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November 14, 2009 - 8:02pm
trouble walking distances with facet joint syndrome
Hi i was just wondering if anybody else has trouble , or is it normal to have a difficult time walking any great distance with facet joint syndrome. Also my pain gets worse the further I go and feels like everything is going to lock up. Thanks for reading my post. Just trying to get some answers.
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My back locks up on me when I try and walk any distance at all. I often get stuck in a hunched over position. Have you had a facet rhizotomy? I have found this to be helpful.
I am in no way associated with the medical field. Anything that I post comes from personal experience only.
DDD, Facet Arthropathy, DJD,Collapsed Disc, Sleep Apnea
PT, Epidurals, Facet Blocks,Medial Branch Block, Rhizotomy,Discogram,Annular Tare L3/L4 Endoscopic MicroD and PLDD,
Methadone, Percocet, Baclofen, Welbutrin
along with everything else i have facet joint hypertrophy and i cant walk far as it hurts like hell just to stand !
STRAKER
2010 just had a discography and now waiting for an ALIF open fusion {360 degree}
Count me in. Walking seems to start out ok, but then I get to the point where it hits me and I have to sit down. Standing for any length of time is also very difficult.
~ October 21, 2008 - ACDF, 3-level (C4/5, 5/6 6/7), with hardware and eight screws. All fused and hardware is stable.
~ January 6, 2010 - TLIF at L4/5, two rods and four pedicle screws.
~ July 2010 - New CT and MRI on cervical shows further problems above fusion at C2/3 and worst at C3/4.
I am in no way affiliated with the medical profession. Any recommendations I make are based on my personal experiences only, so do not take my comments as medical rules.
I have severe facet hypertrophy from L2 to L5 bilateral and OA in hands, knees and ankles. I cannot walk far either, but I am able to ride a stationary bike. You might considered that.
Sharon
I know how you feel. I've had to just stop to recover, then return home after getting only a short way, and creeping slowly along.
For me, it has always been a pelvic joint locked up, and the chiro frees it up for me.
However, in your case, I'd suggest that the pain is causing you to rest a lot and not do much of anything, for fear of the pain.
As a result, your muscle tone and overall fitness will be at a very low level.
Your muscles are working hard to protect the spine, and probably never relax. So when you walk, they are too knotted up to allow it as they can't stretch.
Pain is saying STOP!!!
Start to get better by giving your stressed back muscles a bit of TLC, with a remedial massage.
You might want to consider having one on a regular basis as part of a maintenance program to keep you mobile.
Bodies need more of this sort of care than we generally give them.
At least try the bike, it will give you a good cardio workout and for me it keeps me from hunching over due to the pain.
Good Luck,
Donna
I too have trouble with sustained walking (sustained anything, really), but I'm not sure it's my facet joints or the stenosis (or both), in my case. I find that when I go out I am okay for anything from 10-30 minutes (half that if I am carrying things), and then I start having problems. The pain gets more and more severe, my legs get weaker and weaker, and I have to stop and lean on things, sit down, or semi-collapse against the nearest wall if there is nowhere to sit. It's embarrassing, and all the more disheartening since I've always been a strong, fast walker. I'm also familiar with the 'lumbar lock-up' being described. It's like my back is being squeezed in an ever-tightening vice. I caught myself in a mirror when I was out shopping the other day, and I swear I looked like Frankenstein's monster, shuffling along...
Lumbar: DDD, degenerative spondylosis, severe stenosis, severe facet arthropathy, herniated and bulging discs, collapse at L4-5 and L5-S1 with retrolisthesis. Cervical: degenerative spondylosis, severe stenosis, cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Also, peripheral neuropathy. Decompressive laminectomy (L5-S1) in 1995. Currently in pain management.