don't knock it till you try it: arthritis

My spine has been aching for the past 20 years. Although painful and annoying, this has never seemed unusual for me. Since it started when I was kid, I guess I just always assumed that it was something inevitable that I had to live with, like chronic feelings of self-loathing. 

So I was unfazed when, a couple weeks ago during dance class, I "threw out" my back while fake swing dancing with my friend Amy. It was the usual--shooting pain from the middle of my spine up into my neck, an inability to turn my head to the right without getting dizzy and nauseated, etc. 

Normally I would immediately make an appointment with my chiropractor, but this time I decided to wait to see what would happen. A couple days passed, and the pain stuck around, but got less severe. I could sort of turn my head to the right, at least enough to drive my car. But it was still hurting. 

This time around I made the bold decision to see my primary care doctor. I normally wouldn't even consider consulting a "normal" doctor about my chronic back pain, but I figured, why not? My chiropractor usually makes me feel better, but my head usually starts to hurt again within a day or two. Plus, I figured a western doctor might ignore the cause and simply treat the symptoms with a prescription for some muscle relaxants. Sometimes the easy way out is really tempting. 

My doctor entered the office and started quizzing me about my neck pain. I told her about the chronic headaches, the grinding of the teeth, the limited range of motion, et al. "How long has this been going on?" she asked me. I thought for a moment. "I guess about 20 years," I answered. 

She looked at me as if I was a little slow. "20 years?" she said, possibly trying to downplay her disbelief. "Have you ever had this checked out? Have you ever had x-rays of your spine?" I admitted the idea had never occurred to me.  

She sent me off to be x-rayed. When she came back to the room, she announced, "Well, someone definitely dropped you on your head when you were a baby. You have an incredible amount of arthritis in your neck for someone your age." 

I was dismayed. Arthritis? I figured I might get arthritis in 30 or 40 years, not now. Or, you know, not since childhood. She explained that it appeared to be the result of an injury, and asked me if I'd ever "fallen on [my] head during a cheerleading stunt." I said no, and began to brood about the question. "Do I look like a former cheerleader? I am not!" I thought huffily, even though I should probably be glad that she thought I have former-cheerleader potential, instead of imagining the real awkward, unpopular adolescent me. 

So I asked her what I can do about my newly discovered arthritis of the neck. She told me that physical therapy "might help," but that her immediate suggestion was to take lots of ibuprofen and "rest." And that was it. 

Somewhat depressed, and also skeptical, I decided to follow her advice for a day. I took handfuls of ibuprofen and it really didn't seem to make a dent in my constant headache. I refrained from running, but I felt stiffer and more uncomfortable than I do when I actually get some exercise.

I was not impressed with the treatment plan, and therefore abandoned it after a day in favor of my normal living routine. But the arthritis is hear to stay, and so, it seems, is the pain. Therefore, in future columns I will write about the other stuff I plan to try, including acupuncture and reading some book about back pain that supposed can "cure" whoever reads it.