Chronic Low Back Pain degenerative disc

[smilee2000]

I have been reading many of the posts in this forum and wanted to get some opinions on myself if possible. I am 39 yr old male 5'11 175 in good health and have always been fit, healthy and worked out. I have a little scoliosis (s shaped) but never really had any pain until about 7 years ago.

I started waking up with low back pain and now it is chronic and keeps me up all nite long. I wake up stiff as hell and after a few hours of movement it will go away for he most part. I had an mri last yr showing some arthritis and also a degenerated disc. He put me on anti and steroid for a month and the steroid helped tremendously but not good to take that all the time. I have swayback and my abs are weak but it is hard to do ab work without pain in the low back later that day.

Ice is my friend, i do it several times a day and before I go to bed otherwise I dont sleep at all. I stretch all the time morning and nite and still exercise but I find that I am aggravating it working out so i have all but eliminated heavy weight, only do circuit training with bands, light dumbbells and body weight.

Went to chiropractors for years but never really helped. Did 6 mos of PT but that didnt do a whole lot either and insurance quit paying for it so I had to stop. I just want to be able to moderately exercise and sleep! Sleep is the most precious thing to me and it is killing my progress at the same time. I wake up irritated all the time, not good for my family or me. My mattress is a pillow top so i am looking to change it as I think that might help, cant hurt. I feel like this is mostly muscle related since I can usually get the pain to calm down after I get up and get moving.

I would love any thoughts on supps to take, TB500? anything I am willing to try to get better. Thanks for any help sorry so long!

[ironbeck]

I feel your pain bro , being diagnosed with severe degenerative joint disorder my self. i wish I had some tell all good news for you , but I do not. I usually get up a couple hrs early to I can take my ultram and get going in the morning, I'm good for 4-5 hrs then the pain and stiffness starts to set in if I stop for 5 min. I have been on ultram, and flexeril for 7 yrs now they help. I was personally going to look into HGH, but its so expensive and good luck finding real stuff? I have considered back injections recently, but will have to wait till my new INS kicks in.
Nothing really builds bone back so we r ****ed, we need to eat right and treat ourselves right. I have recently started using the boots that alow u to hang upside down, and have been doing lower back stretching exercises, before and after every workout. With the long cylindrical thing on the ground(it helps)

[smilee2000]

Man exactly my thoughts! I have looked at HGH as well in hopes it might help but I have only seen fake stuff and since I live in small town prob cant get it legally here. I tried 2 epidurals but they only worked for about a week each. I thought about boots or inversion table too but have been trying yoga and other stretching type exercises to try to help. Thanks for your response and good luck to you as well.

[kolaking]

If your hurting that bad you may want to consider seeing a PM DR. and getting on some real pain meds. I've been seeing one for 8 years for Cervicle issues and just have to be careful with what lifts I perform. You may not want to get on those types of meds, I didn't either, but I have my quality of life back. Good luck.

[smilee2000]

Thanks! I have pondered that however I am not one who likes to take pain medication but your right, its all about quality of life.

[EasyDoesIt]

I have been reading many of the posts in this forum and wanted to get some opinions on myself if possible. I am 39 yr old male 5'11 175 in good health and have always been fit, healthy and worked out. I have a little scoliosis (s shaped) but never really had any pain until about 7 years ago.

I started waking up with low back pain and now it is chronic and keeps me up all nite long. I wake up stiff as hell and after a few hours of movement it will go away for he most part. I had an mri last yr showing some arthritis and also a degenerated disc. He put me on anti and steroid for a month and the steroid helped tremendously but not good to take that all the time. I have swayback and my abs are weak but it is hard to do ab work without pain in the low back later that day.

Ice is my friend, i do it several times a day and before I go to bed otherwise I dont sleep at all. I stretch all the time morning and nite and still exercise but I find that I am aggravating it working out so i have all but eliminated heavy weight, only do circuit training with bands, light dumbbells and body weight.

Went to chiropractors for years but never really helped. Did 6 mos of PT but that didnt do a whole lot either and insurance quit paying for it so I had to stop. I just want to be able to moderately exercise and sleep! Sleep is the most precious thing to me and it is killing my progress at the same time. I wake up irritated all the time, not good for my family or me. My mattress is a pillow top so i am looking to change it as I think that might help, cant hurt. I feel like this is mostly muscle related since I can usually get the pain to calm down after I get up and get moving.

I would love any thoughts on supps to take, TB500? anything I am willing to try to get better. Thanks for any help sorry so long!

You may want to look into a book called framework by Dr. Dinubile. http://www.drnick.com/wp/framework/
There are some very good exercises in the book and explanations about energy leaks in the body. You may be able to strengthen areas that will lessen the pain.

[ppwc1985]

Whatever you do, don't let them cut on you. Seek out other treatments before getting cut on. My bro did and he has not been the same since.

[lovbyts]

Whatever you do, don't let them cut on you. Seek out other treatments before getting cut on. My bro did and he has not been the same since.

All depends on the damage and the doctor. Best thing I ever did was have surgery in 2005. I went for 20 years dealing with pain until I could not walk or stand more than 10 min max. I was 99% better starting the day of surgery until 2007 when I ruptured L5/S1 and had no choice but surgery again or lay on the floor for the rest of my life which I would have made short. I was 90% better after surgery and around 95% now.

I dont think it's the first choice by far but it is an option and sometimes the best option.

[smilee2000]

Thanks i will definitely look into that book im up for anything. surgery is not an option for me at this point. I have seen too many friends have surgery on and be worse than before but if I was in constant pain all day long then maybe i would consider it. It is mainly in the mornings. I do get some pain throughout the day but it is primarily during sleep and getting going in the morning or after workouts. I feel like most of it is muscle imbalance but i could be wrong. I am going to exhaust all possibilities but im just tired of feeling like an old man in the mornings, very depressing.

[Times Roman]

don't forget your alleve!

2x ea, twice a day will provide some relief

[Bio-Active]

I have a severely degenerative l5 s1 and 7 different surgeons told me surgery was my only hope with only about 30% disc space left. I did PT. Mckenzie method for a year and so far have avoided surgery! My back isnt perfect but i get by and am lifting 5 days a week again. To think 2 years ago i could hardly walk!

[Ronnie Rowland]

Try ISO ab planks to build core. Stop squats, dead lifts, leg presses rows, lying leg curls and all direct ab and lower back work. Stay off the free weights and place more emphasis on machines where back is supported.You need to visit your local pain center and try 3 cortisone shots in a series and get some mobic for inflammation and a mild muscle relaxer to take at night. Use a weight lifting belt to keep ice on your back while moving around house Avoid chiropractors.get a very very firm mattress.

Do not have surgery unless your legs get so weak you can't walk. Surgery often makes you worse! Go to pain center and get on meds to control pain.

[yannick35]

chiropractors are idiots they have no clue what they are doing, and imagine by cracking you 3 times per week that they will do miracles, i hate them with a passion because i went there with lower back pain and go out a year later with upper back pain and a snapping hip joint. They will screw you more and they have no clue about ligament laxity, they will cause this with all there ajustements.

Prolotherapy is the best option that i have found so far and it will regenerate the body and fix what ever theses stupid chiros have scewed up, dextrose xylocaine prolotherapy is worthless and wont old, sodium morrhuate salin cocktail is best.

[smilee2000]

Try ISO ab planks to build core. Stop squats, dead lifts, leg presses rows, lying leg curls and all direct ab and lower back work. Stay off the free weights and place more emphasis on machines where back is supported.You need to visit your local pain center and try 3 cortisone shots in a series and get some mobic for inflammation and a mild muscle relaxer to take at night. Use a weight lifting belt to keep ice on your back while moving around house Avoid chiropractors.get a very very firm mattress.

Do not have surgery unless your legs get so weak you can't walk. Surgery often makes you worse! Go to pain center and get on meds to control pain.

Thanks for the tips! I have already done the series of 3 epidurals but only worked about a week each. Tried mobic as well but didnt do a whole lot. The steroid pack they had me on worked well (because of inflammation) but the dr said I cant take a steroid pack all the time for obvious reasons. I have gotten rid of all heavy weight exercises and have been just doing light circuit training and band work. Surgery is not an option as I agree that it will only make matters worse. Just trying to control the pain now and mainly while I am sleeping. Never going to a chiro again!

[EasyDoesIt]

Thanks for the tips! I have already done the series of 3 epidurals but only worked about a week each. Tried mobic as well but didnt do a whole lot. The steroid pack they had me on worked well (because of inflammation) but the dr said I cant take a steroid pack all the time for obvious reasons. I have gotten rid of all heavy weight exercises and have been just doing light circuit training and band work. Surgery is not an option as I agree that it will only make matters worse. Just trying to control the pain now and mainly while I am sleeping. Never going to a chiro again!

800MG IBUPROPHIN perscription strength to kill inflammation 3 times a day for a minimum of 3 to 4 days. I have had back injury since high school wrestling. I keep mine in check by doing various cable chops plyo ball exercises for core and floor work like planks, scorpions and a lot of stretching. When i feel it tweaking, i am very careful and ease back into my routine. If you are on a job where you stand a lot i would stretch my hams during the day. Also, make sure you do the floor work like planks etc. and cable chops before you workout, it really helps strengthen the area and warm up your back before exercise.

[nafnlaus]

IGF-1, the active chemical you create when using hGH is being used to deal with degenerative disc issues. you can look up some articles at us national library of medicine. - "Biological repair of the intervertebral disc". "Disc disorders and growth factors". and "Anti apatopic effect of groth factors".IGF can halt the degeneration but you need serious physiotherapy, and anti inflammatory cycle to breach the pain cycle so you can start working on your core muscles.

if you can not get IGF-1, PRP(platelet rich plasma) or hGH then you should look for substances with hyperplasic effects, hypertrophy wont help that much since you are trying to repair a bodypart that has almost no means of healing it self. For example i am going to use oxandrolone since that is the best thing i can get hold of, it is the runner up in regards of hyperplasic effect to IGF. Those substances do also reduce chronic pain so this is very convenient in every way.

i have 2 disc herniations in lower back at age 20, my key to being pain free is to minimize sitting and having the core strong.