Discussion
Mc lovin said:
I'm not sure its prolapsed or herniated, its slipped
A slipped disk is the colloquial term for what a doctor calls a prolapsed disk (or herniated disk)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinal_disc_herniatio...
There are studies that suggest that the soft material actually irritates the nerve and makes the pain worse. This subsides as it is absorbed. As long as you do not lose motor function or bowel/bladder function, then you will hopefully be OK.
I fully sympathise... I suffered crippling sciatica for almost 18 months before I had the surgery to repair the prolapse. To echo what everyone else has said:
Painkillers. Lots of them. They won't fix anything, but the more you can keep mobile, the better you will be.
Exercise. Swimming is ideal, yoga or pilates, even gentle walking if you can manage it.
If my experience was anything to go by, the GP will refer you to a very nice but ulitmately useless NHS physio before going anywhere near a consultation with a surgeon. If it's a small enough prolapse - and it doesn't have to be big to be painful, trust me - then a combination of physio and time will sort the problem.
Don't be afraid to go back to the doctor if you don't get better.
Painkillers. Lots of them. They won't fix anything, but the more you can keep mobile, the better you will be.
Exercise. Swimming is ideal, yoga or pilates, even gentle walking if you can manage it.
If my experience was anything to go by, the GP will refer you to a very nice but ulitmately useless NHS physio before going anywhere near a consultation with a surgeon. If it's a small enough prolapse - and it doesn't have to be big to be painful, trust me - then a combination of physio and time will sort the problem.
Don't be afraid to go back to the doctor if you don't get better.
dreamer75 said:
Not sure how they've diagnosed a herniated disc by a quick appt at the GP?
It depends on the symptoms but some can be very obvious. And given his age it's far and away the most likely cause of sciatica.Fat Audi 80 said:
I suffered a prolapsed disc last year and the GP made it worse. They will tell you to take pain killers and swim etc but if you have a herniated disc that is the LAST thing you should do.
Take pain killers and anti-inflammatories and keep active. It's not no pain no gain so prolonged sitting, bending and lifting are things to be wary of, particularly if they aggravate the leg symptoms.In the vast majority of cases (80%) it'll resolve on its own within 6-8 weeks.
I've suffered from this badly for nearly a couple of years with L5/S1 degeneration. I think you need to combine a few things to feel better.
Physio. Exercises tailored to your symptoms and needs. Qualified physios know what's right at the time. Don't overdo it initially. Get professional advice. Buy a yoga mat. You'll need one! Anti-inflammatories: Diclofenac work well, as does Ggabapantin and paracetomal for pain. Others such as tramadol for pain relief did nothing for me. Find which one works for you.
TENS machine. I have found that a TENS machine has really helped when perhaps you need extra relief or want to leave off the painkillers for a bit. Mine cost a tenner from manor Pharmacy, easy to use and a godsend.
Heat or cold treatment: Again whichever works for you.
Persist with your GP if the pain continues and try to get a referral for physio/consultant.
Automatic car is much less aggravating to drive than gears, which killed my back et al.
Sciatica and back pain is a long, arduous journey. I'm hoping an injection into the spine will help mine.
I think you just need to find what works for you. Lots of good luck. Teresa
Physio. Exercises tailored to your symptoms and needs. Qualified physios know what's right at the time. Don't overdo it initially. Get professional advice. Buy a yoga mat. You'll need one! Anti-inflammatories: Diclofenac work well, as does Ggabapantin and paracetomal for pain. Others such as tramadol for pain relief did nothing for me. Find which one works for you.
TENS machine. I have found that a TENS machine has really helped when perhaps you need extra relief or want to leave off the painkillers for a bit. Mine cost a tenner from manor Pharmacy, easy to use and a godsend.
Heat or cold treatment: Again whichever works for you.
Persist with your GP if the pain continues and try to get a referral for physio/consultant.
Automatic car is much less aggravating to drive than gears, which killed my back et al.
Sciatica and back pain is a long, arduous journey. I'm hoping an injection into the spine will help mine.
I think you just need to find what works for you. Lots of good luck. Teresa
Whisky and ibubrofen in moderate amounts has always worked for me
I agree with the point about an automatic car - I drive a GT3 which is garaged and sometimes I cannot get in or out of it as I cannot bend enough to squeeze through the small gap. Funnily enough, once I'm in I can drive OK and the recaros are very supportive but I do worry about getting stuck in the thing
I tried acupuncture where the guy used a tens machine - frankly I found it a waste of time as it had very little effect over a long period of time
I also tried a proper chiropractor who had all the kit and all the moves and that was a bit better but not much so I gave up
It does seem to go of its own accord eventually and swimming ought to help keep it at bay but can also bring it on if you swim badly
Currently having grief with my neck and back around the shoulder blades so I'm considering a massage from a six foot redhead wearing killer heels and little else - trouble is finding one...
I agree with the point about an automatic car - I drive a GT3 which is garaged and sometimes I cannot get in or out of it as I cannot bend enough to squeeze through the small gap. Funnily enough, once I'm in I can drive OK and the recaros are very supportive but I do worry about getting stuck in the thing
I tried acupuncture where the guy used a tens machine - frankly I found it a waste of time as it had very little effect over a long period of time
I also tried a proper chiropractor who had all the kit and all the moves and that was a bit better but not much so I gave up
It does seem to go of its own accord eventually and swimming ought to help keep it at bay but can also bring it on if you swim badly
Currently having grief with my neck and back around the shoulder blades so I'm considering a massage from a six foot redhead wearing killer heels and little else - trouble is finding one...
If you have not had an MRI then your GP is guessing at a diagnosis. Plenty of other back problems cause pain, numbness etc. Your GP is taking the easy, lazy and cheap way out. Insist on MRI to obtain an evidence based diagnosis.
Numbness can be a symptom of neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis and warrants proper investigation.
Don't be fobbed off, insist on MRI.
Numbness can be a symptom of neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis and warrants proper investigation.
Don't be fobbed off, insist on MRI.
Get your doc to INSIST you have an MRI scan. The ONLY way to find out if you have slipped (misnomer) a disc.
It will almost certainly be a ruptured disc, which then presses on the nerve(s). The Sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body (bad design by God) where it passes through the pelvis down the leg and to the foot. That's why your leg (usually one leg) aches. This is also where the Yankie term 'pain in the butt' originates.
I'm now into my 5th year and I can control it completely. I was at a point early on for months where I wouldn't have minded being shot - 2 discs ruptured! It can be that devastating. But a lot (now from experience) is exagerated by the mind. Worry makes it worse because of tension. DON'T lift any heavy items, in fact, don't lift anything for now.
So get a MRI to put your mind at rest that it is a disc. The pain won't go but it'll help. Then for this Xmas get the best present you can. It helped me no end to understand how your spine works, and when you know this, you'll know how to control the pain. At the beginning - mine happened when I got into my car (well, not really, you get warnings prior to it 'just slipping'). Now I never stick one leg in the car (take a look a the angle of the spine and back when people enter or exit a car!). I sit my butt down and swing my legs in.
Oh, that present. 'The Back Sufferers Bible' by Sarah Key. Brilliant book.
Try this for starters. Lay on your back and do spinal rolling. Hands behind your knees and gently rock too and forth. Or (I used to do these by my car if I got caught out with a spasm) down on your haunches, drop both legs apart, head body forward -and I held the car sill- and rock your bottom on the floor!
It opens up the lower vertibrae so taking the pressure off the nerve - instant relief! I still do it if caught out.
No I didn't have an op. I was down for one at Oxford hospital but by the time I went the surgeon said I had progressed so much (with physio as well) that he'd keep the door open, but I should try to keep on. I did.
Some days it comes back, but I know I can overcome it, and I do. Oh yes, I got a 'kneeling chair' early on. Helps keep the back in the correct position. But get that book (no, I have no connections with it). It's a bloody godsend!
Wish I'd had it when my disc 'slipped'! You are young so should get over it more quickly. I was 55.
MRI first of course. But get the book anyway, you'll understand your back, spine and nerves and how it works. The spine is a better piece of engineering than any Ferrari!
I just looked on amazon (where I got my book 5 years ago) and its half the price I paid. Just read the reviews. the first sentence of the first customer review says it all. 'This book pretty much changed my life...' I'd agree with that 100 per cent.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sarah-Keys-Back-Sufferers-...
Re the MRI scan. When I was referred to the surgeon (my doc suspected disc) he put me down for a scan (3 months!!). I went private and paid 200 quid and got one within a week - at that point although they tell you it's prob a disc, your mind worries it could be something else. (I got my own back a year and a bit later when I requested another MRI on the NHS to see whether it had got worse (just after the surgeon said I should hang it out). It was sort of a double whammy as it found it had worsened. The week following I was in agony again - mind games and tension about the result not helping. Excercises and physio soon got me back on the mend.
In fact, to illustrate. Now when I get a bad twinge, i'll just do a dozen or more touching my toes I'm that confident!
I never mentioned above about painkillers. Don't be a martyr, you'll need them! I had allsorts but only full doses of aspirin every 4 hours for weeks on end helped me. The doc was worried about so much aspirin (wonder if he'd say that now?)so he prescribed stronger, like Tramadol etc, but I went off on trips on those. Eliminated the pain a lot cos I wasn't sure where I was anymore! I decided I'd rather have my mind back. Of course, everyone's different.
It will almost certainly be a ruptured disc, which then presses on the nerve(s). The Sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body (bad design by God) where it passes through the pelvis down the leg and to the foot. That's why your leg (usually one leg) aches. This is also where the Yankie term 'pain in the butt' originates.
I'm now into my 5th year and I can control it completely. I was at a point early on for months where I wouldn't have minded being shot - 2 discs ruptured! It can be that devastating. But a lot (now from experience) is exagerated by the mind. Worry makes it worse because of tension. DON'T lift any heavy items, in fact, don't lift anything for now.
So get a MRI to put your mind at rest that it is a disc. The pain won't go but it'll help. Then for this Xmas get the best present you can. It helped me no end to understand how your spine works, and when you know this, you'll know how to control the pain. At the beginning - mine happened when I got into my car (well, not really, you get warnings prior to it 'just slipping'). Now I never stick one leg in the car (take a look a the angle of the spine and back when people enter or exit a car!). I sit my butt down and swing my legs in.
Oh, that present. 'The Back Sufferers Bible' by Sarah Key. Brilliant book.
Try this for starters. Lay on your back and do spinal rolling. Hands behind your knees and gently rock too and forth. Or (I used to do these by my car if I got caught out with a spasm) down on your haunches, drop both legs apart, head body forward -and I held the car sill- and rock your bottom on the floor!
It opens up the lower vertibrae so taking the pressure off the nerve - instant relief! I still do it if caught out.No I didn't have an op. I was down for one at Oxford hospital but by the time I went the surgeon said I had progressed so much (with physio as well) that he'd keep the door open, but I should try to keep on. I did.
Some days it comes back, but I know I can overcome it, and I do. Oh yes, I got a 'kneeling chair' early on. Helps keep the back in the correct position. But get that book (no, I have no connections with it). It's a bloody godsend!
Wish I'd had it when my disc 'slipped'! You are young so should get over it more quickly. I was 55.
MRI first of course. But get the book anyway, you'll understand your back, spine and nerves and how it works. The spine is a better piece of engineering than any Ferrari!
I just looked on amazon (where I got my book 5 years ago) and its half the price I paid. Just read the reviews. the first sentence of the first customer review says it all. 'This book pretty much changed my life...' I'd agree with that 100 per cent.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sarah-Keys-Back-Sufferers-...
Re the MRI scan. When I was referred to the surgeon (my doc suspected disc) he put me down for a scan (3 months!!). I went private and paid 200 quid and got one within a week - at that point although they tell you it's prob a disc, your mind worries it could be something else. (I got my own back a year and a bit later when I requested another MRI on the NHS to see whether it had got worse (just after the surgeon said I should hang it out). It was sort of a double whammy as it found it had worsened. The week following I was in agony again - mind games and tension about the result not helping. Excercises and physio soon got me back on the mend.
In fact, to illustrate. Now when I get a bad twinge, i'll just do a dozen or more touching my toes I'm that confident!
I never mentioned above about painkillers. Don't be a martyr, you'll need them! I had allsorts but only full doses of aspirin every 4 hours for weeks on end helped me. The doc was worried about so much aspirin (wonder if he'd say that now?)so he prescribed stronger, like Tramadol etc, but I went off on trips on those. Eliminated the pain a lot cos I wasn't sure where I was anymore! I decided I'd rather have my mind back. Of course, everyone's different.
Edited by dandarez on Sunday 12th December 01:09
Teixe said:
douglasr said:
If you can find the cash, then the MRI will cost you £500 - £800
There is a place in Cheltenham that is cheaper, although I don't know where the OP is located, my MRI was £218 although the train ticket was not cheap.In fact, my second MRI - on the NHS this time free, so I cancelled out my initial £200 expense!
was at Oxford's JR Hospital, but was also outside in a 'travelling Juggernaut mobile scanner' again.Edited by dandarez on Sunday 12th December 01:24
TheFlatSixer said:
If you have not had an MRI then your GP is guessing at a diagnosis. Plenty of other back problems cause pain, numbness etc. Your GP is taking the easy, lazy and cheap way out. Insist on MRI to obtain an evidence based diagnosis.
Numbness can be a symptom of neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis and warrants proper investigation.
Don't be fobbed off, insist on MRI.
Diagnosis: Numbness can be a symptom of neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis and warrants proper investigation.
Don't be fobbed off, insist on MRI.
a. The act or process of identifying or determining the nature and cause of a disease or injury through evaluation of patient history, examination, and review of laboratory data.
b. The opinion derived from such an evaluation.
An MRI will only confirm (or otherwise) the diagnosis that's been made. Either way there's little point in an MRI at this point unless the OP is considering surgery as it adds nothing to the treatment plan.
And he posted two weeks ago, it's probably better by now anyway
dandarez said:
Get your doc to INSIST you have an MRI scan. The ONLY way to find out if you have slipped (misnomer) a disc.
<snip>
once again the clinical acumen of the PH massiv's vast 'expert' knowledge hits home ... <snip>
Edited by dandarez on Sunday 12th December 01:09
I'm sure some of you are on commission from the fee for service 'cure everything with a scan' scam artists
I find myself posting this link once again
http://www.spinesurgeons.ac.uk/article.asp?article...
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