bulging/ herniated disc

[701superjet]

i hurt my back about a year ago jetskiiing and im over my back pain i really want to get this better, i have a bulged disc at L5 and it is now starting to cause pains down my left leg. im just looking for your recovery stories, therapy, surgery suggestion ect.

i am starting a yoga class, i have an appointment with a chiro/sports doc and im goin in for acupuncture soon. im am starting to get really despirate im only 18 years old and i dont want to be like this for the rest ofd my life. any help would be much appreciated

thanks guys

 

[WaveDemon]

the pain down your leg is sciatica caused by your bulged disk. I went to a chiro with a bad back, after a few adjustments I developed sciatica so I stopped going. I never had sciatica before going to the chiro, be careful. I have sciatic pain every day and it's not a fun thing to live with.

 

[Idok]

you pinched your sciatic nerve....

dude, I JUST went thru this....but my injury was in the piriformis muscle......It knocked me flat out for 7 days, kept me off the water 7 weeks and just getting to the point where I dont feel like forrest gump when I run





yoga will definatly help, ANY amount of stretching you can do will help.....

lie on your back, and pull your left leg up to your armpit...do this repeatedly......touch your toes in the shower EVERY MORNING while letting the hot water beat on your lower bag and hamstrings..My roommate is a physical therapist and she showed me a bunch of tricks. She also told me that like 95% of lower back pain in males is due to poor hamstring flexibility


next thing. Lie on tennis balls. it will be EXCRUTIATING at first..but eventually the muscles will relax...you will KNOW when this happens


ICE ICE ICE!!!! HEAT HEAT HEAT!



I feel for ya bro....for the first couple weeks I saw virtually ZERO improvment and the injury was 100% non weight bearing.......It made me feel like it was giong to be like that forever, but it wont..basically you have swelling all around the disc which is causing pressure on the nerve

depending on how long its been like that a good sports med doc could do a cortison injection right into that area, but the ONLY person I'd trust to do it is a sports med specilist...........a course of oral prednisone could help as well, it did for me......


the biggest thign that helped me was deep tissue massage......I got 3 of them in one week..that chick about killed me, but as soon as she left I'd be able to walk a few hours!

 

[SuperJETT]

My wife is going through this right now with a protruding disc causing sciatic pain and degenerated discs.

 

[Proformance1]

You already know my story bro. Stretch, scretch, stretch. You will find over time which works best for you. My PT is great and really works with me to find what works and what doesnt.

 

[BruceSki]

My back pain came around the same time. I was 18 or 19. I found it was from long car trips to college and sitting all day. I had L4 and L5 herniated. Left leg would go semi-numb/painful because of sciatica.

I went to physical therapy about 4 times and they did some traction. It was a belt around my beltline and another right under my ribcage. It pulled me apart with 70% of my body weight. That was the best result I had to relieve the pain. After relieving the pain, I followed the therapists orders and began a stretching program. After realizing I needed to stretch, and think about my posture more while sitting, my back pain went away. I haven't had any issues since then. I am 25 now.

 

[SJBrit]

Stay the hell away from the chiro!! That will just make it worse, but they'll happily take your money while they do it. Go and so a back specialist who will let you know whether epidural injections and therapy can fix it, or whether this is a surgical case. I had the surgery last year: it's a quick, low risk surgery with a very high success rate (microdiscectomy) - I'm pretty much 100% back to normal. But, you are looking at 6 months off your ski, so do it soon if you need it so you're good to go in the Spring! The first week of recovery absolutely sucked, the first month was very inconvenient, but after that it wasn't so bad in terms of every day life.

 

[special fx]

http://www.healingbackpain.com/treatment.html

 

[701superjet]

thanks for the input guys!
i went to the chiro, he is more of a therapist than a chiro but he put me in the disc decompression thing i guess it felt good but no cure i have to go see him twice a week.

i have also started doing some home therapy from this web site vvv

http://www.healyourbulgingdisc.com/

it seems legit, i bought the ebook its a step by step PT for healing the disc. i was feeling really hopeless untill i watched the video now im praying that i will be able to heal the disc apparently it takes 2-5 years to completely heal the disc :rant:

 

[BruceSki]

It took me about a year for any recurring pain to go away. Stretching, running, biking and exercise was the the best for me. Anything to strengthen your core without hurting yourself while trying to do it is good. I started playing rugby a few months after the pain went away for me, which probably wasn't the smartest idea considering the high impact. However, the running, stretching and exercise 6 days a week was the best thing I could've done for myself.

Buy yourself a nice bed and an ergonomic chair if you sit at a desk all day. Make sure you are thinking about your posture anytime you do anything. From driving, sitting at the computer, watching tv, lifting, working, leaning over. It all adds up.

 

[701superjet]

It took me about a year for any recurring pain to go away. Stretching, running, biking and exercise was the the best for me. Anything to strengthen your core without hurting yourself while trying to do it is good. I started playing rugby a few months after the pain went away for me, which probably wasn't the smartest idea considering the high impact. However, the running, stretching and exercise 6 days a week was the best thing I could've done for myself.

Buy yourself a nice bed and an ergonomic chair if you sit at a desk all day. Make sure you are thinking about your posture anytime you do anything. From driving, sitting at the computer, watching tv, lifting, working, leaning over. It all adds up.

yea i have been way more conscience about my posture now more than ever im willing to do anything to get rid of this pain its making me miserable

 

[701superjet]

Stay the hell away from the chiro!! That will just make it worse, but they'll happily take your money while they do it. Go and so a back specialist who will let you know whether epidural injections and therapy can fix it, or whether this is a surgical case. I had the surgery last year: it's a quick, low risk surgery with a very high success rate (microdiscectomy) - I'm pretty much 100% back to normal. But, you are looking at 6 months off your ski, so do it soon if you need it so you're good to go in the Spring! The first week of recovery absolutely sucked, the first month was very inconvenient, but after that it wasn't so bad in terms of every day life.

ive heard quite a few good reviews about that micro surgery but at this point that would be my last option

 

[SJBrit]

ive heard quite a few good reviews about that micro surgery but at this point that would be my last option

Yes, it's the last option for sure, but don't be scared of it if the time comes and don't leave it too long to decide. I could have saved myself 2 or 3 months of debilitating pain if I'd had the surgery sooner.

 

[kawasakit2me]

Stay the hell away from the chiro!!

Ditto that times 10! Don't let anyone "adjust" you! "Adjust" is just code for "create a physical dependence on more chiro visits".

 

[Matt_E]

X2.

Funny how chiros want to set you up for recurring plans.

 

[701superjet]

Ditto that times 10! Don't let anyone "adjust" you! "Adjust" is just code for "create a physical dependence on more chiro visits".

hahahahah i know right?? it always seems that way, everyone that goes once always feels the need to go back again.

the guy i am going to told me that i dont need any "adjustments" i need more PT than anything. i hope this guy can get close to 100% he was a PT for the ny jets a few years back

 

[SJBrit]

The problem with chiros is that they will do an X-Ray, but you need an MRI to spot a herniated disc. I went to a chiro and he just made my pain worse and worse. I finally realised that he didn't know what he hell he was doing and then went to see a real doctor. I had a mind to sue that a-hole since he'd actually increased my pain quite a bit and never once said "I don't think this is working, you should go and see a spine specialist."

 

[swanny]

If you see a chiro dr without him x raying your pelvic area to determine if you have correct alignment and both your legs are the same length then he is a witch doctor.

My chiro saved my life (referred to me by peter jacobsen the pro golfer) but wouldnt work on me till he knew what was wrong.

Get xrayed to see if your legs are the same length- then get an MRI. without those you will be playing a guessing game.

 

[Big Kahuna]

My wife is going through this right now with a protruding disc causing sciatic pain and degenerated discs.

Anita just had her third Nerve Block in a month last friday.

 

[SJBrit]

And people don't think we're descended from apes: these spines of ours were not designed for being upright the whole time!