Question about human back pain/horse kissing spine with no thought behind it ;)

[GSLS]

I have a bad back (scoliosis) , even though that is a completely different kettle of fish compared to a horse's "kissing spine", why can't they deal with human back pain in such an effective way...

Why can't they inject steroids into a human "bad back" or whatnot like a hock injection...

I'm sure there's actually more effective ways and more of a variety of ways to cure animal's pains/ailments than there are humans and I know I wouldn't mind injections into my spine if it meant it would relieve it...


Silly question I'm afraid with very little sense behind it... Never had a horse with kissing spine either so not 100% what that entails lol...

You don't ask, you don't get so here goes...



Emily x x

 

[JinglebellJessi & MistletoeMagic]

Nothing to do with back but I have joint problems in my wrists. Physio said if I do my exercises without any improvement I can have steroid injections into the joint to lubricate it and pain relief.

This was a few years ago, but i'm sure it was steroid injections because i made a funny joke about my wrists getting popeye strong

So maybe you can, and its just in joints? I don't know, just sticking my oar in

 

[Circe]

You can get steroid injections into the back for back pain and sciatica...
Whether you'd want to is another matter.
I believe there are some questions about the effectiveness of the injections, ( I guess it depends what the presenting problem is ) and of course there are risks of having it done.
It might be worth talking with your dr to find out what treatment options are suitable for you OP.
Kx

 

[Suziq77]

I've had steroid injections in my foot (once, 2 years ago). Been pain free so far but it made my toenail go all funny and thin in texture. The doctor said they would do injections a maximum of 3 times then they couldn't do any more so the next alternative would be an op.

From the experience of having that huge needle in my foot under xray I wouldn't fancy having one in my spine!!!

 

[TarrSteps]

They can and do inject, do "cage" surgery etc for people as well as horses.

There are a couple of qualifiers though.

One, people can be made to look after themselves. They can be careful, do their exercises and understand how to moderate their lives to accommodate a problem. Horses are either functional or not functional, more or less.

Two, horses don't live that long and almost never die a "natural" death. Injections, for instance, are short term gain but do not do anything to slow degeneration and, in some cases, actually accelerate it. We trade our short term ability to have the horse comfortable and to use it for whatever we want, riding wise, against the best outcome long term. This seems to be something people don't - or don't want to - accept about some of the most common management options. When you are dealing with something like steroid injections for arthritic changes, it does not reverse the process or "cure" the horse, it merely slows the process and/or provides pain/inflammation relief. Which is not to say it's a bad idea - quite the opposite if you ask me - but it explains why human doctors take a much more conservative approach, because they don't want to give people a few good years (or even months - effects are not always predictable) at the risk of making them crippled later.

The one area in humans where the "horse rules" apply, is with athletes. Many, many professional athletes choose short term or aggressive treatment, knowing full well they will pay the price down the line. But, as in horses, the window of opportunity is relatively short and they consider it a reasonable choice. And they pay later, for sure. But for most people, who will live 70 odd years, it's not worth it to have only a few good years, hence doctors wanting to hold off on invasive procedures as long as possible.

 

[Irishcobs]

You can get steroid injections into the back for back pain and sciatica...
Whether you'd want to is another matter.
I believe there are some questions about the effectiveness of the injections, ( I guess it depends what the presenting problem is ) and of course there are risks of having it done.
It might be worth talking with your dr to find out what treatment options are suitable for you OP.
Kx

I had 2 injections in to my spine for a ruptured disc and sciatica, the first didn't work so had another done. Sadly that didn't work either and I had to be sedated to have the 2nd done as I hated the first so much. It was mutually agreed to give up on the injections then.

 

[Rhandir]

I also have scoliosis. I have had steroid injections into the facet joints, under an MRI, which was very effective but over time they don't work quite as well. The next step is electronic denervation which actually stops all the pain for quite a long time, until the nerves renew themselves.

The problem with scoliosis is that without surgical intervention, it will not get better .. ever. All is not lost though, but you do need to keep within your physical limitations whilst your back is being treated, just because you can no longer feel the pain doesn't mean that everything is sunshine and butterflies .. you still need to look after it which may mean making some changes to the way you tackle those everyday tasks.

PM me if you'd like a chat