q about going to the ER

[Su4n2]

---

Members don't see this ad.

hey guys,
my mom "threw her back out" and is in tremendous pain aka can't move. It's so bad that i have tried to do some OMM on her, but it's painful to even move her. all the fp, PM&R, OMM, chiropractors are closed for the weekend thru mon.

so she is wondering if i can take her to the er. i mean it's not an emergency. and what can they do for her? from my experience she would need like a nerve block, but they don't do that in the ER. So i'm thinking it will be like an eight hour weight (NY) just to get some pain meds.

what do u think?

 

[Su4n2]

never mind, i think she decided not to go. ah, dealing with parents... i will say that reading this forum the past couple of years have certainky schooled me in not taking "not emergency" problems to the ER. 🙂

 

[DrQuinn]

I can tell you what NOT to do. OMT is not indicated in the majority of acute injuries. If anything, I would just do soft tissue techniques (I don't think I would do muscle energy).
Q

 

[Su4n2]

Quinn,
I would disagree ewith you. obviolusly i would not do OMT on herniated disc, trauma, etc. i wasn't going to do HVLA either. but nothing wrong w/some countersrain, ME, soft tissue when someone bends down and has muscle spasm without any previous problem in area. i had horrific sciatica like pain for weeks that was fixwed with 3 min of OMT. relapsed in six months, fixed again. and OMM isn't even my thing...
having said that you are the doctor and i am a second year so i will heed your advice for now..

 

[DrQuinn]

Quinn,
I would disagree ewith you. obviolusly i would not do OMT on herniated disc, trauma, etc. i wasn't going to do HVLA either. but nothing wrong w/some countersrain, ME, soft tissue when someone bends down and has muscle spasm without any previous problem in area. i had horrific sciatica like pain for weeks that was fixwed with 3 min of OMT. relapsed in six months, fixed again. and OMM isn't even my thing...
having said that you are the doctor and i am a second year so i will heed your advice for now..

Sounds like you had chronic pain, OMT is ok for that. But if someone had an acute strain, even Day zero I wouldnt' do much OMT wise. 3-4 days later is ok, I think.
Q

 

[Su4n2]

thanks quinn !

 

[The White Coat Investor]

Now I'm not a DO, but I'm pretty open-minded re alternative medical techniques. My understanding was that the only data we have that supports spinal manipulation for pain is for ACUTE muscle strain (i.e. the first two weeks.) So I would contend that if you're going to do OMM, do it now, not later!

 

[Seaglass]

There is a NEJM review that is part of the new EM articles thingy that we are supposed to do every year now (you all know what I'm talking about). We went through it last week and it really is very helpful. I think you can get to it from the ACEP homepage.

 

[Su4n2]

hey, i have thought about this and here is what i think. if i wqas able to rule out any other serious stuff that could go wrong , which i can't cause i know nothing 🙂, and was able to determine that it was indeed muscle strain, OMT would be fine.

 

[Sessamoid]

I've "thrown my back out" once, quite badly. I didn't bother going to the ER either. Took some ibuprofen and finished the round of the tournament I was in.

Not a pleasant feeling though. My lower back was going through spasm cycles where it would suddenly drop me to the ground writhing in agony. The on-site massage therapists did wonders in temporarily relieving the pain and helping me finish the round (from which I didn't advance obviously).

 

[Chris_Topher]

indirect may be your answer.