Laser treatment for chronic pain

[covey ridge]

I have been hearing the radio commercials every morning and wonder if laser treatment works for chronic pain?
I have been suffering chronic pain in various areas of my body for over 25 years. For the most part I manage without medication or very little.
Recently it is my right hip that just explodes with extreme pain just after I go to sleep. I am still fairly active and my hip is not my worst pain during the day, but at night it is a different experience. X rays show that I have moderate damage along my spine from my neck to my butt and also in my hips. I have least a seven month wait to see a surgeon. My doctor will prescribe pain meds if I ask, but I am hoping not to have to resort to that while I wait to see the surgeon.

Anyone have experience with laser treatment? Good or bad! I would like to hear.
Thanks

Maybe the Universe is just getting even for me being a pain in the......

[gitrdun]

Originally Posted by covey ridge

I have been hearing the radio commercials every morning and wonder if laser treatment works for chronic pain?
I have been suffering chronic pain in various areas of my body for over 25 years. For the most part I manage without medication or very little.
Recently it is my right hip that just explodes with extreme pain just after I go to sleep. I am still fairly active and my hip is not my worst pain during the day, but at night it is a different experience. X rays show that I have moderate damage along my spine from my neck to my butt and also in my hips. I have least a seven month wait to see a surgeon. My doctor will prescribe pain meds if I ask, but I am hoping not to have to resort to that while I wait to see the surgeon.

Anyone have experience with laser treatment? Good or bad! I would like to hear.
Thanks

Maybe the Universe is just getting even for me being a pain in the......

As a pain suffer as you are covey, I purchased a laser therapy device. It does help a lot if I stick with it on a regular basis.

[deerhunter]

I have had laser treatment and I was far worse after. Then I received ultrasound.like a new person now. Had my left shoulder done 2 years ago and this January had the right one done. Everything is good now

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by covey ridge

I have been hearing the radio commercials every morning and wonder if laser treatment works for chronic pain?
I have been suffering chronic pain in various areas of my body for over 25 years. For the most part I manage without medication or very little.
Recently it is my right hip that just explodes with extreme pain just after I go to sleep. I am still fairly active and my hip is not my worst pain during the day, but at night it is a different experience. X rays show that I have moderate damage along my spine from my neck to my butt and also in my hips. I have least a seven month wait to see a surgeon. My doctor will prescribe pain meds if I ask, but I am hoping not to have to resort to that while I wait to see the surgeon.

Anyone have experience with laser treatment? Good or bad! I would like to hear.
Thanks

Maybe the Universe is just getting even for me being a pain in the......

When was the last time you bought a new bed?

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

When was the last time you bought a new bed?

6 weeks ago! I thought that maybe my aches and pains were because of my mattress which was about 8 years old. I thought I bought a good one and it is a bit firmer than my last one. Drift off to sleep easily but no matter if it left side or right or on my back my hip explodes. Getting up and walking around for a while removes the pain but it happens a few times over the night.

I have a 90 day exchange guaranty.

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by deerhunter

I have had laser treatment and I was far worse after. Then I received ultrasound.like a new person now. Had my left shoulder done 2 years ago and this January had the right one done. Everything is good now

Where did you get the ultra sound done?

I have had my right rotator repaired and my left needs to be done but I am putting it off in memory of the recovery I went through after the right surgery
I can still lift my gun on a moving bird and I can sleep on both shoulders.

With my hip, walking and climbing is OK but sitting and driving and bed gives me the most pain in that order.

I talked to the laser clinic today and they want $65.00 for a consult and $120.00 per treatment and it may take 6 treatments to feel better. If I knew the treatment would work it would be worth it.

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by gitrdun

As a pain suffer as you are covey, I purchased a laser therapy device. It does help a lot if I stick with it on a regular basis.

Where did you get the device?

[silverdoctor]

Sounds like you may be dealing with sciatica in your hip? It's the worst pain I've personally dealt with, and my pain tolerance is high.

How's your back and core muscle strength?

And have you ever seen a chiropractor?

[deerhunter]

Had it done at the Physio dept at the Elk Point Hospital.went 6 times.you can buy the ultrasound unit on line for about $225.00

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by silverdoctor

Sounds like you may be dealing with sciatica in your hip? It's the worst pain I've personally dealt with, and my pain tolerance is high.

How's your back and core muscle strength?

And have you ever seen a chiropractor?

Yep, this is the worst pain I have dealt with since my recovery from rotator surgery. My lower back and neck are not good but pain is tolerable. I am surprised my doctor and physio have not mentioned

sciatica but I will will when I see my doc.
I am moderately active and do very moderate exercise every day, but nothing specific for my core. I have a fear of chiropractors because their treatment seems to hurt me. Boo Hoo

Thanks for the suggestion

[silverdoctor]

Originally Posted by covey ridge

Yep, this is the worst pain I have dealt with since my recovery from rotator surgery. My lower back and neck are not good but pain is tolerable. I am surprised my doctor and physio have not mentioned sciatica but I will will when I see my doc.
I am moderately active and do very moderate exercise every day, but nothing specific for my core. I have a fear of chiropractors because their treatment seems to hurt me. Boo Hoo

Thanks for the suggestion

Sciatica is a wicked pain, hard to pinpoint or explain but if you have back issues, that's likely what you're dealing with. Nothing short of morphine or demorral helped in my case. It's like a fiery pain that tends to move around like a phantom. Most times I get it in my hip, sometimes it'll race up and down, sometimes it could be in the knee or shin. Then there's times where the sciatic nerve gets inflamed, that's some interesting sensations. Others get it differently.

I would at least talk to a chiro, they can pull your x-rays for a look, probably give you a better idea of what is going on. But do find a good one, one that's recommended. They can do damage.

Chiro does hurt. First time for me, I had no plans on going back. The chiro sent his receptionist to fetch me at home, and i was in no shape to fight with her. That man worked wonders on my back - and if I ever need serious chiro again, I'm hopping a flight back to Ontario to see him.

[Dean2]

I would suggest you first get a very good MRI and get a specialist to properly diagnose what is wrong with you. The right treatment for one condition will make something else worse in many cases.

My bud just recently had arthroscopic surgery on his lower back to open up the opening in his back bone. Completely cured the pain in his back knees and hips. He had been going to physio and getting Ultra sound, which the specialist told him was actually making the situation worse and could have damaged his spinal cord if they had been even a little more aggressive.

Same specialist suggested he get MRI on his shoulder after my Bud told him he was having problems with it too. He was also getting physio for his shoulder and it turns out he has two completely torn ligaments on the rotator cuff, so the physio is making it worse not better too. Specialist is not sure they can re-attach ligaments at this point.

Most GPs are REALLY bad at diagnosing and treating this kind of problem. You often have to outright tell them what you want them to do because the treatment they recommend or often completely wrong, just like my Buddy experienced. Get schedule for an MRI of the problem areas, and get a referral to a specialist.

[covey ridge]

dean2

I have a referral to a surgeon for my hip, but just got a letter saying it may take 7 months for a consult. I have no problem paying for a private mri but I still will probably have the wait.

I was just grasping at straws hoping there would be a non narcotic way to relieve the pain while I wait. When I last saw my doc he suggested Tylenol.
That does not even touch it.

Just getting up and walking takes most of it away, but it is back within and hour.

I have a bit of left over pain med from my rotator surgery years ago that helps on the nights that I am desperate.

[silverdoctor]

There is a drug called Mersyndol that gave some relief, it's over the counter, ask the pharmacist about it. And yep, marijuana in different variations

Stretching, build muscle, hurts but it's the best.

If you are dealing with sciatica in the hip, there may not be anything physically wrong with the hip itself. All my hip and leg problems were related to my back, nerve pain. Had doctors that wanted to open the hip for exploration - cause nothing showed up on xray or other. One doc even offered to replace the hip, there was nothing wrong with it.

Took 10 years to figure out my back was broken - and it was a chiro that finally showed the break on x-ray.

[covey ridge]

Thanks for those who replied and sent PMs. I made a few notes and will take some ideas to my doctor next week. I will skip the laser treatment for now. The more I look into it, I think it is sciatica.

[MK2750]

I met an older gentleman that described pain like mentioned above and like I have experienced over the years. He just got back from the States where they have diagnosed him with advanced Lyme Disease. He had sought and received treatment here for over 20 years but there was not a mention of Lyme.

Here is an interesting tidbit on another link. The symptoms described read like the story of my life.

https://www.envita.com/lyme-disease/...d-lyme-disease

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by MK2750

I met an older gentleman that described pain like mentioned above and like I have experienced over the years. He just got back from the States where they have diagnosed him with advanced Lyme Disease. He had sought and received treatment here for over 20 years but there was not a mention of Lyme.

Here is an interesting tidbit on another link. The symptoms described read like the story of my life.
https://www.envita.com/lyme-disease/...d-lyme-disease

Story of my life as well. I first thought I had chronic fatigue until the fatigue morphed into pain and ache. I went to several doctors and then to a couple specialists. After a very long wait I even went to the chronic pain center in Calgary where I met hundreds with the same symptoms and no answers. The only thing I come away with was that there probably was no cure and that I was to live with a certain amount of pain all the time. I was told that even the slightest bit of acute pain or an aggravation of an injury could flair up into extreme pain. For the most part I handle those acute pains and injuries so I can keep everything down to a dull roar but every once in while something small gets away and become as monster. In this case I have let the monster out. During the day my hip is just one of the small pains, but at night it goes extreme and is the only one.

This too will pass.

[gitrdun]

Originally Posted by covey ridge

Where did you get the device?

Sorry for the late reply covey ridge. My unit is a Bioflex - Home Unit II. I purchased directly from the manufacturer. I don't suffer from sciatica, but my wife does. She claims that it is the only treatment that relieves her pain. I should add that it cost me a whole lot more than the $225.00 that someone else has stated.

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by gitrdun

Sorry for the late reply covey ridge. My unit is a Bioflex - Home Unit II. I purchased directly from the manufacturer. I don't suffer from sciatica, but my wife does. She claims that it is the only treatment that relieves her pain. I should add that it cost me a whole lot more than the $225.00 that someone else has stated.

Thanks for the reply
The other unit mentioned was an ultra sound unit.

[gitrdun]

Originally Posted by covey ridge

Thanks for the reply
The other unit mentioned was an ultra sound unit.

The Bioflex unit that I have combines first the laser pad, and then an infrared pad treatment. I have used it and still do for aches and pains other that sciatica, but it sure does provide me some relief that pills cannot. This getting old stuff sure sucks.

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by gitrdun

The Bioflex unit that I have combines first the laser pad, and then an infrared pad treatment. I have used it and still do for aches and pains other that sciatica, but it sure does provide me some relief that pills cannot. This getting old stuff sure sucks.

Getting old is not for whimps

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by covey ridge

Yep, this is the worst pain I have dealt with since my recovery from rotator surgery. My lower back and neck are not good but pain is tolerable. I am surprised my doctor and physio have not mentioned

sciatica but I will will when I see my doc.
I am moderately active and do very moderate exercise every day, but nothing specific for my core. I have a fear of chiropractors because their treatment seems to hurt me. Boo Hoo

Thanks for the suggestion

I have had the exact same symptoms as you. Walking around and working was okay, but laying in bed last about 20 minutes. Same hip. That was my first chiro visit ever. I left there and slept that night.
Am still fighting with it, results from injurys and not dealing with it before. Putting it off of course and only going when the pain got too bad. I have now buckled down and working on it before I lose more mobility in the hip.

My best suggestion is if a chiro is hurting you, find another. I find anymore, the younger ones are the best choice, their methods are far different. If you ever need a reference for someone that I'm thinking could get you fixed up, PM me, but he is in Red Deer.
And for what you seem to be ailing from.....Stretching everyday.

[laker]

Acupuncture treatments with chiro adjustments has cured my sciatica.

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by laker

Acupuncture treatments with chiro adjustments has cured my sciatica.

I phoned the laser health clinic and a shock wave clinic. Because I have few few large ostiophites (sp) bone spurs they both said their treatments may be disappointing. My doc says maybe on the sciatica but wants to rule out the hip before we go there. Scheduled he for a hip and bursa shot. He left me with a renewed prescription for tramacet which I just hate end is expensive and now I am not covered on my Blue cross 65. Since I have to pay out of my pocket my doc gave me the OK to consult with the 420 clinic.

Yesterday I had my hip shot and next week scheduled for bursa shot. No pain last night and slept better than for long time but doc says it may bee different when the freezing leaves, I was told that this is not a long range treatment.

Actually looking forward to the 420 clinic and hearing what they say. I have heard quite a few positives on line and a few geezer friends that have went that route. I am surprised how many have changed there attitude about this stuff since it has become legal for medical use.