Lucy's Sciatica
Lucy, a 63 year old, wheel-chair bound lady presented at my clinic with left low back and buttock pain which ran into the left leg and ankle (sciatica, click here to read article). She also reported pain over the right shoulder joint. Lucy is a retired make up artist, who previously used to horse ride every other day until 2 ˝ years ago.
Unfortunately, at that time she had a fall and fell on her head and buttocks, immediately afterwards she experienced neck and head pain. This reduced after 2 weeks and a low grade central back pain began. She also noticed that she was dragging her left foot, which is when she consulted her G.P. Following this, she was subsequently under the care of a neurologist who investigated her low back and pelvis.
Lucy’s pain changed and she started experiencing pain and numbness in her left leg. Due to the progression of this pain, she was using a wheel-chair and was sleeping in a recumbent chair. On top of all this Lucy had been experiencing urinary incontinence over the past 2 ˝ years, which she said has become better over time. Lucy was still under the care of a Neurologist, who had fully investigated her head and spine and prescribed her medication for the pain – however, was unsure of the exact cause of her troubles.
As if this wasn’t enough, Lucy also fractured her right upper arm and her left knee cap was removed due to a fracture and her leg was at a 90 degree angle (she could not straighten it!).
There were 3 major areas of concern, the sciatica, the left leg contracture and the poorly healed right glenohumeral joint. Lucy was still undecided on surgery for the right upper arm, therefore we both felt that our focus should be on the other areas.
I informed Lucy that what I could do for her might be limited, but was willing to do what I could. She said that she would be grateful for any help, so we set about discussing what could be done. I applied some basic osteopathic principles and treated Lucy once a week for six months. Over this period we slowly incorporated self help activities, which included a regular massage, strengthening and exercise routine, plus the addition of a banister fitted at home on the wall to encourage standing movements (with the help of a friend!). We also discussed the possible psychological aspects of being in a wheelchair and coping with constant pain and we decided to “rope” a few friends into the process to allow her to start enjoying life.
During the months of treatment Lucy reported the following: an improvement in her bladder control, consistent pain relief of up to ten hours following treatment, a reduction in the intensity of pain, the pain no longer travelled below the knee, she was able to straighten her left leg more, a reduction in the frequency of the medication she takes and perhaps most importantly she is able to sleep in a bed!
This case study is intended to demonstrate that osteopathy has the ability to help a wide range of conditions. Treatment results will inevitably be based on circumstance, the practitioner and the patients' symptoms, however, this case study demonstrates that osteopathy is often a treatment worth considering.
To find out more information on leg pain follow the link below:
Sciatica
Unfortunately, at that time she had a fall and fell on her head and buttocks, immediately afterwards she experienced neck and head pain. This reduced after 2 weeks and a low grade central back pain began. She also noticed that she was dragging her left foot, which is when she consulted her G.P. Following this, she was subsequently under the care of a neurologist who investigated her low back and pelvis.
Lucy’s pain changed and she started experiencing pain and numbness in her left leg. Due to the progression of this pain, she was using a wheel-chair and was sleeping in a recumbent chair. On top of all this Lucy had been experiencing urinary incontinence over the past 2 ˝ years, which she said has become better over time. Lucy was still under the care of a Neurologist, who had fully investigated her head and spine and prescribed her medication for the pain – however, was unsure of the exact cause of her troubles.
As if this wasn’t enough, Lucy also fractured her right upper arm and her left knee cap was removed due to a fracture and her leg was at a 90 degree angle (she could not straighten it!).
There were 3 major areas of concern, the sciatica, the left leg contracture and the poorly healed right glenohumeral joint. Lucy was still undecided on surgery for the right upper arm, therefore we both felt that our focus should be on the other areas.
I informed Lucy that what I could do for her might be limited, but was willing to do what I could. She said that she would be grateful for any help, so we set about discussing what could be done. I applied some basic osteopathic principles and treated Lucy once a week for six months. Over this period we slowly incorporated self help activities, which included a regular massage, strengthening and exercise routine, plus the addition of a banister fitted at home on the wall to encourage standing movements (with the help of a friend!). We also discussed the possible psychological aspects of being in a wheelchair and coping with constant pain and we decided to “rope” a few friends into the process to allow her to start enjoying life.
During the months of treatment Lucy reported the following: an improvement in her bladder control, consistent pain relief of up to ten hours following treatment, a reduction in the intensity of pain, the pain no longer travelled below the knee, she was able to straighten her left leg more, a reduction in the frequency of the medication she takes and perhaps most importantly she is able to sleep in a bed!
This case study is intended to demonstrate that osteopathy has the ability to help a wide range of conditions. Treatment results will inevitably be based on circumstance, the practitioner and the patients' symptoms, however, this case study demonstrates that osteopathy is often a treatment worth considering.
To find out more information on leg pain follow the link below:
Sciatica
