What to expect next?

LillyPatton

New Member
Registered Member
Injured my back in my previous unit never mentioned it due to not wanting to be looked at different. Last year i injured it again and did months of physical therapy with no improvement. This year i started back on physical therapy as the pain has gotten worse. I ended up getting on temp profile around june and have been on one since at the same time i have been attending physical therapy with no improvement. I have gotten xrays and mri's done.(results of the mri will be below) Just looking for advice on what to expect next and/or what to plan for. Im 27 with my previous mos being 11b and my current one in intel. I have roughly 1.5 years left on my current contract and just lost on what to do as this is also effecting me mentally as i cannot do activities i once loved without pain restricting me.

L3-4: There is mild posterior and posterolateral disc bulging. The central canal is widely patent. Mild bilateral inferior neural foraminal narrowing noted.
L4-5: There is mild posterior and posterolateral disc bulging with associated small posterior and posterolateral osteophyte formation resulting in mild mass effect upon the anterior thecal sac. The central canal is widely patent. Bilateral degenerative facet hypertrophy changes are present with ligamentum flavum thickening of the 7 mm. There is mild bilateral inferior neural foraminal narrowing without encroachment.
L5-S1: There is posterior subluxation of L5 on S1 of 5 mm. There is mild posterior and posterolateral disc bulging which does flatten the anterior thecal sac. Bilateral degenerative facet hypertrophy changes are present without ligamentum flavum thickening. The central canal is widely patent. There is moderate right and left neural foraminal narrowing with abutment of the exiting right nerve root.
IMPRESSION:
1. Degenerative disc disease noted L3-4 through L5-S1. Degenerative facet changes noted L4-5 and L5-S1
2. Mild dextrocurvature of the lower thoracic and lumbar spine.
 
Injured my back in my previous unit never mentioned it due to not wanting to be looked at different. Last year i injured it again and did months of physical therapy with no improvement. This year i started back on physical therapy as the pain has gotten worse. I ended up getting on temp profile around june and have been on one since at the same time i have been attending physical therapy with no improvement. I have gotten xrays and mri's done.(results of the mri will be below) Just looking for advice on what to expect next and/or what to plan for. Im 27 with my previous mos being 11b and my current one in intel. I have roughly 1.5 years left on my current contract and just lost on what to do as this is also effecting me mentally as i cannot do activities i once loved without pain restricting me.

L3-4: There is mild posterior and posterolateral disc bulging. The central canal is widely patent. Mild bilateral inferior neural foraminal narrowing noted.
L4-5: There is mild posterior and posterolateral disc bulging with associated small posterior and posterolateral osteophyte formation resulting in mild mass effect upon the anterior thecal sac. The central canal is widely patent. Bilateral degenerative facet hypertrophy changes are present with ligamentum flavum thickening of the 7 mm. There is mild bilateral inferior neural foraminal narrowing without encroachment.
L5-S1: There is posterior subluxation of L5 on S1 of 5 mm. There is mild posterior and posterolateral disc bulging which does flatten the anterior thecal sac. Bilateral degenerative facet hypertrophy changes are present without ligamentum flavum thickening. The central canal is widely patent. There is moderate right and left neural foraminal narrowing with abutment of the exiting right nerve root.
IMPRESSION:
1. Degenerative disc disease noted L3-4 through L5-S1. Degenerative facet changes noted L4-5 and L5-S1
2. Mild dextrocurvature of the lower thoracic and lumbar spine.
Just got pushed into a P2 profile and referred to pain management. If pain management fails to help with my current state what would the next steps be P3?
 
Just got pushed into a P2 profile and referred to pain management. If pain management fails to help with my current state what would the next steps be P3?
P3 means IDES. Basically you just have to keep seeking treatment. If your docs don't think you can get back to where you need to be then they will issue a P3.
 
So just an update to see if anyone knows whats coming next or if ive hit a wall. I just did my first round of injections and to no surprise it made my back pain much much worse. During my follow up the only thing that was suggested was more injections to which i denied due to the amount of pain it caused with no relief, i was then told that more injections or just continuing physical therapy were my only 2 options. I schedlued a appointment with my PCM to see what he suggest but thats 4 weeks out sadly. I havent been prescribed any pain medicine for my back only muscle relaxers to help with sleep thats still only allows me maybe 4-5 hours on a good night.
 
So just an update to see if anyone knows whats coming next or if ive hit a wall. I just did my first round of injections and to no surprise it made my back pain much much worse. During my follow up the only thing that was suggested was more injections to which i denied due to the amount of pain it caused with no relief, i was then told that more injections or just continuing physical therapy were my only 2 options. I schedlued a appointment with my PCM to see what he suggest but thats 4 weeks out sadly. I havent been prescribed any pain medicine for my back only muscle relaxers to help with sleep thats still only allows me maybe 4-5 hours on a good night.
Sorry to hear that! Its like talking to a brick wall. However, your main option is to seek treatment. Maybe talk to an obudsman if your branch has one. They can sometimes advocate for treatment on your behalf. At some point they will try to MEB you if you run out of treatments and your condition doesn't allow you to do your job. I would start with just trying to get a restrictive profile. That would be a good start as it would protect you from hurting you further and those restrictions will show them that your condition(s) prevent you from doing your job.
 
Top