KG421 18 Posted May 20 One of my biggest anxiety fears for the past few years has been losing the ability to walk. I don’t no why but I feel as though someday in my future I will be wheelchair bound. Not able to work or take care of myself. I’m afraid of needing to be taken care of and being a burden to my family. I’ve even spent time researching wheelchairs and motorized scooters. Thought about looking into a stair-less home and have physically felt like my legs won’t function. I’ve had low back, tailbone, hip and groin pain for 8 weeks now. My legs feel very stiff and weak. I’ve tried chiropractic. I’ve just started physical therapy and a two week dose of Prednisone. I have an MRI scheduled next week. The doctor doesn’t seem too concerned but is a bit stumped. Working is very painful for me right now. I stand all day and do repetitive bending, twisting and lifting. This causes a lot of inflammation in my low back and hips. I’m beginning to feel hopeless. Will they be able to figure out what’s going on? Will it be treatable? Will I just have to live with the pain? Will I have to quit working and go on disability? What if they can’t find anything wrong and this is all psychogenic? How do I get rid of it then? My anxiety is beginning to move on to possibilities of colon or ovarian cancer. Perhaps the pain is just a symptom of a worse condition? A couple things to note, this all started the day after I had my first Covid vaccine. I was doing great before then. I just returned from a trip to Disney World where you walk 10-20 miles a day. The months leading up to it, I was worried I won’t be able to walk. Again, researching scooter rental. My back pain started 6 weeks before my trip. The pain decreased a bit while I was there and I had no trouble walking. It got 10 times worse my first week back home. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ironman 55 Posted May 22 On 5/20/2021 at 12:42 PM, KG421 said: One of my biggest anxiety fears for the past few years has been losing the ability to walk. I don’t no why but I feel as though someday in my future I will be wheelchair bound. Not able to work or take care of myself. I’m afraid of needing to be taken care of and being a burden to my family. I’ve even spent time researching wheelchairs and motorized scooters. Thought about looking into a stair-less home and have physically felt like my legs won’t function. I’ve had low back, tailbone, hip and groin pain for 8 weeks now. My legs feel very stiff and weak. I’ve tried chiropractic. I’ve just started physical therapy and a two week dose of Prednisone. I have an MRI scheduled next week. The doctor doesn’t seem too concerned but is a bit stumped. Working is very painful for me right now. I stand all day and do repetitive bending, twisting and lifting. This causes a lot of inflammation in my low back and hips. I’m beginning to feel hopeless. Will they be able to figure out what’s going on? Will it be treatable? Will I just have to live with the pain? Will I have to quit working and go on disability? What if they can’t find anything wrong and this is all psychogenic? How do I get rid of it then? My anxiety is beginning to move on to possibilities of colon or ovarian cancer. Perhaps the pain is just a symptom of a worse condition? A couple things to note, this all started the day after I had my first Covid vaccine. I was doing great before then. I just returned from a trip to Disney World where you walk 10-20 miles a day. The months leading up to it, I was worried I won’t be able to walk. Again, researching scooter rental. My back pain started 6 weeks before my trip. The pain decreased a bit while I was there and I had no trouble walking. It got 10 times worse my first week back home. It sounds like that daily activity is causing problems. I have always remembered to use my legs and muscles when lifting things, not my joints or bones. Our muscles are supposed to carry the workload. I don't know if that is what is happening. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonathan123 2339 Posted May 23 Hi. JG421. Your doctor does not seem concerned and neither should you be. It is still a big surprise to me that very few of us recognise that anxiety has a wonderous box of tricks. ANY part of the body can be affected. Feeling unable to walk properly is but one. The limbs get weak from constant anxiety. Ever the strongest of men and women fall for this feeling. The expression 'My legs went like jelly' gives it away. Before a big job interview or a hospital appointment this can happen. But when we begin to worry about it overmuch it becomes chronic. It always passes if we accept that it is anxiety. Of course the doctor is stumped. There is very little training in medical schools about anxiety and it's affects. My doctor told me this, but fortunately he had been there himself and knew what it was like. Have your MRI then. when told you are OK, as you will be, try and ACCEPT it for what it is. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MARC 350 Posted May 23 Fear of uncertainty is behind many anxiety thoughts. You are not alone in the way you feel and most of us can't accept uncertainty 100 percent of the time. The key is to not let it affect your quality of life and this can take a lot of time and effort to accomplish, but it can be done. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KG421 18 Posted May 30 Finally got results back from the MRI. Everything looks really good. Just some disc degeneration/dehydration in my L5. Doctor said nothing that would be causing me the kind of pain I’m experiencing. While I’m happy it’s nothing serious, I am still in serious pain and having a hard time getting through the day. I am to do 6 sessions of physical therapy and then have a follow up with the dr. My PT said the MRI didn’t mention anything about my sacrum or SI joints. Now I’m worried that could be the issue and they’re missing it. Has anyone had pain or issues in that area? How did you deal with it? I’m trying to stay positive and hopeful that there will be an answer but I’m heading into week 10 of this and it’s getting harder to function. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MARC 350 Posted May 30 Many years ago when I was 20 years old I fell outside. Suddenly the middle of my back began to hurt pretty badly when I bent forward. I called my doctor and he told me to go to the ER. I walked in and they x-rayed my back and I sat in a room waiting for the results. Suddenly, a nurse and doctor came in and asked me how I felt and did I have feeling in my legs and could I go to the bathroom alright. I began to panic and I asked what was wrong. The doctor said I had a compression fracture of the T-6 or T-7 vertebrae (can't remember which one) and they were admitting me as an inpatient for observation immediately. I was in the hospital 6 days and was fitted for a brace that I had to wear for 6 months. After the six months was done, I was examined by an orthopedic surgeon (Jayasanker Menon), who also was called in to examine me in the ER and after I was examined, I was released. Even today, many years later when I have had a chest x-ray, the radiologist report still says, moderate to severe healed compression fracture of the T vertebrae. I have had little to no effects from the injury many years later. Odds are over time you should improve. Radiologists are highly trained and don't miss anything. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MARC 350 Posted May 30 Losing the ability to walk would be more likely from Parkinson's disease, MS and the like. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
