extra deformed 6th lumbar, help

[Tad]

I have had serious lower back pain ever since I tried to stop a wall locker from falling off a truck when I was in the army, my legs locked up and my lower back caught all the weight, my life was ruined after that day, I have been going to the va hospital ever since i got out in 1994 and told them I had serious back pain they took an xray and said there was nothing wrong, well I went back numerous times to no availe and was even told that it was all in my head, The pain is unimaginable, in 2006 i found out that I had an extra 6th lumbar through a civilian hospital and they todl me to ge tthe va to take care of it, they dont like tn care lol and the va still insisted that there was nothing there, well i went back last summer and stayed at the domicilary for two months until they found out what was wrong, well it turns out the extra 6th lumbar is shaped like a jagged spear head and is smashed into everything you can imagine, so my spine is like a spear slammed into everything lol and the pain is like being damned to hell with no way out of it, please someone help me find an answer, my va hospital has let me down i need help bad, thanks for reading this and look forward to your replies . Tad

[chris arnold]

Very sorry to hear your story Tad. The saga of "there's nothing wrong" or "it's all in your head" is too frequent. The question is, what can be done about your badly damaged vertebra. I think some kind of further qualified opinion is needed from a specialist. The pain certainly needs addressing, and long term medication is generally best avoided.

Not sure what a va hospital is, but some alternative route is strongly indicated.

I wish you a better future.

[mcferguson]

Originally Posted by chris arnold

Not sure what a va hospital is, but some alternative route is strongly indicated.

I wish you a better future.

"VA" stands for Veterans Affairs, and the VA deals with all things related to military veterans here in the US.

[chris arnold]

Originally Posted by mcferguson

"VA" stands for Veterans Affairs, and the VA deals with all things related to military veterans here in the US.

Thanks for this information.

[Wise Young]

Originally Posted by Tad

I have had serious lower back pain ever since I tried to stop a wall locker from falling off a truck when I was in the army, my legs locked up and my lower back caught all the weight, my life was ruined after that day, I have been going to the va hospital ever since i got out in 1994 and told them I had serious back pain they took an xray and said there was nothing wrong, well I went back numerous times to no availe and was even told that it was all in my head, The pain is unimaginable, in 2006 i found out that I had an extra 6th lumbar through a civilian hospital and they todl me to ge tthe va to take care of it, they dont like tn care lol and the va still insisted that there was nothing there, well i went back last summer and stayed at the domicilary for two months until they found out what was wrong, well it turns out the extra 6th lumbar is shaped like a jagged spear head and is smashed into everything you can imagine, so my spine is like a spear slammed into everything lol and the pain is like being damned to hell with no way out of it, please someone help me find an answer, my va hospital has let me down i need help bad, thanks for reading this and look forward to your replies . Tad

You need an appropriate evaluation. You do not describe the pain. Is is localized to the lower spine or extend/radiate into a leg? This would suggest whether the problem is related to bone/joint pain in the spinel or due to compression of a spinal root.

A 6th lumbar vertebrae occurs in about 5% of the caucasian population and is more common amongst African populations. It is not necessarily associated with pain or dysfunction. The treatment of lower back pain in a person with a 6th lumbar vertebrae is not all that different a regular spine.

If there is evidence (neurological and imaging) of a lumbar disc protrusion that is pressing on a spinal root, it should be decompressed. If the deformity of the lumbar vertebra is causing a curvature of the spine, that can be addressed either with a wedge resection or rods.

The spinal cord ends just below L1 and so there should be no involvement of the spinal cord. There are only spinal roots at L5/S1. If there is no clear evidence of spinal root compression, the deformity is not causing curvature of the spine, and the spinal canal is not compromised, most surgeon would not be willing to operate because there is nothing to fix surgically.

Wise.