Transverse Process Fractures

[TXBK]

Long story short...I jacked up my back. Minimally Displaced L1-4 Transverse Process fractures. Diagnosed via CT-Scan. It has been 10 days, and I will be having an MRI shortly to check for bulging disk(s) due to sciatic nerve pain.

I feel that I am progressing well, sometimes. Has anyone here experienced a Tranverse Process fracture(s)? I'm interested in the experience of someone with determination. I'm not buying into the estimated recovery time of normal people. The nerve pain is the worst part at this point. Any suggestions on dealing with and eliminating that? I have been told that this type of fracture is rare, but I am curious to see if someone here has experienced this and can share their experience with me.

[Hmac]

They hurt, and hurt for weeks. Of more relevance is the radicular pain along the sciatic nerve. Might be just inflammation from the injury that broke the transverse process, in which case it all should subside over a couple of weeks, or theremight be vertebral body displacement and/or nerve root impingement, especially if superimposed on already-existing narrowing of the nerve root foramen. Or, the injury may have also contributed to a rupture of the disk, in which case recovery time is uncertain.

Too many unknowns. Need to wait to see the MRI.

[PT Doc]

They hurt, and hurt for weeks. Of more relevance is the radicular pain along the sciatic nerve. Might be just inflammation from the injury that broke the transverse process, in which case it all should subside over a couple of weeks, or theremight be vertebral body displacement and/or nerve root impingement, especially if superimposed on already-existing narrowing of the nerve root foramen. Or, the injury may have also contributed to a rupture of the disk, in which case recovery time is uncertain.

Too many unknowns. Need to wait to see the MRI.

What he said.

[SeriousStudent]

Ouch! Good luck with your treatment and recovery, I hope you get better soon.

[TXBK]

Having never experienced a back injury or nerve pain, it is a strange feeling, even with the amount of injuries that I have had in my life. I want to push myself to recovery, like I have done with all of my other injuries, but I know that this one is different and the consequences of rupturing a disk can be severe. I feel and move better every day, but I don't want to cause further damage. I was back to work after a week. I have an MRI scheduled for Monday, and will also be fitted for a back brace.

[Shorts]

Yeah, I wrecked myself well, C5-C7. I can imagine the nerve pain. Some days I laid in bed and whimpered, and I have a high pain tolerance.

Follow your Doc's/PT's schedule, as in don't rush ahead and risk worse injury or chronic problems. Messing with the spinal cord is not something you should do, believe me. Get plenty of calcium & vitamin D, and eat well. Give your body the best conditions to heal. If you're a fast healer those bones will heal up in no time. I had to wear a halo, screwed into my skull. It was torture. I wanted out, badly.

Good luck.

[Arkansas Bob]

Put on the brakes and follow doctor's orders. That is not an injury to rush. Sciatic pain is a whore bitch. Wish you a speedy recovery my friend.

[TXBK]

The first few days were rough, and I mainly stayed static. Having experienced broken and separated ribs in the past, I knew what a core injury would mean for my digestive functions. Needlessly to say, I did not eat much. I made the mistake of holding a BM for 6 days when I separated my ribs, and learned my lesson from the outcome of that. Well, this time around, the little bit that I did eat was ready to make an appearance. The first week I was unable to sit upright, due to Sciatic pain. I quickly learned that I could take care of business effectively while semi standing with a little ingenuity. So, I avoided the pain and difficulty of one of the things that I was most worried about.

Sleeping was another major concern, and I didn't get much of it. Getting into bed wasn't too bad if I eased into it head-first. Getting out of bed also wasn't too bad if I did so feet-first from my stomach. I was able to get a few hours of sleep a night by lying on my stomach. During the day I would roll over and watch TV and read M4C. But, that roll over was where I experienced the most pain of the ordeal once I made it home from the initial accident. Knowing the pain was coming, I would just get rolled over and deal with it. Trying to ease into a roll over just prolonged the pain.

After the first few days, I started walking laps around the house and climbing the stairs a few times a day. A couple days after that, I ventured outside. Muscle spasms and Sciatic pain made it difficult, but I felt that I needed to get moving. After a couple of those days, I walked approximately a mile and got to check on my cattle for the first time (I had someone feeding them for me). I had pain in the mornings from sleeping in bed or a recliner. I began gaining movement from walking and was able to sit upright to use the indoor plumbing by day six. My wife was very happy with that achievement.

I drove for the first time on day seven, and it was difficult to get in and out. Day nine was time to go back to work. I told the guys that I work with that I would be back on that day, and I did it. Walking and climbing stairs all day wiped me out, but continued to improve movement. I started feeling good for a few hours a day. By day twelve, I was back to being able to drive the tractor and UTV. Climbing up and down to drive tractor was made easier from my walking. I could feel my body gaining the strength back that the original injury took away from me.

Today, on day thirteen, I began lifting 50 lb. feed sacks very carefully and fed my cows, myself. For the most part, I feel really good compared to just a few days ago. My recovery has progressed exponentially ever since I got off my ass and start pushing very carefully. I never went past the limit. I just pushed until I got to it. I still has some Sciatic pain during the act of sitting and standing, but I think that it is getting better the more I get my muscles stretched back out. The way that I have progressed exponentially has been the biggest shocker, and I feel that I'm going to be GTG in a few weeks.

Yeah, I wrecked myself well, C5-C7. I can imagine the nerve pain. Some days I laid in bed and whimpered, and I have a high pain tolerance.

Follow your Doc's/PT's schedule, as in don't rush ahead and risk worse injury or chronic problems. Messing with the spinal cord is not something you should do, believe me. Get plenty of calcium & vitamin D, and eat well. Give your body the best conditions to heal. If you're a fast healer those bones will heal up in no time. I had to wear a halo, screwed into my skull. It was torture. I wanted out, badly.

Good luck.

I appreciate you sharing your experience. My mother is a Nurse Practitioner and she has managed me as well as I have ever let her. My wife and mom have done a pretty good job.

[TXBK]

MRI findings came back, and aren't bad but aren't perfect. L1-L5 look good. The transverse process fractures aren't visualized by MRI. However, L5-S1 level show mild changes of degenerative disc disease were seen with disc desiccation, loss of disc height and a broad-based 3-4 mm annular disc bulge. There is a high signal intensity zone annular tear present. In concert with facet arthrosis, there is a mild narrowing of the lateral recesses and inferior neural foramina noted.

Movement and range of motion are increasing daily. Mild stretching coupled with climbing stairs and walking seem to be accelerating recovery. Mild bitching from female units is keeping lifting to a minimum.

[Hmac]

Your problem isn't disk-related. A pretty normal MRI report for an active, middle-aged male.