Calcium Buildup and Missing Disc in Spine

[fabric]

Recently my father was having some pains in the lower body when he would move in certain positions, usually down his whole left leg. At first it was occasional but they have been slowly getting worse and more intense. He went to the doctor and they did some tests and x-rays, etc. and found that he is missing some disc from his lower spine, around L2/L3, as well as some calcium build up on the vertebrae (see attached pics). What is interesting is that the area where some disc is missing is on the far end, way from the cavity where the nerve runs through, so he wasn’t sure how it was somehow pinching the nerve. He told me that he thinks he might have cracked a vertebrae 30-40 years ago in a motorcycle accident and never went to a doctor about it.

Anyway he went to 2 different doctors, one wants to do surgery while another is telling to just exercise and strengthen the muscles to keep the spine in the correct position. He’d like to avoid surgery and all its complications yet the exercise solution also seems to be lacking. I think so too. I did mention to him some supplements that he could take to help (like bone broth or at least a good quality gelatin as well as magnesium). The 2 things at issue we think are the missing disc material, and the calcium buildup. The doctors say that it is close to fusing - which if the calcium continues to build, it may happen. That is why they are looking at surgery to remove the material. However that would only buy time as it is possible it would still be building up.

His diet isn’t the greatest (he still eats bread or dairy) but stopped eating fast food and mostly eats home cooked food. I’ve mentioned diet (he knows about gluten and dairy) and I think is aware of the benefits. Not sure if he will explore that option more but I’ve mentioned it and he’ll probably be more open to trying it as he is on the brink of developing serious complications if he doesn’t start taking more drastic measures if he wants to avoid surgery. I do think that at least getting rid of inflammatory foods like dairy and wheat will at the very least help with the pain when it hits.

So aside from the above, I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions on some supplements or therapy that can improve his condition. I know that magnesium should help with the calcium buildup but not sure if there is any way to remove what’s there without surgery if it turns out that it is still causing issues (assuming he is able to rebuild his disc). I think though if he is able to fix the disc issue it won’t be a problem and all he’d need to do is prevent more calcium from building up there. I remember reading that DMSO was also good for sprains and other injuries so that might also be something he can try. I’ve also wondered if a chiropractor would be of any help to him. I went to see one a while back but wasn’t too impressed. Basically you see them for 3 minutes; they crack your back and come back again a few days later. In order to see results you need to come for at least a year or longer and it started getting expensive after a few visits so I stopped. I read many mixed things (from "it saved my life" to "it's a scam" so I wasn’t too sure if that was worth suggesting.

One interesting thing though was when we were in Panama at the beach for a few days, the pain was very minimal/non-existent. We attributed that to the fact that walking on sand by/in the ocean is a great way to ground one's self. So thinking getting a grounding mat for when he's at work would be good too.

About the pictures: the x-ray shows where the calcium buildup is (bright white triangle inside the circle) and the missing disc material (black void). The 3d image is a detailed view of the area.

 

[monotonic]

I know there are a few things that the body needs in order to get calcium where it needs to go and remove it from where it shouldn't be. Boron is one. I think another was vitamin K2.

 

[Lilou]

If it were me, I'd be inclined to use 70% DMSO (diluted in distilled water) combined with the enzyme papain. Papain is isolated from Papaya and will dissolve calcium build up from bone spurs. I have not tried this, but read that it does work. Aside from proper magnesium supplement, bone broth for minerals and gelatin, I'd give the DMSO/papain topical a go (with frequency of application dependent upon response) and once some improvement has occurred (with noticeable decrease in inflammation), I'd seek a well qualified/gentle chiropractor to re-align the lower spine. 400 mg twice a day of ibuprofen may also provide some benefit to break the inflammation cycle.

My mother has suffered sciatica (she broke her tail bone as a child and has a long standing misalignment). She was able to recover with a chiropractor. Aside from manipulation, the chiropractor also used a "laser" light treatment of some sort (I'm not familiar with it) but mom said it really helped with inflammation. She now only goes for adjustments as needed. The initial therapy was once a week for 4-5 weeks.

Best of luck to your father. I would advise against surgery, that is a last resort in most cases (unless you consult a surgeon, then its first response :P ).

 

[nicklebleu]

The problem with imaging the back for pain is that you cannot image pain. At a certain age you will almost always find something, and this will of course be attributed to be the source of the pain. However there is little if any correlation between findings in a CT/ MRI scan, apart from some very specific circumstances. Invariably inflammation plays a major role. Another thing is reactive muscle spasms at trigger points.

Going down the road of surgery would be my ultimate resort. Often there is not much benefit, and in a number of cases things get worse. Of course surgeons want to operate, that's what they do.

So my advice would be, apart from supplements already mentioned, to ...

1) Reduce inflammation
Going off gluten would be a first major step and might already improve things a lot.

2) Manageing trigger points
I used to have back pain a lot, making my life quite miserable at times. Laura mentioned somewhere the work of a science writer called Ingraham, who has written exensively about trigger point therapy. His work was quite a turnaround for me. He uses a tennis ball to massage the painful trigger points. Initially you have to do that almost every two hours, but over time the symptom-free intervals get longer. I now carry with me a tennis ball wherever I go. His website can be found here.

3) Resistance training
Once the pain becomes manageable, I would further advise your father to train up his back muscles. For me this has been another success. While trigger point therapy does reduce the pain massively, it doesn't in my case go completely, unless I regularly do resistance training. I use a kettle bell for this, and there are numerous training programs on the net. The important thing is to start with a low weight (maybe 6kg) and work your way up.

Hope that helps!

 

[Mr. Premise]

There's a good article in this week's New Yorker by Atul Gawande about unnecessary procedures. One of them he discusses is unnecessary back surgery and it sounds similar to your father's case. Here's the link: _http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/11/overkill-atul-gawande

 

[CNS]

I recently hurt my back while moving. I tried DMSO (70% cream), which did relieve the pain temporarily, allowing me to function at work. When I wasn't at work, I would wear a back brace and that seemed to help hold my back straight, therefore dulling the pain as well. I also used anti-inflammatories which were effective at times.

But nothing really got to the source of the problem until I focused on my posture. I slouch...a lot. I think most of us do. So, I started sitting up straight, all the time. In my car, at home, and when sitting in front of the computer. I walked upright. I stopped crossing my legs. I noticed relief immediately. I did this for a couple of months until I was healed. I still notice twinges at times, and that reminds me that I am not in good posture. Maybe suggest this to your dad. Perhaps walking in the sand somehow forced him to walk more upright, engaging certain muscles in the back that in return lessened the burden on the nerve(s)?

 

[MusicMan]

Twenty years ago I slipped a disc in the area your father has his injury.
Initially it was pain killers and anti-inflammatories, but my biggest relief was by doing baby pushups, (a pushup which leaves the lower body on the ground) about ten a day.
In addition, I obtained some magnets from (old) computer hard drives, and taped them to my belt, either side of my spine.
After three months of this, virtually pain free.
You still have to watch the posture, I found the body tells you when you're doing it wrong.
Hope your father gets some relief. It takes 'time' and patience.

 

[Gaby]

Great advise. Some people who have worse changes in their column have no pain. Others have no changes and still have pain. If the neurological functioning of the nerves is preserved and not dangerously compromised, he could manage his pain with diet and complementary therapies and supplements.

If the muscles are very contracted, local heat will help them relax. Then any topical remedy such as comfrey root or DMSO will get absorbed better.

Hopefully he will get some relief by reducing inflammation.

 

[Laura]

Oh, that's a nasty looking one! I know how that can hurt, too, because I had it and they wanted to do surgery on me when I was 25. But I refused it. Over the years, it got worse and worse. But, back in the 1990s, a chiropractor told me that drinking distilled water would help to leech out the excess calcium, so that's when I started drinking it and have been doing so ever since. Also, the one thing that really helped was eliminating gluten, dairy, nightshades from the diet. I mean, REALLY helped. Like getting pain free. Taking magnesium also helps, and yeah, DMSO for immediate pain. The body can repair itself, but only if it has what it needs and you eliminate what causes inflammation.

 

[Thaigrr]

Oh, that's a nasty looking one! I know how that can hurt, too, because I had it and they wanted to do surgery on me when I was 25. But I refused it. Over the years, it got worse and worse. But, back in the 1990s, a chiropractor told me that drinking distilled water would help to leech out the excess calcium, so that's when I started drinking it and have been doing so ever since. Also, the one thing that really helped was eliminating gluten, dairy, nightshades from the diet. I mean, REALLY helped. Like getting pain free. Taking magnesium also helps, and yeah, DMSO for immediate pain. The body can repair itself, but only if it has what it needs and you eliminate what causes inflammation.

That would be the number 1 advice from me! Stretching also helped my rehab immensely, especially pelvic rotations and what some refer to as "twerking" motions. (I thought my

therapist was joking for that particular suggestion). All of the intregal health of our core connectedness seems to be dependent on a high degree of flexibility. Hope this helps!

 

[fabric]

Thanks for all tips guys, I really appreciate it. I'm thinking I'll send some info on DMSO and some other supplements. I've also read that glucosamine could help. I know the best thing to try is modifying his diet, so he might be more open to it this time. Funny enough he mentioned that the doctor found gallstones too. Apparently there is a new method of removing them that doesn't involve removing the gallbladder itself, so I hope that goes well. He'll probably want to keep it if he tries a low-carb high fat diet!

 

[Alana]

One interesting thing though was when we were in Panama at the beach for a few days, the pain was very minimal/non-existent. We attributed that to the fact that walking on sand by/in the ocean is a great way to ground one's self. So thinking getting a grounding mat for when he's at work would be good too.

Did he do any swimming while you were in Panama? I am asking because one of the things that greatly helped with my lower back (disc moved pinching a nerve) was swimming. After the pain became manageable of course. But to get to the swimming stage, I had to keep lying flat for 2 weeks, and any movement was SO painful! I would move to take a shower, visit the bathroom and go to physiotherapy. I was eating with my plate resting on my chest, it was an awful period all around. In physio, they would scan some electromagnetic warm waves over the affected area for about half an hour, and I think it helped a lot in my situation.

If he in so much pain too, I hope it becomes a motivation for him to start a gluten/dairy free diet at least. I was not aware of the diet/inflammation relationship back then, but since going paleo and then keto, I rarely have back pain anymore, and when I do, it's because I used postures and movements that I shouldn't have.

 

[Meg]

Ocean water is rich in magnesium, so some transdermal magnesium oil would probably help, too.