two herniated disks in lower lumbar

[Skirotica]

One looks fine, the other is a little splayed out. No reflexes on my left leg. Lot of pain to sit. Can stand OK.


had appt. with neurosurgeon today but was canceled. Anyone have similar injury? Prognosis for skiing? Running? Biking?

[roark]

Geez, I know you just tired the knot and all but tell the wife to take it easy on you

[Skirotica]

HA! That's like the tenth person to suggest wedding night activities caused it!

[bendtheski]

I herniated my L4-5 disk in 2003. Extremely uncomfortable to sit for more than 10 min right away, and got worse over the following month. I was walking with a pronounced limp and had greatly diminished strength in my right leg. No loss of bladder/bowel control which can also happen with herniated disks, so I guess it could have been worse.

The ortho I saw first tried an epidural and steroid injection directly into the effected area. That gave me releif for only a day or so and then I was right back to the original symptoms. That's when he sent me to the neurosugeon. Neurosurgeon took one look at the MRI and suggested surgery ASAP.

Of course I'm no expert, but your MRI looks pretty similar to mine. If you're having significant weakness in either leg it's likely there is a disk fragment impinging on the S1 nerve, at least that was the prognosis from the neurosurgeon I saw. The surgery performed was a laminectomy discectomy. The relief was immediate and recovery not bad at all. You just won't be able to do any heavy lifting or strenuous exercise for a few months. In hind sight, the ACL replacement has been much more work and much more painful post surgery.

There may be a non-surgical alternative as well, and it might be a good idea to get a second opinion (once you get a first one). The neurosurgeon who treated me suggested that the longer there was pressure on the S1 nerve, the greater the chance of permanent damage. I probably waited a total of about two months before having surgery, and while I still have some residual discomfort the improvement was night and day from the day of surgery. At least in my case any residual discomfort/weakness is totally manageable and hasn't forced me to back off on my biking or skiing over the last 9 years. I only hope I can say the same about my ACL replacement in another 9 years. Of course no surgery is without risk, so you're going to have to weigh your options and go with what you're comfortable with.

Splat seems to have had some good success with prolo/stem cell therapy. You might want to pick his brain about that as well.

Good luck to you Sir.

[Orthoski]

Sorry to hear about your back. Here's the thing - most herniated disks DO NOT need surgery. They get absorbed on their own, and unless there is marked weakness (and excluding emergencies such as cauda equina w/ bowel/bladder issues which need surgery immediately), most surgeons will wait and give herniated disks a chance to resolve on their own. In fact, most will wait at least two months, which seems to be bendtheski's experience. Otherwise you'd be operating on way more disks than you need to, and surgery (though a microdisectomy has become relatively routine) always has its own risks. Also, don't forget that a discectomy is designed to relieve the leg pain...relief of back pain is much less predictable.

Sounds like you're doing the right thing getting an expert opinion. Best of luck!

[splat]

My homepathic remedy is St. John's Wort oil applied daily for one year. Super really helped my L5 herniation. Also have had prolo through my entire back and it felt like I'd been issued a whole new spine. I'm also a big proponent of bodywork, ala rolfing and ortho-bionomy. I've refused surgery more than once. It scares me. If you can get stem cells injected in there it'll prolly heal better than new.

[Burrrr]

I had a major herniated disc b/t my L4-L5. Had severe back pain for two years before I found out. I would just grit my teeth and push through the pain thresh hold during activities. It was bad, especially on the chair lift ride up, skinning, and straightening out after sitting for over 5 minutes.

I was recovering from an Achilles full rupture repair, when all of a sudden the physical therapist found a bone growth on my tibula (benign). After the bonectomy, my back pain disappeared, but the pain shot down my left leg. Hence, CT scan led to discovery of the herniation. I went under the knife for the micro discectomy (gold standard procedure) and had immediate relief of all existing pain that nagged at me for 2 years. Recovery from the back surgery was roughly 2 weeks. (2007/2008 was a bad year for me)

Feel 120%, ski 60+ days a year, mountain bike and fly fish another 100 (this is with ACL repairs on both knees).

This is not advice, just a personal experience that had a successful outcome.

[arielbackpain]

Herniated Disc Pain Relief and Treatments Guide.

Herniated discs are a major cause of disability in people under 45.
I am one of those people.
For the past 3 years I suffer L5S1 disc hernia, the most common type of hernia.
But each case is slightly different and that makes it very difficult to treat.
In my case I also have hyperlordosis, scoliosis and spina bifida.
I have been trying countless treatments and supposed cures. I was often left in disappointment but fortunately found some sources of relief.
I'm not a doctor, just a student with lots of experience with a mother which is a doctor.
At this time, despite my efforts, I have reached a point where I need surgery.
But if I have had the experience and the knowledge I have now I could have avoided this complicated situation for sure.
That's why I made a PDF with my experience and everything I’ve investigated and used to relieve my pain over the years.

I offer this guide for FREE to those who ask me by mail to this address.
dibujantesautocadrb@gmail.com

Since my insurance does not cover this type of operation I'm asking for help through the IndieGoGo platform. Through a donation you can get the PDF, “Herniated Disc Pain Relief and Treatments Guide”. Through this platform I will also answer any questions you may have about the subject.

If you share this link, make a donation or just give it a like on facebook or tweeter you’d be helping me greatly.
http://www.indiegogo.com/herniatesdiscrelief

There I explain who I am and where I come from, watch it if you can and share it if you like it.

[freirediscpain]

Herniated Disc Pain Relief and Treatments Guide.

Herniated discs are a major cause of disability in people under 45.
I am one of those people.
For the past 3 years I suffer L5S1 disc hernia, the most common type of hernia.
But each case is slightly different and that makes it very difficult to treat.
In my case I also have hyperlordosis, scoliosis and spina bifida.
I have been trying countless treatments and supposed cures. I was often left in disappointment but fortunately found some sources of relief.
I'm not a doctor, just a student with lots of experience with a mother which is a doctor.
At this time, despite my efforts, I have reached a point where I need surgery.
But if I have had the experience and the knowledge I have now I could have avoided this complicated situation for sure.