Broken back advice

[fivehorses]

I was kicked and slammed into a wall and have a compression fracture in L1
I live alone.

I went to er And they took x-ray and CAT scan. Thie spinal column is safe and I was fitted with a brace.

Should I try walking or is it better to rest?

What kind of questions or requests should I ask to the doctor?

Any advice is appreciated.

The orthopedic doctor just sent me home and told me to take it easy and come back in a month.

I want to make sure my bones heal properly and I don’t have long-term damage of pain from this injury.
Thanks

[Show_boots]

Your doctor should have a nurse line to call, but when I broke a lower t vertebrate I walked but I wouldn’t push it. So if it hurts go rest and when it hurts stop walking. And don’t exhaust yourself because it isn’t a quick recovery

[Laurierace]

Please don’t ask strangers this kind of questions. There should be a number to call on your discharge papers.

[Beam_Me_Up]

I’m shocked they didn’t give you a LOT more guidance.

I fractured 3 T-vertebrae and they gave me very explicit directions on wearing the brace, sitting up and lying down, bending, lifting, driving, handling the horses, etc. I even had to meet with an occupational therapist to practice.

Agree with others you should call back for more guidance. Or even perhaps follow up with a second doctor if the ER Dr can’t provide more details.

[fivehorses]

I agree the doctor should have given me more information. They did not.
Told me to go home and rest and be a couch potato wear the brace if I’m standing up.
They gave me oodles of pain medication.
I am very disappointed in the health care that I received.
I did call the doctors office today and no one was available because of the holiday except for a nurse who knew nothing and just took my questions.
I’m not going to do anything stupid but I just wanted to hear from people who had this and what they did or didn’t do.
Of course I would use my own judgment on what is right for me, you don’t have to Get on your high horses about this.
We share information on these boards. I think lauriace in fact you just asked questions about your botched operation.

[fivehorses]

They basically told me to go home for one month they’ll x-ray me again and then they may consider physical therapy and other things for me depending on the status.

[Laurierace]

Excuse me for caring that you got appropriate answers to your questions so you didn’t cause yourself irrepairable harm. Carry on.

[Beam_Me_Up]

I wasn’t blaming you for asking the question, more just saying that you deserve more information from a medical professional that saw your xrays etc. than “take it easy” and I think you’d be justified in seeking a second opinion if your first Dr can’t give you that.

What they told me (different person, different injury) was no bending, lifting >5 lbs, twisting, driving, riding in cars, handling horses, going to work, etc. I also had to log-roll to go from sitting/lying so as not to twist or torque my back at all. I was supposed to sleep on my back, no pillow for my head, but one under my knees.

So, basically, almost everything was prohibited. I was allowed to walk within the house but not encouraged to walk outside or for exercise. At 8 weeks I got to start physical therapy and not until 10 weeks (the amount of time it takes the fracture to fully heal) was I allowed to do much.

I hope you are able to get better info from your doc and that you feel better.

[fivehorses]

Being me up my comment wasn’t directed at you. Lauriace my comment was directed at you and you can be excused…I’d appreciate it.

I just looked at my discharge papers from ER and all it says is use the custom-made brace doesn’t say when, pain medication and rest and limited activity. That is it.
The orthopedic directions wrote nothing.

If this was my horse I would be bullshit. The directions and treatment I received is way below standard in my opinion.
Having a herniated disc 15 years ago I am following some of those protocols such as pillows and under my knees and log rolling to avoid the pain, etc.like you mentioned.

thank you beam me up, your experience is helpful.

Fortunately I have barn help and they are coming in to feed my dogs.
Beam me up, do you feel you have recovered?

[Laurierace]

I hope your [edit] attitude can be blamed on the pain and you aren’t always like this. I truly cared that you didn’t cause harm to yourself. [edit]

[Miss-O]

“What kind of questions or requests should I ask to the doctor?”

This is not an unreasonable question to ask nor is it unreasonable to ask how other people treated their breaks with a DR’s supervision.

OP it will largely depend on your individual injury which I think you know. I had a compression fracture of L2 after a fall from my horse. I didn’t realize the extent to my injuries in fact I even tried getting back in the saddle but try as I might I physically couldn’t not lift my foot into the stirrup. I thought I was just sore, I didn’t go to the ER until several hours later. They were really busy and it was the weekend. I got really shoddy care but I didn’t know it then and everything worked out for the best because it led me to the right Dr.

My back was SO swollen, the ER dr. didn’t give me a brace. He told me the brace would only make the swelling worse in that it wouldn’t be able to go down while wearing the brace (no movement = no blood flow = more swelling = scar tissue). He also said this knowing I was refusing the Rx for pain meds since they make me horribly nauseous. He told me not to drive, or work until I saw the osteopath in a few days but that I should move around as much as my pain allowed and that moving would help the swelling go down.

On Monday, per the ER dr’s orders, I called the osteopath and awaited their phone call. After several phone calls and into Tuesday I still hadn’t heard from them. By that time my cousin, who was a chiropractor in training urged me to go see his mentor chiro. I went in and it was the best decision of my life. They advised a brace was a bad idea for the same reason the ER dr said. My injury created so much swelling that my swelling was my own brace. I went to the chiro, who did massage, electric stimulation and ultrasound therapy to break the swelling down. To this day I have very little scar tissue because we did such a good job at breaking it apart. On the few days I did wear a brace (like my wedding day which was 2 weeks after the injury ) I was in AGONY for days afterwards so I know he was right.

At least consult with a Chiro, they have a much better, whole body approach and are back experts and they will tell you if they can help or not. They may not be able to help or they may be able to help in conjunction with the MD. At the very least fight for PT NOW!!! They can massage the surrounding areas and keep your whole body working properly while the rest of your back heals.

GL I hope your feeling better soon.

[tabula_rashah]

I had a burst fracture of T10 and T12. I was also fitted with a brace and I was supposed to wear it unless I was sleeping- ie showering and everything. I was not supposed to bend at the waist and I was not supposed to lift over ten pounds.

In reality, I followed everything to the letter for about a week, but then life had to go on. There was no way I could have someone feed and take care of my 5 horses for the months I was supposed to be non-active. I did make concessions and have my DH unload hay and feed and I reduced what I carried. I also boarded my young stallion out with a friend of mine because I was a little worried about him jerking me around. I still went hiking- but didn’t do any riding or kayaking until I was cleared for it.

Now, 10 years later- everything is pretty much fine. I do get sore after a lot of lifting but it’s not awful. I never did any PT or have had any chiro work, but I’ve gotten some sports massage to help when I’ve over done it.

[msbrown246]

ouch! glad you are OK otherwise. Did anyone mention kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty? it is a minimally invasive procedure that will stabilize the fracture using bone cement administered directly into the vertebral body. kyphoplasty also uses a special balloon to help restore the height of the compressed vertebral body. usually done for osteoporosis-related compression fractures but can be done for traumatic ones as well. worth asking about…it is a pretty easy and straightforward procedure…usually done as an outpatient and you are discharged either later that day or next AM (so less than 24 hr in the hospital). two (or one, depending on the system used) tiny incisions in the skin. most people feel immediate relief once they wake up from the procedure. Actual procedure takes about 1 hr. can’t hurt to ask about it!

msb

[fivehorses]

Thank you miss-o and tabula rashah
The brace does help, so I can wear it. Plus it keeps my back warm if I go outside.

I. Have a good friend who does massage but she is gone for the weekend. Right now, It’s the muscle spasms which are causing so much pain.

I do really appreciate hearing all of your experiences and what worked/what didn’t.

Thank you

[fivehorses]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;7281702]
I hope your shitty attitude can be blamed on the pain and you aren’t always like this. I truly cared that you didn’t cause harm to yourself. You can go play in traffic now for all I care.[/QUOTE]

Wow, and what is your need to be so nasty?

[Laurierace]

Maybe being attacked by you twice?

[fivehorses]

MsBrown
A friend of mine, who is an RN mentioned that procedure to me. That is one of the questions I want to ask the doctor on Monday. Thank you for mentioning it.

[fivehorses]

So be the bigger person Laurie and excuse yourself.

[melody1]

Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if I’ve fallen into a time machine and ended up in middle school again with the puerile attacks on this board.

To the OP - I don’t have much to offer you, but I’m sorry you’re hurt! I hope you heal thoroughly and are able to return to your usual activities quickly.

[betsyk]

I’ve had two friends with L1 fractures, one compression and one burst. Both were in the brace for 11-12 weeks (both close to age 60 when it happened). Both missed about a week of work when it first happened. Neither used pain meds; both were told they interfered with healing. Walking was ok, once they were ready, but they found they got really tired, really fast. One was a nurse and had restrictions at work for a long time both related to lifting and being on her feet. She was instructed to wear it 24/7 unless she was lying in bed, and needed a second person to help her get the brace on properly. Neither rode with the brace or did any but the most minimal barn work (both boarded and had good support systems). When they did go back to riding,it was interesting to hear how little core strength remained after 12 weeks in the brace and how that affected their sense of balance. Both are back to riding now as if nothing had ever happened. We planned a party to burn the brace, but we never actually did, though it did go in the trash. Those silly little undershirts are actually really warm and I rescued them from the burn pile since she never wore them after the first week, just wore regular t shirts instead. Showering with the brace was a pain. It was a pretty crappy 3 months (6 months by the time everything was normal again) for all involved.