fracture L1 and L2 transverse process

1. highlander 29 February 2012 at 21:54PM
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   Hi,

   i fractured the L1 and L2 transverse process wheni was in the Army back in 1986, all these years later I am now at the stage where i find it difficult to stand for a period of time and suffer chronic pain in the lower back and pain which can run down the back of the legs, also recently experienced pins and needles in both feet. i find it difficult to walk any distance, cant stand still for any longer than 5 minutes. i have been to my GP over many years and currently have co-codamol 15/500 with little relief if any. i was sent for an x-ray and was told by my GP "your buggared" GP spoke of wear and tear. im 46, anyone have any advice or similiar experiences.

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2. Joodie 5 March 2012 at 22:31PM

   Hi Highlander. I'm from Fife. It's a shame you are getting this so early in your life. That is arthritis brought on early no doubt because of your earlier injuries.

   I am older than you and have the same symptoms., but mine just from wear and tear. Some people get it, some don't.

   Mine came on after three years using the gym. Can't stand long or walk far. I use a stick which is more useful for leaning on than anything else.

   Also can't carry heavy bags etc. Pushing a supermarket trolley is great! Reaching up is no problem. Leaning and bending cause the pain to set in.

   I dislike the humidity of swimming pools but find I can use a home rowing machine for exercise. Can you use those?

   The physiotherapy exercises help, but you have to remember to do them. I mean I do. Posture helps... 'tenshun," lol ! I'm ex army too. Pills not much good.

   Advice? Get physiotherapy. Adapt the pattern of your life as much as possible. Have lots of sit-downs. Don't become a stay-at-home. Accept help.

   Use one of those "picker-up" things.

   Get two walking/climbing/ hiking sticks and a small back pack and put your trainers on - you'll look great, feel better and go further.

   Failing that, get a motor scooter or an electric wheelchair ( I'll do that eventually).

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3. luckymate 26 September 2012 at 21:44PM

   I have just fractured my L1 and L2 Transverse processes together with my T4 vertebrae about 2 months ago. Although the most of the pain is going I can still feel that it's not right although my doctor has reassured me it has healed. To an untrained eye the 2 xrays looked the same (as in you can still see the fracture lines) I am a little worried after hearing about your recurrent problems however. I can sympathise with your difficulty in standing for any length of time as in the first week or so it was only a few minutes or so. When I mentioned this to the doctors and nurses, they had very little understanding or empathy, dismissing this, saying I should have no problems standing or walking (maybe if they felt what it was like they may change their advice)

   I am chinese and my elder relatives are saying it is very important to apply heat and massage the area until it is fully healed to prevent arthritis later on. I think you would benefit from a visit to a chinese acupunture/massage practitioner. There are a lot of areas that western medicine do not fully understand and cannot deal with, as they tend to deal with masking symptoms (i.e painkillers) rather than treating the cause of your problem. I had back pain even before my accident and I must admit I was a little sceptical as to what could be done. I would have to say a single visit to a "specialist massage centre" in Hong Kong was better than all the chiropractors and osteopaths I had seen over here. You shouldn't need to travel that far though, as you should be able to find practioners in this country. but I would say give it a try after all you don't have that much to lose but much to gain.

   Hope this helps, failing this move to a warmer drier climate! Seriously though, The body acts as a sort of barometer and you'll find that the pain is worse when rain is forecast/imminent. It is to do with the build up of atmospheric pressure. I also broke my toe in 1988 (but I regretfully didn't massage or undergo therapy for that) and I still feel that occasionally. This is another concept which is probably understood more by chinese medicine, however western medicine do recognise this phenomenom.

   Best of luck

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