| Author | Message | ||
     Donutclub |
Anyone here ever had a herniated disk in the lumbar portion of the spine? I was diagnosed with a hernia in my L5-S1 region. Consequently, my left leg is numb in areas. I'm slated to talk to a surgeon on Monday to go over the options. | ||
| Oldnslow |
I've got the s1 and s2 herniated. So far I've been able to keep functional with regular back exercises. Have you been through physical therapy? It helped me a lot, but each case will be unique. My advice would be to try back specific exercises first- until I started doing them I was convinced I would need surgery. It's been 3 years now,and I feel great. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
My wife recently ruptured the L5-S1 disk. After 2 weeks excruciating pain and being unable to stand or walk, she had a lumbar micro diskectomy. Physical therapy was not an option, the ruptured portion of the disk had to go. It sounds like it is putting pressure on your sciatic nerve. My wife started with the same symptoms, numbness and pain in the left leg. Immediately after the surgery she walked out of the hospital. In 6 weeks she was starting to take small rides on her motorcycle, and the doctor cleared her for full time riding after 3 months. You should get it taken care of as soon as possible, if the nerve is damaged enough from the pressure, it may never heal and you'll be stuck with numbness for the rest of your life. My wife has occasional numbness still, but is now free of excruciating pain, but does occasionally have lower back soreness. She also has two herniated disks, but she is just taking it easy and hopes to start an exercise program to strengthen her lower back. | ||
| Cowboy |
Had it 2 yr ago spent 3 mo in wheel chair while geting clearence from heart DR. for surgery. After surgery walked out of hosp. rested for 1 mo. and went right back to riding my bikes feel better now than ever and take long trips on my bike.strange as it may seem my X1 is the most comfertable had to sell the firebolt. and the V-Rod is not as good a ride as the X1 lighting. | ||
| Swampy |
Surgery should be the last option, only when everything else has been exhausted and then only when there is a SURE fix to the problem. It has been over 15 years since the doctor set me up with a surgeon. I didn't go but sought PT, Chiropractic, and neutritional therapy. Sure I have flare ups once in a while, usually stress related(wife) but I have been dodging the surgeons knife for a while now, and for a skinny guy I am still quite the stud. Best wishes my friend. | ||
| Donutclub |
I've got an appointment with the surgeon tomorrow, but I'm in no hurry to go under the knife. I'm hoping for it to heal on it's own......given enough time. My general doctor really didn't know, which is why he's sending me to another doctor for his advice. The pain has subsided after a week, but the numbness is still present in the calf and foot. | ||
| Oldnslow |
Persistent numbness is a danger sign, if it doesn't clear up I'm pretty sure surgery will be recommended. In my case I had no numbness, only (excruciating) pain. PT and regular lumbar exercises have worked wonders. Good luck to you. | ||
| Midnightrider |
I had a similar problem with a bad disk in my neck a few years ago. The usual approach (conservative approach) often consists of rest, anti-inflammation meds, physical therapy, and possibly exercise - way before surgery is even considered. Of course a lot depends upon your particular case and the extent of your injury. At the time I started getting numbness in my fingers after exercise. Over time it went from my fingers to my hands to my lower arms - it always went away with rest but took longer and longer each time. I went to the surgeon who recommended - rest, anti-inflammation meds, physical therapy. I said "OK - but I have seen many of my friends go the conservative route, have periods of relief then "bad" times, then periods of relief - for months or years. After all that, they ultimately end up going to surgery anyway" I then said " You've probably seen a thousand cases like mine. If you think it's likely I'll end up with surgery, let's just do it now and that way I can get better, quicker" The surgeon said " I can operate next Tuesday" That was 3 years ago, I was back to full activities in less than 8 weeks, and have not had any problems since. Make sure you discuss all the options and alternatives with your Doc and don't be afraid to get a second or third opinion. Good luck | ||
| Al_lighton |
This took me out for a few months last November. I couldn't walk or stand for more than 5 minutes at a time for months. I had an MRI, and I had a significant herniation of the L5/S1 joint, a minor herniation in the L4/L5 joint, and pretty severe dessication of both discs. Chiro didn't help at all, and I wouldn't recommend it. Physical therapy was making minor improvements, but progress was very slow because pain kept me from doing much. Eventually I got Anti inflamamtory/Pain blocking injections ( 3 trips total) to the spine, and that made it possible for the exercises to make progress. The injections are really for pain management, but coupled with therapy, they can be very effective. I'm playing ultimate frisbee again, and will be dirt biking again this year. But I now have a 1/2 hour core strengthening routine that I do every weekday morning right when I wake up. So far, I've only had what I would consider minor flare ups, for the most part it is manageable. There is a LOT of disinformation out there. THe diagnosis can be very confusing (i.e., herniation or bulge, amount, specific cause, etc). You'll here that without surgery, it won't go away (not true). The body IS capable of re-absorbing impinging tissue on the spine, but it doesn't happen fast. But deterioration of the spinal disc sac is somewhat a fact of life, my doc called it "grey hair of the spine". Good luck, it is very debilitating. Al | ||
| Lake_bueller |
I herniated the L5/S1 about 18 months ago. Thanks to some good people here at work, I was able to get some VERY good medical treatment and advise. It took 3 rounds of steroids to releave the inflamation. And then 3 months of physical thearpy. Unfortunately, I didn't get treatment soon enough. I have some nerve damage to my left foot. It may recover some day but most likely not. Like Al mentioned, there is too much disinformation out there. I was fortunate enough to have top notch medical people at my disposal. I'd high recommend seeing a spine specialist. The chiropractor and physiologist from the standard PPO were worthless!!! I still have good days and bad days. I can usual tell when my bad is going to start acting goofy. A little Aleve and some stretching usually help the cause. Good luck!! It's not much fun but it will get better. | ||
| X1glider |
I did L4-L5 about 10 years ago. A chiropractor diagnosed it initially by x-ray. Tried working it out through therapy but he wasn't doing it for me. 6 chiropractors later and a bunch of recommendations to fuse the joint, I found a chiropractor that was awesome and have been with him for 9 years. As others did, I got the injections for pain relief but I also get regular manipulations. Works for me. It's a perpetual problem but it's setting surgery on the back burner. My dad is ready for his 2nd surgery. First one was 11 years ago. He thinks chiros are quacks and refuses to try manipulation for pain relief. He's having a hard time standing more than 5-10 minutes. I like to try non-invasive first. Chiros don't work for everyone though. Everyone is different. | ||
| Snail |
Bob, I had two herniated discs in the lower back. Was crippled for a while from the sciatica nerve pain. It HURT, Anyway, I went to a surgeon after an MRI and he (surprize) recomended therapy rather than surgery. Seems that surgery causes scar tissue, which in time becomes a problem requiring further surgery...repeat.... Took several months to heal, but I'm good now. I still do some minor exercizes when my back starts to bother me...but other than that I seem to be whole again. There's no pain like sciatica pain. | ||
| Etennuly |
Over sixteen years ago crushed disc L5-S1. Two months of Chiro and PT didn't help. MRI showed disc herniated into spinal chord, pinching it nearly in two, causing scar tissue. The two months of trying to fix it made things worse, much pain, couldn't walk more than a couple hundred feet. Had to sit/stand/walk/lie down, none more than five minutes, didn't sleep for months. It was 70% better right after surgery but that was still debilitating. With PT it took almost ten years to heal as good as I was going to get because I didn't get the MRI first. I highly recommend that you ask for sleep therapy if pain keeps you awake. Best of luck! | ||
| Trac95ker |
I"m in the same boat....I've been dealing with 3 herniated discs since 2002. l3,l4,l5,s1. I am choosing to manage my back pain as long as I can in hopes of a permanent fix that does not involve loosing any body parts. It's not easy but I have to go with my gut instinct. Back pain can effect people in many ways and to different degrees. P.T.,surgery, injections, facets, implants, chiropractor, acupuncture, massage, meds., etc. are ways to help or possibly fix your particular situation. Some tests I've had are MRI, X-ray, and a Discogram. If you can live with the pain and associated problems, there are new procedures in clinical trials and may be available in the near future. Do your research. Join a back pain forum. Ask your doctor about all options. His main concern is his security first. Back surgery is necessary in some cases but other methods may be all you need. Scar tissue is a big concern. You don't want to have more than one surgery if you can help it. How are the rest of your discs? If you opt for fusion that will put more pressure on the rest of your discs. There are several methods for fusion, Stabilimax to name one. I have good luck with ice and stretching. The ice controls inflammation and you can do it all day. Stretching lets you keep full range of motion and proper alignment. Exercise is important too. Try ice for 20 minutes on and then a min. of 20 off. It will feel cold then burn then go numb. Thats normal. Longer may cause frost bite. 30 mins. work for me. No heat. Do that 4 or 5 times over a couple hrs. It's free and it may help. Good luck, keep us posted. |
