Back Pain.. Local Medical Options

[LivinLOS]

Yesterday morning my back went, first time in my life and it aint pleasant. I laid out yesterday, took ibuprofen, had one hel_l of a day / night and am not seeing any improvement.

Advice to get some Thai massuse on it is being ignored..

I know to keep it straight... ibuprofen / diclofenac for swelling. is there an OTC for muscle relaxant that my GF can buy ??

If that doesnt help over the next 48 hours what are my treatment options ?? I have been told of Dr Cracknell in Kata and Symonds in Rawai anyone had experiences or reviews ??

Any of the hospitals good for back problems.. Lots of people telling me conflicting things of bad docs and the like, due to past bitter history I have a low amount of faith in the thai medical community for complex things.. Fine for setting a broken bone but not much faith beyond that.

Basically this is the first time this has happened to me, its bad, and I am a bit freaked. 2 mates have both had to have fused disc ops, one was bed ridden for a year, my old man was laid out for months at a time when I was a kid, etc etc

[richardt1808]

Hi,

I've been living here a number of years and have some experience with treatment of back problems so let me give you some pointers.

First is that over the counter medication without a professional opinion is not going to do it for you and may well exacerbate the problem. I highly recommend that you at least let a specialist give you an initial examination. A large private hospital would be my recommendation since they will also have a CT scan machine which would be necessary anyway if the doctor needs a better look at your spine. X-Ray will not yeild enough detail to diagnose ruptured discs which seems the most likely culprit in your case.

A lumbar specialist will be able to give you appropriate pain meds so that you can lie down and rest for a few days until the worst of the pain is over. Then, you may be able to explore further treatment options. In my case, I was also offered the surgery option by the first doctor I visited but I then visited the lumbar clinic at Bumrungrad in Bangkok and met an excellent doctor who told me that 80% of the cause of my type of disk injury is simply from lack of proper exercise, so he recommended a regimen of back-strengthening exercises to do daily for at least a month. I also began taking a Chondroitin supplement and my back problems are now totally solved. Exercise targeted specifically at the lower back muscles definitely helped a lot in my case. This is vital as the muscles of the lower back are crucial for ensuring that the spine stays properly aligned and also that the correct tension is applied in both directions which keeps the discs aligned and correctly spaced. Chondroitin occurs naturally in the body and my Chondroitin / Glucoseamine supplement is available at large pharmacies or healthfood shops in Bangkok and certainly in Phuket - get the tablet form as opposed to the sachets as it is a lot more convenient and also cheaper. You can google for specific information on these two items which have more common use in the treatment of arthritis but they are also extremely helpful in this type of treatment as well.

Hope this helps to give you an idea and hope you feel better soon.

[mikebike]

Hi Livin'. There is an OTC muscle relaxant but I cannot remember the name... I can highly recommend Brian Kendall a Canadian Registered Massage Therapist specializing in deep muscle therapy. He is located next the the Bank Of Ayudhya on Sai Yuan Road. He can be reached at 0862770795 and he DOES know the muscle relaxant. I would suggest at least calling and talking to him, he is very knowledgeable and helpful... I think a RMT is a better first step than doctor, osteopath, or chiropractor... Hope you're fellin' better soon!!

[katabeachbum]

Thai Chiropractor/ Moh Sen, now located in Patong. Khun Dusit, 087-2797553, speaks english. Great guy, works with your muscles and circulation, not your bones like an us chiropractor.

Take Ibuprofen or 2x500mg Paracetamol 1 hour before arriving cause his treatment is painfull. Arrive on empty stomach.

saved my "life" a few times for 6 years.

If you go to hospital, start with an x-ray. If they cant find anything on x-ray, leave asap, cause thats when the thai treatment starts

Edit: Should ad, I v had a bad back for 21 years (car accidents), and medication doesnt help much. Just reduces pain. Painreduction can make you rest in an even worse position, adding more problems. Of all the therapies I have tried, the above thai guy has been the most effective.

[Singha Gold]

Two years ago I popped two vertebrae and was virtually paralised. I tried all sorts of treatment on the island and can tell you first hand - got to the Physio department in Phuket International Hospital. If you have to take Anti-Inflamatories, use Voltorol 100mg, the things are a life saver.

Bangkok Phuket was expensive and couldn't help. They ended up sitting me in a room on a warm pad for an hour and charging me 10k.

Massage (Chiropractor /Osteopathy) did nothing for me. I lost all hope with one individual when he tried to make me touch my toes when I could barely walk.

I went twice a day to Phuket International and followed a course of Physio. They did an XRay followed by the Cat Scan. Ended up having to stay there for a week after a very bad incident - but never had a problem with it since.

[starkey_rich]

Hi Sef

As you probably know I have torn the cartilage in my knee and have been in agony for weeks now so I know where you are coming from.The over OTC muscle relaxant's I have used are Mydocalm and Norgesic.I have used a couple of guys here the one the other day was to heavy and I think has sent me back to day one.I have used Garnett Symonds for a few years now and will be paying a visit shortly.I have always found him good.The only reason I used the other guy is that I couldn't get in with Garnett.If you need his contact details let me know.

[johnnyboye]

Hi there.

I also suffered with the backpain many years.

Richard cracknell the us chiropractor in kata is ok, but extremely painfull threatment.

The thai chiropractor now in patong is very good and cheaper as well.

In any case you would probably need to see them more than 1 time.Seems like richard in kata is more focused on that issue because he makes more money.

Exercising your lower back deffinately works, but you need the problem fixed first.

I would recommend the thai guy 2-3 times and pain killers then exercising your back 2-3 times a week.

Cheers.

[Patriot]

Commiserations with your ailment, old chap, but does that mean you won't be coming to Udon this weekend. I was looking forward to you getting your hand in your pocket, yer bu&&er!!

[LivinLOS]

Commiserations with your ailment, old chap, but does that mean you won't be coming to Udon this weekend. I was looking forward to you getting your hand in your pocket, yer bu&&er!!

Its all a ruse to avoid my round..

[surangw]

if a muscle relaxant does work, its a most likely a spasm, see if you can find a

"real" acupuncture specialist

I injured my back in a heilo crash years ago, acupuncture fixed me up after meds and chiropractic failed

[ballzafire]

Have an MRI done (not a CAT) by a qualified MD (preferably a neurosurgeon) to determine from the gitgo exactly what the problem is so you don't up being "permanently" medicated and never resolve the underlying problem. I've been thru this, including the surgery that was necessary and I'm just glad it's over and I'm back to near 100% with NO need for any followup meds.

The MRI machine is a godsend in these instances...

[afx]

What I would say based on my own experience, is dont expect an immediate fix and do not throw money at the problem. First allow time to pass and see how / if it improves. At this stage based on how new the injury is, you dont know the seriousness of it. The amount of thousands I spent on personal trainers (to correct my weak core stability) which I dont actually have, and chiropractors, acupuncture etc all lead nowhere. Bare in mind also that chiropractors are not trained medical experts and fit in the complimentry health category.

I've suffered from backpain for four years, my lower back first went during a squash game picking the ball up out the back of the court, it's never been right since. Also bad posture having worked a desk job for 15 years and too much playing squash (being 6 ft 4 bending down to pick up drop shots never helped either) resulted in a knackered L5 S1 disk. Basically instead of being about 10 mm thick, mine is barely two mm and offers no suspension and iritates the nerves. NSAID's (voltarol / ibroprofen etc used to give me some relief but dont anymore.

If your still suffering in about 6 months time, see a consultant orthropedic surgeon who will first send you for an MRI. Also get a second opinion. The first one I saw said, yeah your disk is knackered live with it, there's nothing you can do, it will fuse itself naturally in about about 10 years and then the pain will stop. A year went by and I saw a different consultant, got a new MRI, he then sent me for a discogram, a procedure where they basically stick needles in a healthy disk and then the problem disk while you are conscious / semi sedated with gas and air and little local anaesthetic, a healthy disk you feel no pain, which I didn't and the problem disc I hit the roof. This is to make sure that the pain generated is the same as the day to day pain, and it was. My consultant told me and I happened to agree that an MRI on it's own means nothing, you treat the patient and how their symptoms present, not the scan. There's a well known study where orthropaedic surgeons were shown a bunch of MRI scans of people with and without signifigant back pain and most got it completely wrong and could not distinguish between the people who suffered severe back pain and those that didn't.

I'm just putting off a lumbar spinal fusion by having cortisone every couple of months and do physical activities that are good for your back (no impact sports).

Anyway I've rambled on more than enough about my own knackered back (too many beers) but the point I'm making is it's to soon to be overly concerned. This is just based on my own experience and I'm certainly no medical expert.

Finally You could do a lot worse than buy a book called "the back Sufferers bible" by Sarah Keys, it covers just about every type of back injury and what can be done to help, all of which you can do in your front room.

[LivinLOS]

I am recovering.. 3 days flat out.. muscle relaxants and anti inflammatories and its slowly resolving itself.

Once it recovers enough I will look into excercize for it, right now I just feel like I am atrophying due to laid up..

[chiang mai]

If you're not already sorted there's a Thai who seems to be a cross between a chiropractor and an osteopath who has a massively successful practice on the outskirts of Phuket Town - take the road that runs past Bangkok Hospital and keep going until you reach the Police Station on your left, turn left at the PS and his offices are immediately on the right hand side. Western trained with excellent English he is visited mostly by Thai's it seems but people come from all over the country to be treated by him. He sorted out my frozen shoulder in next to no time whereas Phuket/Bangkok and the International Hospitals cost me a lot of money and time without any positive results - and, he is very inexpensive.

[churchill]

I have found exercise and stretching have helped - check http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Pain-t268388.html

[grumpyoldman]

Have an MRI done (not a CAT) by a qualified MD (preferably a neurosurgeon) to determine from the gitgo exactly what the problem is so you don't up being "permanently" medicated and never resolve the underlying problem. I've been thru this, including the surgery that was necessary and I'm just glad it's over and I'm back to near 100% with NO need for any followup meds.

The MRI machine is a godsend in these instances...

Do both Phuket International and Bangkok Phuket have MRI?

[LivinLOS]

Just wanted to say thanks for the advice (and some PM's) Its not 100% solved yet, but its well on the mend..

I need to learn an exercise regime that fits me and have some things I need to focus on, but just wanted to thank all those that took time to offer assistance.

[starkey_rich]

Have an MRI done (not a CAT) by a qualified MD (preferably a neurosurgeon) to determine from the gitgo exactly what the problem is so you don't up being "permanently" medicated and never resolve the underlying problem. I've been thru this, including the surgery that was necessary and I'm just glad it's over and I'm back to near 100% with NO need for any followup meds.

The MRI machine is a godsend in these instances...

Do both Phuket International and Bangkok Phuket have MRI?

No.Only the Bangkok Phuket has MRI