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vertebral fractures
9/23 17:39:53

Question
My husband was hit by a car from behind whilst cycling to work.  The car was going around 45-50 mph.  He was thrown over the handlebars and hit the ground.  Luckily the car stopped before he hit him.
He was taken to hospital on a spinal board and xrayed.  They reported NBI and NAD and sent him home with a sprain/strain as a diagnosis.  He could not walk at this time but could move his legs.  He crawled to the sofa a few yards away from my car but could get no further.  He then stayed there for 3 days.  He then had to go and see the doctor (who was not likely to come out for a sprain) to get pain meds but then basically stayed on that sofa for three months.  He still sleeps on it now nearly two years later and he spends most of his time on it.  
His recovery has been too slow.  He is in constan pain and on oxycodone hyrdrochloride which is less effective now.  He gets sharp shooting pains which sometimes make him jump and cry out.  Any movement is painful and he sleeps excessivley (10-20 hours per day - now averaging 14 hours if he rests all day, 16 if more active).  More so if he is more active.  
He has no feeling in the buttock area on which he landed which causes problems - but the nerves in this area do seem to be recovering a little.  He also gets spells of numbness and tingling in his calf and foot.  Shooting pains run down his leg and up his spine.  
A year after the accident he discovered he had fractured vertebrae (and also discovered these were present on the initial xrays but were ignored).  There is around 75% loss of height at T12, 60% at T11, 30% at T6 and 7 and 20% at T8 and 9.  The discs look abnormal and so do the vertebrae margins.  There is a bony spur projecting into the spinal canal but it does not compress the cord.  Some of the discs seem to bulge into the canal slightly but this is only slight.  There seems to be some loss of disc height.  
Around 2 years after the accident his pain is still excessive and he sleeps his life away.  He can not enjoy any of his old hobbies or socialise with family or friends.  We have 2 small children.

Answer
I'm kind of at a loss for words.  I would suggest getting a second opinion, go to a neurosurgeon or an orthopedic surgeon and see what they say.  If they say nothing, you can try a gentle chiropractic technique like SOT.  I practice SOT in my office and have done a great deal for injuries such as your husbands.  Not all chiropractic is the same so be careful if you decide to look into this option.  You may also consider a psychologist.  A lot of your husbands issues could be mental too, trauma is an ugly thing and can cause multiple problems.  As for the disc issues, as long as they are not impinging on the spinal cord he is alright.  The numbness in his leg could be due to the trauma causing hip rotation which in turn causes muscle spasm which can impede on nerves causing the symptoms he is experiencing.  Chiropractic can help with that.  I hope this helps a little, email me with any other questions you might have.

Dr. Starbuck

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