Case Summary  |  Osteoarthritis in sacro-iliac joint

I was a 19-year-old college student when I suddenly became unable to get out of bed without extreme pain in my lower back. After a lot of different NSAIDs, a doctor who didn't want to give enough painkillers and said there was nothing really wrong, and an injection into the joint that only worked for 2 weeks, I finally saw a pain specialist who gave me Vioxx and Flexeril and some exercises. With those two medications I was able to go back to school and begin to function normally. When Vioxx was taken off the market, I went through Bextra and diclofenac, which were not as effective, and the health center refused after a certain point to refill my muscle relaxers. Luckily by that point my back was strong enough to allow me to manage my pain. Now I have to have a certain kind of chair, I can't sit in certain ways, and I take ibuprofen when my back gets too bad.