Herniated disc! Yuck!

Yup, so the back problem is more extensive than previously thought.....had MRI yesterday and I have a small to moderate amount of herniation on L5-S1 with impingement on L5 nerve root. Has been going on for about a month now and I have continued running, lifting etc. (with the exception of no squats) as normal. Doctor is kind of impressed I have been running 3.5 miles 2-3 times per week, doing an hour of HIIT class once weekly and kickboxing 1 hour a week! He did tell me to cool it on the high impact work and that I shouldnt be doign free weights for the next few weeks as my disc could potentially go. I told him I was continuing free weights and would load bear with my legs and not my back and I would not twist with weights. I have lost 8 pounds in the last 7 weeks and I guess I will have to watch my calories now so that I continue to drop down i n weight. I am so MAD at this crap! But, I guess a few weeks won't kill me either, but I was just starting to make good, good progress! Darn it all!! LOL!

Join the club. Got 2 of them. Life's a bitch when they decide to flare up.

Do you still do everything? Chiropractor? Surgery? Tell me the badness! LOL!

I have the same problem at L4-L5. Don't go to the chiroprator they could possibly make it worse, my mom had a minor disk bulg and after seeing the chiroprator it was a major herniation and she had to have surgery. I didn't have surgery...had two epidural steroid injections. Still hurts nobody will do surgery on me because of my age(22).

So far the chiropractor has helped, he says he wont hesitate to send me to a neurologist if neccesary. I would love to avoid surgery.

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Originally Posted by clchase

So far the chiropractor has helped, he says he wont hesitate to send me to a neurologist if neccesary. I would love to avoid surgery.

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sooner or later you will have surgery. Herniated disks only get worse over time, your symptoms may subside but that doesn't mean the problem is fixed. I know that's not what you want to hear but it's true.

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Originally Posted by clchase

So far the chiropractor has helped, he says he wont hesitate to send me to a neurologist if neccesary. I would love to avoid surgery.

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Surgery is out of the question, no matter how bad the pain can get at times.
A small herniation like you have can heal by itself if you listen to the doctor. I have five 5 herniations, 3 thorasic and 2 lumbar, i wouldnt even consider getting surgery unless the pain is at the point to where i couldnt function.
No surgery!

I am of the mind that surgery is the last option, We do decompression surgery in dogs and it is not fun! I see it firsthand.

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Originally Posted by D-END

sooner or later you will have surgery. Herniated disks only get worse over time, your symptoms may subside but that doesn't mean the problem is fixed. I know that's not what you want to hear but it's true.

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Herniations can get better if you take care of your self, proper therapy and the right anti inflamm. meds will work wonders.

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Originally Posted by clchase

I am of the mind that surgery is the last option, We do decompression surgery in dogs and it is not fun! I see it firsthand.

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yes that what I am saying...sooner or later. and no they do not heal themselves

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Originally Posted by maxex

Herniations can get better if you take care of your self, proper therapy and the right anti inflamm. meds will work wonders.

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done all that. they do not heal themselves. talk to any back surgen and they will tell you the same. your body might find a way to deal with the symptoms but it can't fix a herniated disk.

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Originally Posted by D-END

yes that what I am saying...sooner or later. and no they do not heal themselves

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I had a t-3 t-4 back in hs football, i took off for 2 years and that one doesnt even show up on the mri's anymore, it might not have completely healed but its definitely not worse. But everybody is different, certain things heal diff. on certain people.

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Originally Posted by D-END

done all that. they do not heal themselves. talk to any back surgen and they will tell you the same. your body might find a way to deal with the symptoms but it can't fix a herniated disk.

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of course a back surgen is going to say that , he wants to make money, surgery isnt always the answer.

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Originally Posted by maxex

I had a t-3 t-4 back in hs football, i took off for 2 years and that one doesnt even show up on the mri's anymore, it might not have completely healed but its definitely not worse. But everybody is different, certain things heal diff. on certain people.

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If you had a herniated disk it could not have healed it self. The only way to deal with herniated disks is with surgery. If you are talking about
a "disk bulg" when the fluid inside the disk doesn't actually exit the wall of the disk into the spinal canal.... then yes those can get some what better over time.

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Originally Posted by maxex

of course a back surgen is going to say that , he wants to make money, surgery isnt always the answer.

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FOR HERNIATED DISKS YES IT IS.

Bro, no flame intended but i have 5 full blown herniations, theyr 3 years old, i feel much better noe than i did a month after the accident and ive only had 2 epidurals in 1 disk, but hey, i just may heal better than some people. Now if your talkn 15-20 years down the road than yes, i probably will need surgery because by that time i wont have any disks left especially if i keep lifting the way im lifting now.

what does a herniated disk feel like?

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Originally Posted by needmorestrength

what does a herniated disk feel like?

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depends on where it is, the thorasic feels like someone is jamming a spoon in the middle of your back.

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Originally Posted by maxex

Bro, no flame intended but i have 5 full blown herniations, theyr 3 years old, i feel much better noe than i did a month after the accident and ive only had 2 epidurals in 1 disk, but hey, i just may heal better than some people. Now if your talkn 15-20 years down the road than yes, i probably will need surgery because by that time i wont have any disks left especially if i keep lifting the way im lifting now.

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It sounds to me I could be wrong, that you have degenerative disk disease and some disk bulges not herniations. Did the doc say that the wall of the disk tore and their is "disk fluid" around the spinal canal or nerve bundles.

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Originally Posted by needmorestrength

what does a herniated disk feel like?

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depends on where the herniation is. If it compresses a nerve or nerve bundle it can cause muscle atrophy and loss of mobility not to mention stabbing pain in your arms or legs depending on where the disk is.

dont want to hijack but how do you describe the pain of a herniated disk??

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Originally Posted by TRLS63

dont want to hijack but how do you describe the pain of a herniated disk??

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shooting or stabbing pain in your feet, legs, mine was my ankle and ass and also it could be as mild as tingling in your hands or feet.

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Originally Posted by D-END

shooting or stabbing pain in your feet, legs, mine was my ankle and ass and also it could be as mild as tingling in your hands or feet.

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thanks!! i was wondering if my lower back mild pain could be that but i dont feel any pain anywhere else tho..

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Originally Posted by TRLS63

thanks!! i was wondering if my lower back mild pain could be that but i dont feel any pain anywhere else tho..

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the craping thing is that the symptoms that I have stated above are only a few of the ways that you can "know" if you possible have a herniated disk.

1/4 of people with disks bulges only have back pain

I do beleive that there are many different options available. I know, working with doctors, that surgeons and medical guys have very different mindsets. Not that one is always worng or right, but they have differnt viewpoints. I can't say which is right or wrong.
I am, personally, not goign to hop on to surgery right away, at my age and with no neurological deficits or signs beyond pain, and still being able to do what I am doing in terms of activity level, etc, I am going to see if we can get the disc to "go back in" a bit with flexion and extension, etc.
I think that differnt people choose differnt options based on their needs etc.

I can;t truly descrobe the pain beyond the fact that it feels as if there is an occasional stabbing in my right lower back and sometimes my glute and hamstring gets a very sharp shooting pain. Alos, when doc presses on the area around the affected disc, it feels as if there is one HUGE and very painful bruise over my entire lower back. You know, those bruises that hurt to even the lightest of touches?!?! Also, dull aching pain in very lower bcak ( above sacral-iliac kunction) almost constantly.

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Originally Posted by D-END

It sounds to me I could be wrong, that you have degenerative disk disease and some disk bulges not herniations. Did the doc say that the wall of the disk tore and their is "disk fluid" around the spinal canal or nerve bundles.

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No, theyr definitely herniations, 3 of them started out as bulges but turned into herniations. Dont get me wrong i still have some pain but its nowhere near the level it was before i started stretching. the only pain i feel now is the radiating pain in my chest an arms, and thats only when im sitting for hours at a time, other than that im good to go.

i had one, it sucks and hurts..good luck

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Originally Posted by Decadbal

i had one, it sucks and hurts..good luck

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Thank you for your kind thoughts. Very nice of you.

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Originally Posted by clchase

Yup, so the back problem is more extensive than previously thought.....had MRI yesterday and I have a small to moderate amount of herniation on L5-S1 with impingement on L5 nerve root. Has been going on for about a month now and I have continued running, lifting etc. (with the exception of no squats) as normal. Doctor is kind of impressed I have been running 3.5 miles 2-3 times per week, doing an hour of HIIT class once weekly and kickboxing 1 hour a week! He did tell me to cool it on the high impact work and that I shouldnt be doign free weights for the next few weeks as my disc could potentially go. I told him I was continuing free weights and would load bear with my legs and not my back and I would not twist with weights. I have lost 8 pounds in the last 7 weeks and I guess I will have to watch my calories now so that I continue to drop down i n weight. I am so MAD at this crap! But, I guess a few weeks won't kill me either, but I was just starting to make good, good progress! Darn it all!! LOL!

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take care of it. trust me, from my past exp with it. mine ruptured b/c i didnt take care of it and take time off. now i am 26 with ****ed up back b/c of it. those kind of injuries can take a pro ball player out for a season or more. hopefully thatwill give you an idea on how severe that injury is. rest and more rest. some ibuprofen for inflamation helps.

I will certainly try. I told dc I would stop my high impact cardio stuff, but I am continuing to lift. Not heavy weights and I will load bear with my legs and not my back and no twisting. Unfortunately, I am a veterinary technician for a board certified orthpaedic veterinary surgeon and lifting and moving large dogs from table to table and to cages cannot be avoided. I will let others help iof course, but my life cannot come to a crashing halt quite yet! LOL! It has been goign on for over a month now and I had been running 3.5 miles 2-3 times a week, doing and hour of HIIT per week adn kickboxong along with fairly heavy weight training, and no blown disc yet, so I am hoping that laying off the high impact stuff and resting that way will help along with the chiropractic visits- I have to go 3 times per week!

I will take it easy as best I can but I can;t lay around for the next 2-3 weeks!

Thanks for your concern adn advice, I apprecaite it.

take the docs advice and lay off the back AND LEG workouts... even though mine wasnt herniated just torn i took off some time with lower body and its feeling 100% better.... do ball squats with no weights, but anything with weight above you will push pressure down on your back and be even more painful

My father herneated 3 discs in his lower back over ten years ago. He was a paramedic carrying some fat fuker out of the bush and stepped on a stump and twisted his back. Not only that but he continued to carry the 350 lb whale to the ambulance where he administered treatment. Unfortunately the guy died. My dad was on the couch for about a month drugged up beyond comprehension. It still bothers him, and he does his stretching exercises every day. He has never had surgury. Now he has several degenerating discs in his neck and his left arm goes numb from it. He will likely require surgery on his neck before he needs it on his back. He was given a desk job after hurting his back and has hated every day of it. Becareful with your back and neck. If you screw it up it will be screwed up for life! Good luck and take care! I am hoping for a speedy recovery for you!!

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Originally Posted by clchase

I will certainly try. I told dc I would stop my high impact cardio stuff, but I am continuing to lift. Not heavy weights and I will load bear with my legs and not my back and no twisting. Unfortunately, I am a veterinary technician for a board certified orthpaedic veterinary surgeon and lifting and moving large dogs from table to table and to cages cannot be avoided. I will let others help iof course, but my life cannot come to a crashing halt quite yet! LOL! It has been goign on for over a month now and I had been running 3.5 miles 2-3 times a week, doing and hour of HIIT per week adn kickboxong along with fairly heavy weight training, and no blown disc yet, so I am hoping that laying off the high impact stuff and resting that way will help along with the chiropractic visits- I have to go 3 times per week!

I will take it easy as best I can but I can;t lay around for the next 2-3 weeks!

Thanks for your concern adn advice, I apprecaite it.

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3 times a week huh, usually they want more. ice helps tons also ice it whenever you can

Yup, 3 times a week, seems like alot to me! LOL! I will try the ice, I havent; yet. and andon nothing for inflammation except the occasional aleve.

I am goign totake it easy. I am just not goign to stop everything completely. Obviously no squats, no deads, no good mornings etc. I will continue to work my upper body and will rely on ellipticals and cross trainers, etc. for my cardio and leg toning for now. It just sucks as I have recently dropped 8 pounds and was continuing to go down steadily. I guess I will haev to watch my intake.

Also, I am on my feet all day every day, (imagine a nurse in a busy hospital) and the concrete floors dont help. Plus the liftign and moving of surgery patients.

Thanks for everyones concern, I appreciate it.