Question
47/m involved in head on collision 3 yrs ago..have had a discograph have a moderate tear in l4/l5...and severe tear l5/s1..with sciatica left leg for almost 3 yrs now..my question is why won't anyone do something to fix this?..i have seen two 2nd opinions both say fusion but they don't do them..have seen two other surgeons won't operate.have had fifty thousand tests ( figure of speech)..presently on morphine to control pain. also ct/mylogram says a nerve touching but not impinging. any help????

Answer
If the nerve is not impinged, that means there is "room", most of the pain is present positionally, meaning it comes when you sit or stand too long, etc.  I would look into some chiropractic treatments, specifically doctors that do spinal traction, or in my case, SOT.  We currently treat a hand full of patients with similar symptoms, and have got excellent results.  A lot of times muscles can impinge on nerves and cause similar complaints, usually caused by misalignment of a bony attachment (ilium, vertabrae, etc).  Not all chiropractic addresses symptoms such as yours.  If you are interested, go to www.sorsi.com to locate a doctor near you.  I am a member of this group and would trust any one of them with my own family.  Or you call around to local chiropractors and describe your symptoms and most will tell you whether they would be able to help or not.  I am located in Minnesota in the Twin Cities and would be more than happy to see you.  Or if you have any other question or need some other assistance locating a doctor near you, please email me.