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What Causes Chronic Pain In The Right Scapular Area & Lower Back?

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Posted on Fri, 1 Aug 2014
Question: I'm a 50 year old female with chronic pain (chronic, not constant) in the right scapular area & lower back pain when walking. Pain is possibly caused by what should have been a fatal car wreck 22 years ago & possibly from years of improper lifting & physical activities that did not cause me pain until I was about 40. I had a total abdominal htsterectomy at age 27. I have osteoporosis and can't take medication due to recurring stomach ulcers. MRI's don't show enough compression of the vertebra to cause the intensity of pain I have. May have fibromyalgia also. Tried pregabalin but side affects were intolerable. Have been through physical therapy & had epidural cervical & lower back epidural injections of Kenolog. The Kenolog slightly helped pain the 3 months. Kenolog caused huge mood swings, but I did not fit the criterial for bipolar. I have a psychiatrist who manages my medications ordered by sleep medicine doctor. He put me in the hospital a month after my steroid injections to keep an eye on me. I also have SAD & major depressive episodes a few times a year. Saw a really good psychologist for over 3 years hoping that by resolving & coming to terms with current & past issues might help reduce pain. Therapy was psychologically beneficial but it didn't reduce my pain. I've tried every medication for depression including meds used off label or as add-on meds. My psychiatrist considers me treatment resistent. My bad experiences with doctors telling me my "pain is psychological" and then after the psychiatric problems I had after receiving Kenolog injections that the pain management doc couldn't have caused has kept me away from doctors for a few years. I have an appointment next week with a new PCP & hope she can figure out why I have chronic pain & how to treat it. I got some medical marijuana from a doctor while out of my state last week to see if it would help with the pain. Marijuana isn't legal in my state. I will tell my new PCP I tried marijuana because I believe in being completely honest with my doctors. I also have narcolepsy & take Vyvanse. The "dreams" were not like hypnopomic hallucination. It helped with pain but caused what seemed to be 5-8 minute dreams. Did not like marijuana. It affected my thinking for 3 days. I've asked many people if they ever experienced "dreams" after smoking marijuana & no one said they experienced anything like what I did. I also have B12 (pernicious) anemia. I saw a neurologist when I was about 38-39 fearing I had some type of dementia. My EEG & MRI were normal. The neurologist checked me for B12 & sent me to hematologist. My B12 was 998. Cancer was ruled out. Weekly, then monthly cyanocobalamin injections control my B12 now. I apologize for my scattered thinking & writing. This is a lot of information to give you. Two of my adult children are doctors. Both are anesthesiologists & might have some insight, but I'm uncomfortable discussing my health issues & ethically neither could treat me for any condition. I guess my main questions are what can be done for my pain when medical imaging is unremarkable, steroid injections, antidepressants & pregabalin don't work or cause serious, unacceptable side effects?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
Details below.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
Chronic pains are generally hard to treat. It is difficult to point a clear diagnosis without physical examination. Since your history is suggestive of arthritis, a few measures that may be useful are as follows:

1.If the cause of such prolonged pain is a muscular - try taking some good muscle relaxants like thiocolchicoside with the routine painkillers you take. You may need prescription. Along with it, do hot fomentation and apply a local analgesic gel on the area.

2.Avoid sleeping on a soft mattress which do not give good support to your back.

3. Avoid weight lifting.

4. Some simple back pain exercises.They will help to strengthen the muscles and improve the stability of the spine.

5. If none of the above measures are helpful, few other options of treatment which may be useful in reducing pain and maintaining functional lifestyle are 'Transcutaneous Electric Nerve stimulation (TENS) units', relaxation techniques, occupational and physical therapy approaches. Alternative therapies such as accupunture may be helpful. Discuss about these options with your doctor.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.
For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Praveen-Tayal


Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (2 days later)
I have done everything you suggested.
What auto-immune disorders & tests can be done to diagnose or rule out conditions that can cause or increase the perception of pain?


doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (7 hours later)
Brief Answer:
No specific tests.

Detailed Answer:
Hello.
Thanks for writing again.
Pain perception cannot be tested. It is a subjective response to any stimulus. Nerve conduction studies can help. Autoimmune diseases can be ruled by a rheumatologist.
Hope my answer is helpful.
Do accept my answer in case there are no further queries.
Regards.
Note: For further information on diet changes to reduce allergy symptoms or to boost your immunity, Ask here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal

Orthopaedic Surgeon

Practicing since :1994

Answered : 12314 Questions

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What Causes Chronic Pain In The Right Scapular Area & Lower Back?

Brief Answer: Details below. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for posting your query. Chronic pains are generally hard to treat. It is difficult to point a clear diagnosis without physical examination. Since your history is suggestive of arthritis, a few measures that may be useful are as follows: 1.If the cause of such prolonged pain is a muscular - try taking some good muscle relaxants like thiocolchicoside with the routine painkillers you take. You may need prescription. Along with it, do hot fomentation and apply a local analgesic gel on the area. 2.Avoid sleeping on a soft mattress which do not give good support to your back. 3. Avoid weight lifting. 4. Some simple back pain exercises.They will help to strengthen the muscles and improve the stability of the spine. 5. If none of the above measures are helpful, few other options of treatment which may be useful in reducing pain and maintaining functional lifestyle are 'Transcutaneous Electric Nerve stimulation (TENS) units', relaxation techniques, occupational and physical therapy approaches. Alternative therapies such as accupunture may be helpful. Discuss about these options with your doctor. I hope this answers your query. In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out. Wishing you good health. Regards. Dr. Praveen Tayal. For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Praveen-Tayal