Herniated disc arghhhhh

[Newguy2087]

Hey everyone,

So turns out this back pain iv had for 7 months and has been getting worse is a bulged L4 and Herniated L5. The doc made me an appointment with the surgeon and ill be talking to him soon. Wait time for this surgery could be over a year depending if my back gets worse or not.
who here has experienced this and how did it affect your life? lifting? ability's?

and did you take anything to help before and after surgery?

[lovbyts]

Herniated L3 & L4 in 1985. I lived with it until 2005 when I could only stand and walk for 10 minutes at a time. Day of and after surgery felt 99% better than I had for many many years.

2 years later I ruptured L5-S1 due to being over weight, lack of proper exercise and frequent abuse with heavy lifting. WORSE pain ever. 90% paralyzed from the waist down for almost 3 weeks until after surgery. Felt 80% better starting from day of surgery. It's taken a couple of years and now I'm probably 90% or better.

I dont do Heavy squats or anything that aggravates the back. No over head presses either.

After the surgery just typical pain meds. Before the surgery no but if I could have I would have gotten HGH to use before and after but only if it was pharmaceutical HGH, no online because 99% of it is bunk. It also depends on your age. I would say under 30 then probably nothing, 30 and above yeah I would look into HGH. No aas though, it will only give you a false sense of strength and you will do more damage.

[diabeticknowledge]

Operations you should not look at: Microdisectomy, spinal fusion. Both of them are ugly, and you should avoid them. They have poor efficiency in long term and commonly cause other discs to fail within 5 -10 years. After a microdisectomy you will have disc degeneration at stage 3, if the doctor is able to remove the gel that is left (which is what he wants - but you dont want it).

Things to look at: Physical therapy, disc replacement.

You live with a bulge or a herniaton, the herniated gel will dry out and become less of an obstacle.

The bulge can heal back, all cartilage heals faster with IGF-1 in the picture, hGH is the best source, and no lovbyts, it will work no matter what your age is. It will increase IGF, and IGF is what we are after.

Long story short: No drug will fix you, but there are some who can help you when you are doing everything right and recovering.

[30blue03]

Look into McKenzie exercises from a physical therapist licensed in McKenzie. Herniation can heal on its own surgery is not necessary in 90% of the cases, and often is proven to be ineffective in a majority of the cases because it does not fix the underlying problems, chances are you will herniate another disc. Basically the disc is like a jelly donut, the donut breaks and the jelly leaks out, often because improper form loading the anterior portion of the disc pushing the gelatinous substance posteriorly. The outter fibers will heal but they will be weakened so you will need to work on a variety of core exercises both dynamically and statically to prevent reinjury. First things first find a licensed Physical therapist certified in McKenzie, they will evaluate based on symptoms where exactly the bulge is and what exercises to get the "jelly substance" back into place.

Exercises like improper squats/deadlifts, hack squats where you are lying down, and anything with flexion rotation combined are a risk. Work on postural exercises that can help you maintain a proper lordotic curve... Another note people with limited hip mobility who try to do any squatting motion deeper than their hips will allow often loose the lordotic curve a the end of hip flexion motion and you can see the lumbar curve round out (pushing the disc posteriorly) and repetition of this over time is a very common cause of disc bulge in lifters. If therapy and exercises do not work then surgery should be your last option. Unfortunately however one of the leading causes of back pain is... you can guess it.... a previous case of lower back pain, this means it is very repetitive and hard to rid, something like 85-90% of people who have experienced back pain will experience it again (surgery, therapy, or not). Just work on maintaining dynamic and static lumbar core stability, multifidus and transverese abdomenus mm's. Good luck

PS don't see a chiro or a PT that wants to manipulate, it will not help a bulge

[M302_Imola]

I've been dealing with a bulging L5-S1 disc for about 4 months now with sciatica. Let me tell you right now it sucks! This is the most frustrating injury I've been through. One week I think I'm walking down the path to getting better and then the next week a tornado hits that path...it's beyond frustrating. I've been seeing a chiro and PT for about 3 months now and although this has helped some I can't seem to get rid of this damn sciatica. I'm almost to the point of looking into surgery especially since Tiger woods just had a microdisceptomy done.

[lovbyts]

I've been dealing with a bulging L5-S1 disc for about 4 months now with sciatica. Let me tell you right now it sucks! This is the most frustrating injury I've been through. One week I think I'm walking down the path to getting better and then the next week a tornado hits that path...it's beyond frustrating. I've been seeing a chiro and PT for about 3 months now and although this has helped some I can't seem to get rid of this damn sciatica. I'm almost to the point of looking into surgery especially since Tiger woods just had a microdisceptomy done.

I have had a lot of experience with sciatica. One of 2 things will fix it. Ice, but you have to do it consistently. 30 minutes on, 30 minutes off, repeat 3x in a row at least 2x a day if not more. It should start to feel better in 24/48 hrs. If it's not any better after 4 days then I would go for option #2

Pain meds will not help or fix it. Anti inflammatory do very little for it.

#2, Prednisone. This has worked wonders for me and many people I know who have had a lot of sciatic nerve pain that would not go away. It usually starts working in 24 hrs and within 3-4 days you are close to pain free. Sometimes you have to do a 2nd run with it to get 100% but I would still do the ice with it to help speed things up.

[M302_Imola]

I have had a lot of experience with sciatica. One of 2 things will fix it. Ice, but you have to do it consistently. 30 minutes on, 30 minutes off, repeat 3x in a row at least 2x a day if not more. It should start to feel better in 24/48 hrs. If it's not any better after 4 days then I would go for option #2

Pain meds will not help or fix it. Anti inflammatory do very little for it.

#2, Prednisone. This has worked wonders for me and many people I know who have had a lot of sciatic nerve pain that would not go away. It usually starts working in 24 hrs and within 3-4 days you are close to pain free. Sometimes you have to do a 2nd run with it to get 100% but I would still do the ice with it to help speed things up.

Thanks I'll look into option #2 as I've been icing it for awhile now and it hasn't helped much.

[M302_Imola]

I have had a lot of experience with sciatica. One of 2 things will fix it. Ice, but you have to do it consistently. 30 minutes on, 30 minutes off, repeat 3x in a row at least 2x a day if not more. It should start to feel better in 24/48 hrs. If it's not any better after 4 days then I would go for option #2

Pain meds will not help or fix it. Anti inflammatory do very little for it.

#2, Prednisone. This has worked wonders for me and many people I know who have had a lot of sciatic nerve pain that would not go away. It usually starts working in 24 hrs and within 3-4 days you are close to pain free. Sometimes you have to do a 2nd run with it to get 100% but I would still do the ice with it to help speed things up.

Thanks I'll look into option #2 as I've been icing it for awhile now and it hasn't helped much.

[Chicagotarsier]

Thanks I'll look into option #2 as I've been icing it for awhile now and it hasn't helped much.

Sciatica sucks period. After 2 months TrT dose mine (Which was 100% numbness in left thigh with tingling and the "pain" as exercise progressed) has reversed by about 50%. I think the Test and IGF are what has done the repair (only major changes). Roman Curls are finally added to my workout....have been too painful to attempt until now.

I am scared crapless about the surgury. It is simple and many sites have actual 3D movies on it...and they scare me more lol.

[infinite_loop]

I had a herniated at c5/c6. I opted for an epidural and physical therapy. It worked but did not fix all of the nerve damage in the shoulder/lat.