Case # 2
A 62 year old mother of six is seeing you in the clinic for the first time. She brought an MRI of her lumbar spine that she had taken earlier this year for her back pain.
She is the sole caregiver for her husband who is homebound because of his severe COPD. She complains of having more difficulty cooking and cleaning her house. She now has to use a chair in the kitchen while cooking.
She was seen by a Neurosurgeon who told her to come back when she can no longer walk.
She was offered a steroid injection but she simply could not afford the copay.
All of the following are true about this case except:
a) She can not walk for more than half a block
b) She has no pain when sitting
c) She has no back pain at night
d) There are no complaints of morning stiffness in her lower back
e) She has more difficulty going downhill than going uphill.
f) There is more heaviness with tightness in the back of her thighs with walking
g) She feels as if her legs are getting weaker in the last year