Connective Tissue Disorders in Relation to Fractures, Sprains, Other Injuries

[harleygirl528]

Hi There,

Recently Adam posted that he had sustained a meniscal (sp?) tear in his knee that is going to require surgery. In a response to that post it was noted that there is a relationship between connective tissue disorders and bone fractures, sprains, and other joint and bone related tears and injuries. I am really interesting in this whole concept of connective tissue disorders and BAVD in relation to "tears, ruptures and breaks". I guess I gathered from that that those of us with BAVD will injure ourselves easier than others?
As many of you know, I was diagnosed with my aortic aneurysm during an MRI to take a closer look at a compression fracture of my spine at the level of T8. I wasn't involved in a serious accident or a fall, as is usually the case with spinal fractures. I don't even know exactly when I sustained my injury other than a slip off my deck which occured months before the severe pain presented.
So.....just wondering if those of us with BAVD are more prone to these types of injuries and what we can do to protect ourselves from future injuries....I guess we need to check out even minor injuries and accidents to ensure that we haven't sustained a more serious injury. Any thoughts or info on this would be appreciated.

 

[alpha 1]

connective tissue disorder

connective tissue disorder

Hi,
I talked to the doctor on the west coast last night. I asked if blunt force trauma could cause a valve to act up, because my son wrecked his dirt bike in 2000, and he said he flew about 100 feet and hit with such force he couldn't get his breath for awhile. The doctor said that that could have caused a tear in the valve, that caused it to get worse and I have to wander if you do not have the tissue disorder if it would have been totally fine. Who knows though. We haven't had any other problems with broken bones or anything and he has been pretty accident prone. By the way, the doctor is wonderful. Did you have a good visit with him when you went for your check up. Im glad your doing ok.
alpha 1

 

[Tom F.]

Well, I had an ascending aortic aneurysm but with a normal valve. The aorta is made of nearly the same tissue that holds joints together, hence connective tissue. All I know is that after 30 years of karate and judo my injury history falls heavily into dislocations of joints, as opposed to bone fractures. Since my surgery I have wondered myself whether my connective tissues have issues. But all of my doctors sort of shrug that idea off.

 

[aussigal]

I think the BAV website has some more info on this topic. I know personally that I suffer from spondylitis (arthritic spine) where most of the discs have herniated etc. I had carpal tunnel in both hands operated on and have now had bi-lateral Golfers elbow for the last 3-4 years.

Further reading on this subject will probably lead through info on Ehlers-Dahnlos and Marfans which are probably more well known connective tissue disorders. BAV shares some similarities to these but is not as well documented yet. I found it fascinating to read.

 

[harleygirl528]

That is so interesting Aussigal...I also have an arthritic spine, discovered after I fracture my back and they ran a ton of tests, along with some other things to do with the lumbar spine. Unfortunately, the discovered the aneurysm right in the middle of the treatment for my back so I didn't really get to complete the diagnostic and treatment phase for all the back issues. My ortho said he was nervous even having me in the exam room after the aneurysm was discovered and didn't feel comfortable dealing with me until after the heart surgery.
So, with that said, I do have an appt Mar 25 with the ortho and I will be sure and mention to him the possible connection with all these symptoms and BAVD and connective tissue disorder. I will be sure to check out the BAV website for more info. It may answer a lot of questions as to how I possibly injured my spine in such a serious way without a major accident, etc.
Thanks for the input!

 

[aussigal]

The one treatment that I had on my back that was very good was a "Facet Rhizotomy" . Its when they fry/zap the ends of your nerves, I found it especially useful in stopping back spasms. I was able to go on living without those awful spasms for around 9 months. However now that I have had OHS they are hesitant to do the procedure again because of the possibility of infection (it involves long needles into your spine .

I saw a Neurosurgeon, a Rheumatologist and a Pain-management Doc for my back....It appears our options become somewhat limited because we are on Warfarin and have artificial heart-valves. Medication and aqua therapy look to be our best option. The good news is that once we get a bit older our spines will start to fuse naturally and the pain will majically go away!. In my opinion surgery for an arthritic spine is pretty pointless 'cos the bone spurs just grow back to stabilise the wobbly spine again, which is why they grew in the first place.

sorry if I ramble on too much....hope you find some relief

 

[harleygirl528]

That's very interesting....I will see if perhaps I am a candidate for the "Facet Rhizotomy" since I am not on Warafin and do not a mechanical valve (or tissue for that matter since I had a repair).

At this point, I would be willing to do just about anything for some relief. As you know, the OHS really aggravated the back and neck problems. I saw my primary care provider today and she said it is still too soon after surgery for some of the manipulative therapies, etc. but hopefully my orthopedic will be more willing to start some treatment.


You mentioned "aqua therapy" what is that exactly and have you found relief from that? And, other than anti-inflammatories like Motrin, muscle relaxers and narcotics what else have you found helpful for the pain?

Everyone prepared me ahead of time for the fact that the OHS issues would not be my major problem post-operatively, it would be more my back hat was going to cause the lingering issues but I guess I am just ready to get back to feeling good~it's been 7 weeks today and still not there.
Thanks for your input. I'll look into some of the recommendations.
Take care!

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Lorie,

I've seen TV ads for something called "Decompression Therapy" for Back Pain. I wonder if that might not help (and not be contraindicated by your OHS). Does 'gentle massage' help?

Hope you find some relief.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Magic8Ball]

Thought the same at times....

I've always been 'flexible' and been very active with contact sports.

I always thought that it was my 'red flag to a bull' attitude that caused my many broken bones, sprains, ligament damage etc.

I suppose there could be something in it but i'm past doing that stuff now anyway.

Regards.

 

[aussigal]

At 7 weeks post-op you are still in the early days (although you feel you have come along way: and indeed you have!). It took a good 3 months before I started to feel physically close to normal, By 6 months I was back to normal and could definately say any lingering back pain was not from the surgery, it was my regular normal back-pain.

Facet Rhizotomy will only help if its your facet joints that are the cause of your pain....they can do a series of "blocks" (anaesthetic) to determine this.

If it is muscles that are giving you grief muscle relaxers may well be your easiest and most versatile answer. I found no relief with anti-inflammatories though I am much more restricted than you are because of warfarin and my mech. valve, I'd say they are also worth a try.

Aqua therapy was fabulous...You may know it by another name...hydrotherapy...exercises specific to your injury in a nice warm pool. If your scar is totally healed you should be able to enjoy this now, even some gentle swimming should bring some relief. Oh , and my favourite....the spa/jacuzzi jets aimed on tender spots was also fabulous . The hydrotherapy sessions i went to had a physiotherapist who worked out specific routines especially for each person. All ages and injuries were catered for. Lots of people got great benefit from the classes. Unfortunately our centre has closed and I havent chased up an alternative but I really should as it helped lots and I felt great for awhile there.