Lumbosacral multiradiculopathy responsive to antibiotic therapy: description of four patients with lumbar spondylosis and a superimposed Lyme disease.
Luigetti M1, Vollaro S, Corbetto M, Salomone G, Dicuonzo G, Scoppettuolo G, Di Lazzaro V. Author information:
1Institute of Neurology, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Largo F. Vito 1, 00168, Rome, Italy, [email protected]. Abstract
Lyme disease is a diffuse zoonosis caused by spirochaetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi species complex. Neurological manifestations of the disease, involving central or peripheral nervous system, are common.
This study describes four consecutive patients with an MRI-proven lumbosacral spondylosis, who complained of progressive worsening of symptoms in the last months in which serological evaluation suggested a superimposed B. Burgdorferi infection.
Four patients, all from the Lazio region, were admitted to the Department of Neurology. Extensive laboratory studies and clinical, anamnestic and neurophysiological evaluation were performed in all cases.
In all cases, anamnesis revealed a previous diagnosis of lumbosacral foraminal stenosis. Clinical and neurophysiological findings were consistent with a lumbosacral multiradiculopathy.
Considering serological evaluation suggestive of a superimposed B. burgdorferi infection a proper antibiotic therapy was started.
All cases showed a marked improvement of symptoms.
Clinicians should be aware that in all cases of lumbosacral multiradiculopathy, even if a mechanical cause is documented, B. burgdorferi may be a simply treatable condition.
PMID: 24515913 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
1. Praxis (Bern 1994). 2013 Jun 5;102(12):747-50. doi: 10.1024/1661-8157/a001311.
[Exacerbation of chronic lower back pain with an unexpected twist].
[Article in German; Abstract available in German from the publisher] Winnik S1, Hitz A, Wyden S, Peter U, Eriksson U, Stieger R.
We report a case of an 88-year old male patient with known chronic lower back pain who presented in late August with progressive pain in his right knee and lower leg as well as paraesthesias.
Diagnostic work-up revealed an acute Lyme-Borreliosis.
PMID: 23735767 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
Babesiosis- Symptoms may appear slowly or have a sudden onset, or may take months to years to fully develop. There can be "flares" of symptoms every four to six days, or on an on/off basis. Symptoms can plateau and return full force at a later time. Many people fear the symptoms will never go away.
Symptoms can include dizziness, depression, feelings of being off-balance, intermittent fevers, fatigue that worsens with exercise, severe fatigue, nausea, anxiety, chills, non-typical symptoms related to the head,
>> low back pain,<< appetite swings, waves of sweats at night that can also occur during the day, de-ja-vu feelings, mood swings, vision and focusing disturbances and/or eye orbit problems, soreness or pain on the top of the head...
Where's don?
Posted by just don (Member # 1129) on :
Sorry I was gone too long. I do have a great supply of snow for sale. Cant say free or people would think its not worth any thing.
Scooped out 6-8 inches twice in about a week.
Back to back probs. Went to chiro and he says there is an issue of an old fracture to deal with.
Arthritis of the fa-cet joints. His opinion is even if you router out the nerve openings so nerves arent pinched.
Its like rust in a water pipe,,,and when you remove it it grows back 3 times as faster.
His proposal is to use traction to re set the springs as he called it. BUT that is non covered so that costs $25 a pop and he will want to do it quite a while.
They did that on my neck in PT and it seemed to help but goes right back.
Okay as to work,,,I work 2 part time jobs ,,,one starts at 4:55 am 6 mornings a week usually 4 to 5 hours a day.
The other is my night time job. Lately the young new hires gets most all the hours and I get 2 or 3 nights. Sometimes its all afternoon and night till after 9PM.
Its tough to go home and get down before 11pm and up again to go at 4 AM is tough.
Biggest issue is on Thursday we get out weeks freight. the 30s and 40 year olds dont do much IF anything and leave it all for me.
They are experts at holding up the counter in case of a huge earthquake. The store manager goes home at 5 or so and it is shameful what goes on or not after that
Last time I worked there were 4 of us there and I was ONLY one not holding down the stools or counter still.
I would like to dump that job and let them figure out who is going to do all the work of putting the heavy stuff on the top shelves with a ladder.
If others are doing anything its hanging 2 ounce stuff on display hooks. It was told me that I couldnt quit cause nobody else will do it.
There is this ad on TV constantly about the 'laser spinal institute' in St Louis Mo. that a lady I work with went to.
She said you cant go by yourself,,,takes a week,,have to have someone take you. I have nobody to do that.
But they say a one inch incision and your good to go the next day...But as the chiro says if it grows back fast????
Anyway back to the pluses of working mornings is I get out and get to talk to somebody. I get some exercise,,,
The minuses are ,,,it makes me tired all day long to get up then,,,even with a nap,,,I drag all day. They drive us like dogs and care really very little for us.
They think we should put away a pallet an hour per person. A pallet is about 4'X4' piled 7 or 8 feet high wrapped in plastic,,,,or piled on carts
with all the soft stuff or little stuff on bottom and heavy stuff on top,,,really bad stacking,,,boxes upside down and leaking
Forklift guys get a kick out of running into pallets with the forks and wrecking stuff(sometime before it gets to us)
Just mostly wanted to know of others experiences.
PS there arent any other options I have found here for other jobs either. Most I have heard of are worse than I have
I really dont HAVE to work,,,just sorta enjoyed it,,,sorta Sorry for so long
Posted by just don (Member # 1129) on :
Just got home from getting shots in lumbar back.
Had the cervical shots before but these wre quite different. Did it without sedation so I could drive myself home.
When they found the right spot poking needles in their under x ray ,,,when they hit the nerve area felt like the fire flew
it already feels much better. now the question is how long will they last.
So conflicted over the work issues dont know which way to turn. guess I am headed back to work next week till I figure it out.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
Hi, don. I have had a low back problem for 10 years. I have gotten the injections in the low back called epidural injections.
These injections put an anti-inflammatory drug (a steroid) on the exact spot of your pain. The anti-inflammatory then brings down the swelling and the pain subsides.
I advise you not to do very much of anything for about a week after having one of these injections. This will keep the medication right on the exact spot where you need it.
I tell people not to even go shopping.
The more active you are, the more your blood will circulate and it will move the medication away from where you really need it.
I learned this the hard way. After my first epidural injection, I felt totally pain free after a few days. So, knowing nothing, I went outside and raked leaves for 5 minutes. I raked this small pile of leaves onto a small tarp and dragged it down to our woods.
While I was doing that, the old familiar feeling started down my leg! Within a few days, I was back to being in pain again.
Since I "undid" my first injection with that little bit of activity, I had to get another one in 2 weeks. That injection lasted me 2 1/2 years!
Over the years, I have had injections two other times. Once was what is known as a nerve root block. If they ever tell you you need this, they will offer you sedation. Be sure you take it!
I went through 2 nerve root blocks without sedation and it was terrible. Never again!
I was eventually pain free, so I went back to work. I had a desk job. Still, after one day at work, I was back to my severe back pain.
If you have low back pain, you can't twist (like to pick up the phone, get a file, look at a computer screen, etc.) can't sit for a long time, can't stand for a long time, can't bend over too many times in one day, and definitely can't lift anything of any weight.
If you do any of these things, you will just be in pain again. There are limits to how many injections you can get in a year.
Back surgery does not have a reliable success rate. So, when faced with back surgery or retiring, choose retiring. That's what I chose.
I have learned to modify my lifestyle to avoid low back pain. I have a herniated disc, some dead, flat discs, etc. In other words, degenerative disc disease in my low back.
Nevertheless, if I follow all the rules, I rarely have to get injections and I rarely have pain.
Also, do the back exercises that they recommend at physical therapy (or get them on line) to strengthen your low back muscles. This really helps to keep you pain free.
If you don't heed the warnings, it may happen that eventually the injections no longer help you. Then, you will be backed into a bad corner. Hopefully, you will be able to avoid being in that terrible position.
I hope you never have to have back surgery!
[ 02-09-2017, 08:07 PM: Message edited by: TF ]
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by just don: I really dont HAVE to work,,,just sorta enjoyed it,,,sorta Sorry for so long
-
There's your answer, dear friend.
A PAINful job is no long enjoyable.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Back surgery does not have a reliable success rate. So, when faced with back surgery or retiring, choose retiring. That's what I chose.
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