What Doctors Don't Tell YouSome 10 years ago, I had an injury caused by a heavy fall when one leg fell into a rabbit burrow. That was the start of my nightmare. An osteopath healed me at that time, and I continued a full and active life – eventually overdoing it.
Then, 20 months ago, I could barely walk more than 50 yards or stand in the Post Office queue. Chronic lower back pain was the problem: indeed, a nightmare enveloped my active life as I sat on the curb, recovering from the previous 50 yards. Various procedures, diagnoses, medications had totally failed to resolve the trouble. The 10-year old injury was the catalyst for my later agony.
I stood at the crossroads.
WDDTY’s front-page feature concerning back pain (vol 10 no 5) brought forward a letter from Dr B. Pattinson (vol 10 no 9), who particularly suggested that one contact the British Institute of Musculo-Skeletal Medicine (BIMM; tel: 01923 220 999) for help in finding a specialist. Or one could seek help from the London College of Chiropractic Medicine (tel: 020 7262 1128).
Within days, I was seen by an accredited osteopath, who sent me for an MRI scan and pointed the way to a very pleasant and positive consultant.
Within 10 weeks of that original contact, I was ‘on the table’. It was hoped that a most delicate operation at the level of L4/L5 (lumbar area, with an 80-90 per cent success rate) would relieve my awful suffering. I was very lucky and grateful to be able to access private healthcare.
On waking, the excruciating pain was gone. All seemed well – the discomfort in the nerve endings of my heel had gone. Now, after much careful postoperative effort, I painlessly ramble and cycle mile on mile on mile – such glorious bliss – and am, at last, nearly again in charge of our one-fifth-acre garden.
Thanks to your WDDTY and Dr Pattinson for guiding me to the right track, and a HUGE thank you to the surgeon, his team, the physiotherapist and hospital nurses who lovingly, and firmly, gave me my life back.- RP, Norfolk
Daniel Redwood DC
Tom Ferguson MD
