and altering your computing space to make sure everything

you do is ergonomically supportive.

You also probably should get a consultation with a neurosurgeon if

you haven't already - although I always warn people to treat surgery

as an absolute last resort! Remember surgeons only have one tool in

their toolbox - and when all you have is a hammer, every problem

looks like a nail. But it would certainly be worth it to get that

opinion. And get second and even third opinions from different

neurosurgeons before going through with anything.

Finally, there's always medical pain management, that is, opiod

therapy.

Do not let a " pain management " doctor talk you into epidural steroid

injections into the spine, however. These are not FDA approved

procedures - which they never bother to tell you! - plus they have a

lot of very serious risks, and the only objective research out there

shows they are no better than placebo shots in relieving pain from

spinal origins. The risk is far too dangerous.

Basically, you're going to have to try everything you can find to see

what works best for you. You need to put together a team of doctors,

therapists, and other providers to help you manage the pain long-

term. For me, physical therapy is the only reason I'm still

walking. Massage is a necessity, not a luxury. I've done a lot to

change my home/office/sleeping situation to help. I've changed my

approach to life and focus on what's important and on pacing myself

instead of trying to overdo things only to make the pain worse. And

without opiod pain medications I would be utterly worthless, but with

them I've been able to keep working at a very high-pressure job and

maintain some quality of life. The pain is never absent, but it is

controlled to a point that I can function.

Keep writing and asking questions here. You'll learn a lot about

what to try and what helps others!

Cheryl in AZ

Moderator