Slipped disc question

LegacyUser

Over the last 18 months I have suffered from a herniated disc, 3 times it has knocked me on my butt for several days. The latest episode while been painfull seemed to be going the course and was getting better but I took a trip which required me to be on a train over two days for 14 hours and 4 hours in a car. Ever since then it has been quite painfull, especially while driving. I am not sure if this will pass but it has caused some mild depression over the last week.
What I would like to know is if anyone has gone through the same thing and gotten better with out major intervention ,as any kind of surgary on my back scares the crap out of me. and reading others experiences of such makes me glad I am not near this course of action. But scares me that I may be heading down this road.

shamrock2004

Hey,

how do you know you have a herniated disc? Did you get an MRI? Have you been to see a physio?

I suffered a very bad disc herniation last August and spent 4 months lying on the living room floor - no fun! Had pain in both glutes, the odd electric shock down the left leg, pain in my right calf, horrible pain in my right ankle, loss of power in right foot. Couldn't stand in same position for more than 60 seconds without horrible pain. Had depression and anxiety attacks also. Just passed month 9 and still have pain, but it's not half as bad. I am definitely improving albeit slowly. The good news is that I know I'll make a complete recovery. I have changed my lifestyle habits, doing acupuncture and doing yoga everyday also. Feeling so much better mentally too.

I have a fantastic physio who has gotten me this far. I spent 2 1/2 months on difene which made me very sick, so I ditched that awful stuff and decided to go with the pain. I was initially referred to see a neurosurgeon by a doctor who told me 'I might not get better'. (Doctor's know nothing about back pain). The neurosurgeon offered me epidural injection into the spine or surgery. I refused both (I have my own reasons). I asked him do people recover naturally - he couldn't give me a definitive answer. He told me he too was suffering from a disc prolapse. I asked why he didn't have the surgery - he said he can't take 6 weeks off work to recover. Draw your own conclusions!

The contemporary approach to treating chronic back pain includes dealing with the psychological aspects also. Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4gmtpdwmrs

This is the approach my physio follows.

The good news is that in a very high percentage of cases, disc herniations get resorbed by the body. The bad news, is that you could be in pain even after the disc has healed. Some people have horrible back pain, but no disc herniation. Anyway, have a read of the following.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3025225/

There is so much research out there to suggest you will recover naturally. However, it requires a lot of patience and maybe a few lifestyle changes. Go and see a physio/doctor if you haven't already.

sbsquarepants

I agree with the poster above - doctors know next to nothing about back pain. I too have had a ruptured disc and it is no fun whatsoever! The good news however is that it will get better if you look after it, maybe not fully but it will definitely improve. The bad news is that it takes a lot of time, i've read that it can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years for the hard outer shell of a disc to repair itself naturally (took about 4 or 5 months before i wasn't constantly afraid of it just going again) Now about 5 years on, i can still feel it but i wouldn't call it pain, just a sensation that something isn't quite right and the occasional nerve pain or numbness in my fingers
There are crazy contraptions you can get on the internet that basically pull your head upwards and take the pressure off the discs for a while, relieving the pain and allowing them return to their proper postion and whereas they look like some sort of suicide attempt, they actually work amazingly well (my damaged disc was in my neck which made it more suited to the contraption i suppose) but there are ones for lower down the spine too thought they are a bit dearer.
Like you, i'd avoid surgery at all costs. I think though that the key to managing it is to avoid aggravation in the first place, be carefull of your posture, build up your core muscles to hold everything in place properly, little things like staying hydrated is actually quite important. Do as your mother told you and stop bloody slouching!:D
That's not much help to you now though, sorry!

shamrock2004

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I agree with the poster above - doctors know next to nothing about back pain. I too have had a ruptured disc and it is no fun whatsoever! The good news however is that it will get better if you look after it, maybe not fully but it will definitely improve. The bad news is that it takes a lot of time, i've read that it can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years for the hard outer shell of a disc to repair itself naturally (took about 4 or 5 months before i wasn't constantly afraid of it just going again) Now about 5 years on, i can still feel it but i wouldn't call it pain, just a sensation that something isn't quite right and the occasional nerve pain or numbness in my fingers
There are crazy contraptions you can get on the internet that basically pull your head upwards and take the pressure off the discs for a while, relieving the pain and allowing them return to their proper postion and whereas they look like some sort of suicide attempt, they actually work amazingly well (my damaged disc was in my neck which made it more suited to the contraption i suppose) but there are ones for lower down the spine too thought they are a bit dearer.
Like you, i'd avoid surgery at all costs. I think though that the key to managing it is to avoid aggravation in the first place, be carefull of your posture, build up your core muscles to hold everything in place properly, little things like staying hydrated is actually quite important. Do as your mother told you and stop bloody slouching!:D
That's not much help to you now though, sorry!

Agreed - from everything I've read, the disc resorption takes at least a year. Another interesting point from that article I posted:

There was a poor correlation between clinical improvement and the extent of disc resolution.

In other words, there are people whose disc heals, but still have pain. There are people with a disc herniation who have no pain! It's a complicated area:

http://www.bettermovement.org/2010/seven-things-you-should-know-about-pain-science/

It's such an interesting area! If I could turn back the clock, i'd have loved to have done a physio course

big break

I had herniated disks pain and stuck in bed on and off for 2 years. Got better eventually with physio.
Was back to full health till last week. I sneezed getting out of the bed. Psyiatica(spelling?).
Feel like I got a dead leg since then. Should sort itself out in 6 weeks Im told.
Im scared about the amount of difene Im swallowing at this stage.

shamrock2004

big break wrote: »

I had herniated disks pain and stuck in bed on and off for 2 years. Got better eventually with physio.
Was back to full health till last week. I sneezed getting out of the bed. Psyiatica(spelling?).
Feel like I got a dead leg since then. Should sort itself out in 6 weeks Im told.
Im scared about the amount of difene Im swallowing at this stage.

Yeah it's horrible stuff indeed. Made me so naseous!

tbh

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Like you, i'd avoid surgery at all costs.

This is straying dangerously into the field of medical advice guys. SB - I'm not trying to single you out, I understand the point you're trying to make, but the reason threads like these get closed is because people say things like this.

Please please please read the charter - personal experience is fine, medical advice - which in the LTI forum is any advice - is forbidden.

shamrock2004

tbh wrote: »

This is straying dangerously into the field of medical advice guys. SB - I'm not trying to single you out, I understand the point you're trying to make, but the reason threads like these get closed is because people say things like this.

Please please please read the charter - personal experience is fine, medical advice - which in the LTI forum is any advice - is forbidden.

Sorry. I won't post anymore replies on this topic.

sbsquarepants

tbh wrote: »

This is straying dangerously into the field of medical advice guys. SB - I'm not trying to single you out, I understand the point you're trying to make, but the reason threads like these get closed is because people say things like this.

Please please please read the charter - personal experience is fine, medical advice - which in the LTI forum is any advice - is forbidden.

Sorry!
I didn't actually mean it as any sort of advice, i meant it merely as a personal preference, but i take your point - i could have worded it better.

LegacyUser

Cheers for the replies, hi shamrock2004 just out of curiosity if it is not too personal why did you refuse the spinal injections, as I have read many different views on the the injection and its drawbacks and effectivness. I sorry if this borders on medical advice but I will not be looking at it this way ,as I will get medical advice from the doctors, its the personal experience I am looking for as I only know one person who has the injections and he finds them good.
I have been told that it takes time and time I can put up with it is the uncertain nature of the injury that has me down . I am willing to put in the time and effort and untill the last event I was coping well. I can put up with a certain amount of pain, but it now seems to be getting worse which has me down and now lacking interest in anything ,exercise has taken a hit appitite is up and down. So it is the personal experiences that I need to hear especially those of people who have come through it and got better, if they exsist.
Again thanks for the replies they are helping and sorry if anyone is getting in trouble trying to answer me.

corkonion

The problem with disc damage is the long time it takes to improve itself. I suffered with back problems for years, and surgery was advised on the disc between L4 and L5. However I waited it out and now I am more or less pain free again.
If you have back pain and are overweight you really need to lose some, and staying relatively fit is important. The real issue is how bad the pain and the immobility is, and sometimes surgery is what seems to be the only option.

robdsherlock

Hi, I to herniated 2 discs 5 years ago, was lifting then pop, out goes my discs, was only 18 at the time and to this day I'm still in constant chronic pain EVERY day. I took the week off work after it happened, and returned then, it gradually got worse as time went on, Iv been on many pain medications and pain management doc currently has me on 400mg Lyrica and 60mg oxycontin every day. because I never done anything about it at first, the height between my two vertebra shrunk as the disk material was squished out. the result was more pressure put on the facet joints wearing out the cartilage, and I now have arthritis in my facet joints in my lower back, and I'm only 23. I have tried physio twice with no benefit what so ever, but many many people do, so dont let that put you off. I'm next scheduled to have cortisone injections into the facets, that will only give temporary relief if any at all, then RFA(Radio Frequency Ablation) is after that. Because of my case I dont think will be a candidate for surgery as my pain is not primarily nerve pain, even tho I do get it, its not my main cause of pain so it is much much harder to treat than lets say sciatica and other nerve impingement's which is a lot easier to treat. there is a world of information on this subject on the net and a good forum i am a member is Chronicpainsite.com which is a very wonderful site for info, support and great people to meet.
If I were you I would try and get it sorted as soon as possible as the longer it is left the greater the chance of it becoming a permanent problem and damage.
If you are not happy with what you are been treated like you are entitled to a second opinion.A lot of GP's are not too familiar with chronic back pain and need to study up further on it. Me and my doctor work together to with what I have and teach each other about it, which I hope if someone else is unfortunate enough to have what I have at least my doc will be well up on it to treat that patient.
by the way taking NSAID's long term is not recomended and can be dangerous, but it does help some people to take them when they get a flare up.
It is such a shame not more GP's are trained up better in this subject as so many people suffer from it.

I hope you start to get the treatment you need for this as its not a nice thing to live with!

Best of luck,
Rob

shamrock2004

looking for information wrote: »

Cheers for the replies, hi shamrock2004 just out of curiosity if it is not too personal why did you refuse the spinal injections, as I have read many different views on the the injection and its drawbacks and effectivness. I sorry if this borders on medical advice but I will not be looking at it this way ,as I will get medical advice from the doctors, its the personal experience I am looking for as I only know one person who has the injections and he finds them good.
I have been told that it takes time and time I can put up with it is the uncertain nature of the injury that has me down . I am willing to put in the time and effort and untill the last event I was coping well. I can put up with a certain amount of pain, but it now seems to be getting worse which has me down and now lacking interest in anything ,exercise has taken a hit appitite is up and down. So it is the personal experiences that I need to hear especially those of people who have come through it and got better, if they exsist.
Again thanks for the replies they are helping and sorry if anyone is getting in trouble trying to answer me.

Hey. I didn't take injections or medication simply because they would mask my pain and not treat the symptom. I am discovering erratic patterns to my pain which isn't making much sense. 1 week ago I went to an engagement and was in a heap when standing up for a few hours. Had to drink to hide the pain. Yet last saturday I was able to stand relatively pain free for 5 hours at a BBQ without boozing! I'm really tuning into the mind aspect of my pain now and it's really helping me. As I said in my first post, I will get over this and eventually be completely pain free

Lots of people have disc herniations and no pain. Research shows that there is no correlation between normal degenerative changes in the spine and back pain.

Regardless, you should go to your doctor and get an MRI to rule out any serious problems.

wandatowell

Morning all,

I've 3(three) herniated disc in my back. I hurt it a few couple of years ago but wasnt able to "go sick" with it for work reason. TBH I thought I was being a hard man by living off pain meds and physio.

All came to a head a few weeks ago. I noticed I was falling over quite a bit, stiffness in my leg, extreme pain when sitting down or lying down and usually standing for a lengthy periods of time. I really hurt my back so I insisted on getting a MRI scan and low and behold there's three of the blighters causing all of my pain. Im not going to list off all of the aches and pains I feel. Ye know exactly where Im going from.

I'm going to see a surgeon next Wednesday. Hoping to come to some resolution.

Best of luck with ye're endevers

Wftablueboy

I've had much the same problems as most on here . Started about 2 years ago with severe lower back pain , pain all down the left leg and numbness in the foot , had the doc out and got an injection and a few pills . It was extremely difficult to take time off work so I hobbled on regardless and after about 10 days I was perfect again . About a year later the same pain came back again and I went through the same procedure of injection and pills and it cleared up again . Untill about a month ago , I've gone through so much pain and discomfort , can't sit down , can't stand up , can't sleep , have to crawl on all fours to do anything . Same crack again had the doc out ,pills and injection , didn't clear up after the usual 10 days , had the doc back out and he had me taking about 20 pills a day and very little relief . I booked an MRI last weekend and had it on Wednesday , waiting for doctors report today . But , I was telling an acquaintance my story last night and he said he went through exactly the same injury with the same doctor .... He pulled a half card of tablets out of his pocket called TRAMAKE , I took 1 going to bed last night , and slept like a baby , and woke up this morning with very little pain at all , can Stand up , sit down no problem . Looking forward to seeing the doc for the results of the MRI today and asking why he didn't prescribe the TRAMAKE to me instead of all the other **** he did ??

robdsherlock

Wftablueboy wrote: »

I've had much the same problems as most on here . Started about 2 years ago with severe lower back pain , pain all down the left leg and numbness in the foot , had the doc out and got an injection and a few pills . It was extremely difficult to take time off work so I hobbled on regardless and after about 10 days I was perfect again . About a year later the same pain came back again and I went through the same procedure of injection and pills and it cleared up again . Untill about a month ago , I've gone through so much pain and discomfort , can't sit down , can't stand up , can't sleep , have to crawl on all fours to do anything . Same crack again had the doc out ,pills and injection , didn't clear up after the usual 10 days , had the doc back out and he had me taking about 20 pills a day and very little relief . I booked an MRI last weekend and had it on Wednesday , waiting for doctors report today . But , I was telling an acquaintance my story last night and he said he went through exactly the same injury with the same doctor .... He pulled a half card of tablets out of his pocket called TRAMAKE , I took 1 going to bed last night , and slept like a baby , and woke up this morning with very little pain at all , can Stand up , sit down no problem . Looking forward to seeing the doc for the results of the MRI today and asking why he didn't prescribe the TRAMAKE to me instead of all the other **** he did ??

be very carefull taking tramadol is all I'l say without violating the T&C on here, there were made as a less addictive substitute for some opiate pain medications, but they are far from it, they are fine for short term use but not long term, i presume it was tramake 100mg you took,I'm now on oxycodone and have been on tramadol for in around 2-3 years at 400mg(max dose), its by far the worst drug to come off, it's a synthetic opioid but also is a ssri so is like coming off opiates and anti-depressants at the same time when coming off tramadol long term,physical dependance can start within a few weeks. I know I cant give medical advice on here but just beware of this medication, it can be great and it can be hell. just be aware of the risks, read up on it. and best of luck with your back problems, hope they resolve soon!!