Bulging disc - what can be done?
Discussion
My OH currently has a bulging disc between L3 & L4 which is naturally causing her a lot of discomfort.
She has been offered surgery but is reluctant to go down that route. She follows advice to keep as active as possible but when it flares up she is in a lot of discomfort.
Would love to offer her a solution, obvious or otherwise.
At this stage she would consider anything!
She has been offered surgery but is reluctant to go down that route. She follows advice to keep as active as possible but when it flares up she is in a lot of discomfort.
Would love to offer her a solution, obvious or otherwise.
At this stage she would consider anything!
'er indoors has suffered with this for decades.
She's had 2 x operations with some success. (She still had to walk with sticks & could manage maybe 400 yards walk).
She then took up pilates on reformer benches. Gets the odd bad day now, but does not need sticks & the other day we did an 8 mile walk.
To say the pilates thing has changed her life is not an exaggeration.
She's had 2 x operations with some success. (She still had to walk with sticks & could manage maybe 400 yards walk).
She then took up pilates on reformer benches. Gets the odd bad day now, but does not need sticks & the other day we did an 8 mile walk.
To say the pilates thing has changed her life is not an exaggeration.
Think very very carefully about surgery, then think again some more. I had surgery last July and I’m currently still nowhere near fully recovered. I haven’t met anyone yet who got any lasting relief from the injections.
I have been through a fair amount of pain over the last few years but nothing comes anywhere close to the pain immediately after surgery, it was indescribable. Have a look on the spinal fusion thread https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I have been through a fair amount of pain over the last few years but nothing comes anywhere close to the pain immediately after surgery, it was indescribable. Have a look on the spinal fusion thread https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I have all sorts of problems in my lower back (3 different issues at 3 different discs). I had a year with a chiropractor once a week: basically no improvement. So i talked to a back surgeon who talked me out of surgery. He recommended naproxen. It’s basically super-strength ibpuprofen. A month of that allowed enough relaxation of the back to mean I’ve basically been fine for 18 months. Some issues starting to return. If they get bad enough my first port of call will be a GP for another month of naproxen
She should seriously consider taking a microdiscectomy if offered - it’s not a major op to recover from. The problem with a herniating lumbar disc is the potential instability and unpredictability - it could just decide to worsen rather abruptly resulting in an emergency with scope for permanent nerve damage.
I prolapsed two discs whilst deadlifting when I was 17.
Unfortunately, it took many years before the problem was diagnosed and during these years (I would guess 6) I would rest until the pain had subsided (heavily dosed up on anti-inflammatories and deep heat) and then start back in the gym again with new found vigour, only to aggravate the injury further down the line. Once it got to the point of essentially being a month on and a month off it became concerning and I actively sought medical advice.
Numerous chiropractors and physiotherapists all had their ideas and all were wrong. In fact the one physiotherapist told me that the problem was that my back muscles were too weak and needed strengthening. I told him that I had been doing barbell rows with 140kg the week prior and he just looked at me blankly. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed with his diagnosis, although I gave his "strengthening" exercises a go and as you would expect, they didn't work.
It finally took an MRI scan to prove what the problem was and an NHS specialist offered surgery, but he also advised me that there was a possibility that I would end up in a wheelchair. Hearing that made me re-evaluate the situation and I stopped lifting heavy weights there and then, which hit me hard as weight training was my only interest at that time. I lost three stone and stopped squatting and deadlifting - although I did find 45 degree leg presses didn't aggravate the problem too much. Since then I have had zero complaints and I still train, albeit with vastly reduced weights and no squats or deadlifts.
So in short, I would recommend a moderately active lifestyle once she has recovered, as certainly in my experience there is no magic exercise to aid recovery. Having heard other posters' experiences of the surgery, it could well have been a bit of scaremongering on behalf of the specialist who advised me, however, in hindsight, I am glad I didn't go down that road.
Unfortunately, it took many years before the problem was diagnosed and during these years (I would guess 6) I would rest until the pain had subsided (heavily dosed up on anti-inflammatories and deep heat) and then start back in the gym again with new found vigour, only to aggravate the injury further down the line. Once it got to the point of essentially being a month on and a month off it became concerning and I actively sought medical advice.
Numerous chiropractors and physiotherapists all had their ideas and all were wrong. In fact the one physiotherapist told me that the problem was that my back muscles were too weak and needed strengthening. I told him that I had been doing barbell rows with 140kg the week prior and he just looked at me blankly. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed with his diagnosis, although I gave his "strengthening" exercises a go and as you would expect, they didn't work.
It finally took an MRI scan to prove what the problem was and an NHS specialist offered surgery, but he also advised me that there was a possibility that I would end up in a wheelchair. Hearing that made me re-evaluate the situation and I stopped lifting heavy weights there and then, which hit me hard as weight training was my only interest at that time. I lost three stone and stopped squatting and deadlifting - although I did find 45 degree leg presses didn't aggravate the problem too much. Since then I have had zero complaints and I still train, albeit with vastly reduced weights and no squats or deadlifts.
So in short, I would recommend a moderately active lifestyle once she has recovered, as certainly in my experience there is no magic exercise to aid recovery. Having heard other posters' experiences of the surgery, it could well have been a bit of scaremongering on behalf of the specialist who advised me, however, in hindsight, I am glad I didn't go down that road.
TheFungle said:
Thanks all.
The common response would appear to be 'appropriate exercise'.
Mrs Fungle is currently looking at acupuncture and pilates so hopefully they will help. Also looking at adjusting everything from office chair, driving position and mattress.
I had a few acupuncture sessions, admittedly before the diagnosis, and I can confirm it did absolutely nothing. Seating and mattresses on the other hand are very important.The common response would appear to be 'appropriate exercise'.
Mrs Fungle is currently looking at acupuncture and pilates so hopefully they will help. Also looking at adjusting everything from office chair, driving position and mattress.
The reason Pilates works is it’s strenthening the muscles that support the back. I think it’s called the core iirrc. May be wrong.
Most adults have bad posture and those muscles are not used.
When moving around or when getting up from a sitting position consciously tighten your stomach muscles. This give the back/spine support. After a few months it becomes second nature. And the bonus, if you’re a bloke, it pulls your gut in!
I had sciatica 15 years ago. After I followed a personal trainers advice (doing the above) my back fixed itself and I’ve not had any issues since.
Most adults have bad posture and those muscles are not used.
When moving around or when getting up from a sitting position consciously tighten your stomach muscles. This give the back/spine support. After a few months it becomes second nature. And the bonus, if you’re a bloke, it pulls your gut in!
I had sciatica 15 years ago. After I followed a personal trainers advice (doing the above) my back fixed itself and I’ve not had any issues since.
I had similar problems, yoga was the thing that really got me sorted, several of the stretches really got into my lower back and as flexibility improved the pain stopped.
As has been said above I also found deadlifts and squats aggravated the problem so have dropped these and do much more core work.
As has been said above I also found deadlifts and squats aggravated the problem so have dropped these and do much more core work.
theboss said:
She should seriously consider taking a microdiscectomy if offered - it’s not a major op to recover from. The problem with a herniating lumbar disc is the potential instability and unpredictability - it could just decide to worsen rather abruptly resulting in an emergency with scope for permanent nerve damage.
This.....I had back issues for years. Following an MRI scan I was recommended an L5 discectomy and a Wallis Ligament. 'Life changing' is a phrase often over used, but I'm skiing and cycling again with very little reason to reach for the pain killers.
Ranger 6 said:
theboss said:
She should seriously consider taking a microdiscectomy if offered - it’s not a major op to recover from. The problem with a herniating lumbar disc is the potential instability and unpredictability - it could just decide to worsen rather abruptly resulting in an emergency with scope for permanent nerve damage.
This.....I had back issues for years. Following an MRI scan I was recommended an L5 discectomy and a Wallis Ligament. 'Life changing' is a phrase often over used, but I'm skiing and cycling again with very little reason to reach for the pain killers.
Intervention was blown by A&E doctors who failed to spot an emergency. I’d give anything to have had the chance of a discectomy in the few months before it all blew up, and I’d implore anyone else in that situation to do the same. It must be fairly bad for it to have resulted in a scan and offer of surgery - so take it!
As others have said, appropriate exercise was the key for helping me. I have to do regular very awkward heavy lifting ( as an undertaker, I can confirm that large numbers of rather large people die in very awkward places where access is limited and getting them out is very difficult) lifting heavy people down stairways generally puts the weight you're carrying and your posture in the worst possible place. I have suffered severe back problems in the past with bulging discs. I found a McTimoney Chiripractor who works absolute wonders, but he did point out that strengthening the muscles down either side of the back would be key to preventing the same cycle repeating. The problem I had was that the muscles were locked so tight around the problem area I had no movement in rather area. On his recommendation I tried a TENS machine, which absolutely transformed how I deal with back pain. Having the TENS machine on disrupts the pain signals travelling down the nerves and allows the muscles to release and allows me to stretch and rotate and further ease the muscles spasm. This combined with daily press ups has strengthened my back and upper body to the point where the length of time between problems is getting longer and longer. If I feel any tweaks or pains starting, I get the TENS machine straight on, stand up for a couple of hours and continually stretch and rotate and the pain has gone by the morning.
I don't really understand this whole exercise and Pilates business, read the caveats here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilates
"This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral."
"There is only limited evidence to support the use of Pilates to alleviate low back pain, or improve balance in elderly people. Evidence from studies show that while Pilates improves balance, limited data exists on whether this impacts on falls by the elderly. Pilates has not been shown to be an effective treatment for any medical condition. There is some evidence regular Pilates sessions can help muscle conditioning in healthy adults, when compared to doing no exercise"
I did it for a year and whilst it's pleasurable (like a Thai massage) it did nothing for my spine or the pain or my strength.
Here is a skelington:
^^ Here we can see the whole of the upper body is supported by one thing - the spine. So everything you carry or lift is transferred to it. If it's worn or the squashy bits have squashed out I really don't get how strengthening something else up can help. No matter what you strengthen or nurture the weight is always carried by the same components.
So snake oil, Placebo or what?
Thoughts?
"This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral."
"There is only limited evidence to support the use of Pilates to alleviate low back pain, or improve balance in elderly people. Evidence from studies show that while Pilates improves balance, limited data exists on whether this impacts on falls by the elderly. Pilates has not been shown to be an effective treatment for any medical condition. There is some evidence regular Pilates sessions can help muscle conditioning in healthy adults, when compared to doing no exercise"
I did it for a year and whilst it's pleasurable (like a Thai massage) it did nothing for my spine or the pain or my strength.
Here is a skelington:
^^ Here we can see the whole of the upper body is supported by one thing - the spine. So everything you carry or lift is transferred to it. If it's worn or the squashy bits have squashed out I really don't get how strengthening something else up can help. No matter what you strengthen or nurture the weight is always carried by the same components.
So snake oil, Placebo or what?
Thoughts?
Edited by 227bhp on Tuesday 6th February 09:48
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