Let the Battle Begin

         Today I am ready to battle the Parkinson's and sciatica.  I am reading everything I can about Parkinson's. Knowledge is power!  I know that exercise is important. Yesterday I went to Drumming class and today I am going to Yoga Class after I have PT in the morning. I am trying to stay as active as I can.  I will go back to the Boxing Class when I finish my in home PT.  I went to a chiropractor for about 30 sessions and I think that is the max for my insurance.  I can go and pay for it but I think I will do the PT and Boxing class instead. The PT is covered by my insurance.  I am hungry but I am trying to lose a few pounds so I will just have to deal with the hunger! I'll do my PT exercises instead of eating!
          My main focus has been trying to reduce my sciatica pain. I am still working on that but I think it will be a lifelong condition that I have to learn to live with. I hope it isn't.  My pain management doc told me that I have neural foraminal stenosis.  I have been telling ALL of my medical caretakers that the pain starts in my buttocks and that it travels to my hip and down my left leg.  That is exactly what I am reading about and maybe this is finally the correct diagnosis!!  I know I have a few herniated disks so that is what everyone thought was causing my pain down my leg! Perhaps it is a combination of a few things.  My symptoms are pain starting in my left buttock and traveling down the outside of my leg down to my ankle. I have tried PT(still doing PT), chiropractor for about 30 visits, deep tissue laser treatments, 18 hyperbaric chamber treatments,  and shots in my back and shots around my pirifomis muscle.  NOTHING HAS WORKED!! But I am hoping that the SI injections work!!

Actually, it was her PA who told me that after I told her that my PT said I have stenosis. And my daughter who is a PA diagnosed me with Parkinson's disease when no other medical provider felt I had it until I got officially diagnosed by a Parkinson's specialist neurologist! In two weeks I am getting a shot in my SI joint. No one mentioned a pelvic brace to me but I will ask at my next appointment.  I stared reading about radiofrequency ablation.  I would like to try that BEFORE I consider surgery!

Radiofrequency ablation (or RFA) is a procedure used to reduce pain. An electrical current produced by a radio wave is used to heat up a small area of nerve tissue, thereby decreasing pain signals from that specific area.

(The sacroiliac joint or SI joint (SIJ) is the joint between the sacrum and the ilium bones of the pelvis, which are connected by strong ligaments. In humans, the sacrum supports the spine and is supported in turn by an ilium on each side).
A pelvic brace is about the size of a wide belt and can be helpful when the joint is inflamed and painful. Sacroiliac joint injections. A local anesthetic (such as lidocaine or bupivacaine) is injected with an anti-inflammatory medication (such as a corticosteroid) to reduce inflammation and help alleviate pain.

What are the symptoms?

The signs and symptoms of SI pain start in the lower back and buttock, and may radiate to the lower hip, groin or upper thigh. While the pain is usually one sided, it can occur on both sides. Patients may also experience numbness or tingling in the leg or a feeling of weakness in the leg.

Symptoms may worsen with sitting, standing, sleeping, walking or climbing stairs. Often the SI joint is painful sitting or sleeping on the affected side. Some people have difficulty riding in a car or standing, sitting or walking too long. Pain can be worse with transitional movements (going from sit to stand), standing on one leg or climbing stairs.

What are the causes?

The SI joint can become painful when the ligaments become too loose or too tight. This can occur as the result of a fall, work injury, car accident, pregnancy and childbirth, or hip/spine surgery (laminectomy, lumbar fusion).

Sacroiliac joint pain can occur when movement in the pelvis is not the same on both sides. Uneven movement may occur when one leg is longer or weaker than the other, or with arthritis in the hip or knee problems. Autoimmune diseases, such as ankylosingspondyloarthropathy, and biomechanical conditions, such as wearing a walking boot following foot/ankle surgery or non-supportive footwear, can lead to degenerative sacroiliitis.

Nerve ablations: Injections into joints or nerves are sometimes called “blocks.” Successful SI joint injections may indicate that you could benefit from radiofrequency ablation – a procedure that uses an electrical current to destroy the nerve fibers carrying pain signals in the joint.

Surgery: If nonsurgical treatments and joint injections do not provide pain relief, your physician may recommend minimally invasive SI joint fusion surgery. Through a small incision, the surgeon places titanium (metal) implants and bone graft material to stabilize the joint and promote bone growth. The surgery takes about an hour. The patient may go home the same day or following day. For several weeks after surgery, the patient cannot bear full weight on the operated side and must use crutches for support.