Bulging Disc

I also recently had a buldging disc and after the first trip to the chiro I was feeling 85% better. You need to find a good one that you can trust! My family sees one located in Oakdale, he is a long time family friend that I trust with everything! Let me know if you are in the area and would like their number!!
Good Luck

I have the same thing. I went for physical therapy and cortisone shots. For me the shots worked pretty well. They also gave me some anti inflamatories and some pain medicine. Limited activity for a bit is ok. It's when you overdo it and can't move at all that becomes a problem. I still have problems with siatica from time to time but haven't had to have cortisone in many years.

I agree, try a chiro or PT before going another route. Better yet is you can find a chiropracter that incorperates PT in withe their adjustments you would probably have the best results.

Hi I have the same condition as you have. I did everything that is on your list. Nothing help. I am not over weight, I weigh 120lbs and 5'2. For seven years I did all the things that you have listed. What happens is the siatica nerve will make you lose muscles. My went down the left side of my back and pinich at the knee. I lost all the muscles in the lower leg and foot, and walk with a bad limp.

I finally saw Frank Clay at St. Lukes hosiptal here in Milwaukee. I am 100% fixed. Everything in my back is mine. He told me once you have a back problem you will always have one. He told me to go online and purchase LOSE THE BACK PAIN. I do 10 min of therapy from this book every day, I also buy their all natural back releif pills. I have never had a problem sense surgery and doing the therapy every day.

I stil have the bulging disc. But no pain, no limp, I walk now without any problems. However my muscle still not back in the foot yet. That takes the longest to build back up. I have to walk a bit slow, or my foot will get tried.

I the book and disc runs about $100.00 on line, but I can make copies of the book and send it to you. Ask my son to butn copies of the cd for you also. It is well worth it. Here there web site please check it out. Save you years of pain and lose of muscles. Wish someone would of told me about this sooner. www.BackReliefElite.Com. If you have any questions please email. Good luck. Make the copies for free.

I agree with the rest of the ladies about NOT having surgery. My husbands same discs were bad and had surgery and had to have another one and another, but could have been because they were done at ALTRU! My husband says don't have surgery done but to do the physical therapy. My husband has had 8 surgeries to try and fix his back but all the scar tissue has hardened and he is what they call a liability case, no doctors want to work on him because of this. If he has surgery he may come out worse than before. Watch the meds also. If they offer you Oxicotin/Oxicodone pass them up! Both are highly addictive and have caused life threatening health problems and death in some ppl. I know most of the pain meds out there because my husband has tried many to reduce the pain. Try the Twin Cities Spine Center there in Minniapolis. We went there and they have nice staff. Just remember if you have surgery and something gets messed up it is hard to get other doctors to fix what the other messed up on. Trust me! I wish you the best of luck!....T.

Yes A., I dealt with this and I am HEALED! I used traditional chinese medicine (herbs, acupressure, chinese body treatment and finally, magnets helped to release the chi, thus healing me.) I tried the cortisone and not only did it not help, but it left an ugly permanent rash on my foot as my body tried to get rid of the awful toxins the shot introduced to my body. Chiropractic treatment also helped a great deal--but to a certain point and I recommend it highly. One more thing: Sunbathe! Just lay in the sun when you're feeling the discomfort makes you want to lay down and do nothing. It works wonders. I wish you much healing in the near future.

A.,

I AM the poster child for disc herniation and decompression. I had a 22 mm herniation last summer, and they wanted to go directly to surgery, but my chiropractor was involved in a study, so he convinced them to allow me to be in the study. My results can be seen on the PDF on the website.

http://www.minnesotachiropractic.com/

I had so much pain that I could not walk from the car to the parking lot without having to sit and rest. The thought of standing long enough to do ANY sort of housework was not going to happen. I still have some leg pain, but I don't do my exercises as much as I should. Walking is a great exercise. I am training for the Breast Cancer 3-day, and I have already done a 9-mile training walk.

So decompression. Don't let them cut you open. The picture of my injury is on page 3 of the PDF. It's real. It's me, and I feel great.

I was diagnosed with 3 herniated (bulging) discs when I was 22 yrs old. Back problems run in my family. I did try a cortizone injection and it didn't do anything for me, and my mother had several over the years and she said that either it went really well and the pain was gone for months or nothing changed at all, it was really hit or miss for her. I never tried a chiropractor as the very idea of someone adjusting me when I was in that much pain made we want to cry. And my discs were swelling so badly that the ortho surgeon I saw didn't feel that physical therapy was a useful tool for me. The exercises someone else mentioned can be helpful to help prevent it from happening again and can be helpful in the healing process if done properly. But it can take several months to more than a year for the problem to fix itself and more than likely it will come back. Maintaining a healthy weight, and breast reduction if you have large ones can help destress the lower back. Having intercourse in postions other than missionary if it bothers your disc and nerve. I'm sure they've given you a list of things like avoiding lifting, prolonged sitting or standing, bending or twisting, etc. I now work at the hospital I was seen at for my problems (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics) and can say that not only is it one of the best hospitals in the world for specialists, but it is a good hospital inside as well as out. They have a Pain Clinic that is focused on helping people manage long term pain without getting all doped up on meds (although they do medicate to an extent as there are muscle relaxers and antinflammatory meds that can help your body heal). If you'd like more info on the clinic or our orthopaedic surgery department, visit us at www.uihealthcare.org Hope what I've shared can help you make a decision. Best of luck to you.

P.S. If you want to try the cortizone injection, I can say that the procedure was painless, they numb you up good and it is just like an epidural for child birth if you've had one of those. It was a little creepy when I felt the needle scrape the vertabre a bit, but it never hurt me.

Hi A.,
I can't imagine what you are going through knowing you have 3 children to care for. I know many people that have had results with bulging disc, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease and even sciatic nerve damage. I am sure all these people would not have believed it either until they tried it for themselves and gotten relief by using Reliv. This is a product that is becoming very well known simply because of the results people get. It is nutrition that allows the body to heal by creating healthy new cells. My husband has not been back to the doctor to get cortizone shots for his knees since using Reliv. That still amazes me.
I love helping people and that is why I pass this information on.
Blessings,
L.

A.,
I can relate! Although it wasn't me, it was my husband. In February he started having the tingling in his leg and found out it was a bulging disk at L4 and L5-S1 with the siatica. He tried a chiropractor for awhile with no luck. He then tried some therapy and had the shot. the shot helped a little bit. I think a combination of the therapy, an anti-inflamation drug and the shot is giving him some relief. It took until this month to see some relief. The only thing I want to mention is to do what they tell you as far as exercises and meds. As soon as he started feeling relief, he got lax on the meds and the exercises and he's complaining again. Hang in there, it is a long process, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. They kept telling him that usually within 6 months it starts to heal itself on it's own and goes away for most people. He couldn't believe that with all the pain he was in, but everything he read said the same thing. and it does appear to be showing signs of doing just that. I can only imagine how hard it must be on you with the 3 children. Make sure you get help and take it easy when you can (which I know, is almost never...).

A.,
I am a physical therapist myself, and I would highly recommend a Physician's Neck and Back clinic, or finding a physical therapist in your area who has their Orthopedic Clinical Specialty certification (you can find one on the APTA website, apta.org or mnapta.org). Whatever you do ALWAYS choose a conservative approach first!

I have twin girls (18months) and understand the need to be up and active. Chiropractic care helps with disc problems all the time.
I don't know if you are a chiropractic case (for sure), but I do know that you deserve an evaluation and an opportunity to find out what chiropractic has to offer you.
I have a clinic in Urbandale and you're always welcome to come in and consult with me at no charge.
Consults are always no obligation, no charge.
www.YostFamilyChiropractic.com

Hi A.
I personally would do chiroprator or physical therapy before trying anything else. Hope you feel better soon. :)T.

Research is showing that physical therapy may have equal/better results to surgery. The absolute need for surgery would be: loss in bladder/bowel function and or motor dysfunction (meaning that there could be irreversible damage if the pressure is not removed from the nerves) I would certainly try the PT first. They will work through the acute phase and give you exercises to perform on a DAILY basis to maintain your back health.

Hi,
My name is B. and I have had a worse problem with my back then you it was my L4 and L5. I went thru physical therapy,back school, cortizone shots,nerve system tests you name it I done it. I dont know about you but I had pain down both my legs so they decided surgery was best for me,but i would suggest trying the cortizone shots sometimes they seem to have helped. My problem turned out them having to take out part of my nerve in my back,at least now I can live and do things I would not have been able to do before.Also, it doesnt hurt to get a Dr. second opinion. Hope things work out.
B. Jacquest in Wisconsin

I'm a massage therapist who has worked with chiropractors and have worked on many people with this and many other conditons. I would definetly sugest going as natural as you can a good chiroprator can provide you with excelent care and combining that with massage and/or physical therapy can bring about excenlent results. Unfortunatly this is something you will have to mindful of for the rest of your life but it does not mean an end to an active lifestyle. Your main focus should be on reliving the pressure on the area and strengthening the surounding area including your abs(stong abs support the back)also learning the proper body mechanics or way of doing activities including cleaning and work can help in prevention of further aggravation or injury. You should also ask your doctor or chiroprator about taking a yoga class, there great for stretching and streanthening the entire body. Best of luck to you I hope that some of this information will be of help to you.

Hi A.,

I don't knmow if this will help or not, but my frind and co-worker was to go in for surgery for a buldging disc and back pain. She walked on cement floors all day.

She knows that I help people find alternatives. So we got together and I tol her about our glucosomine poroduct and she tried it. She said the pain is gone. She has been a customer now for several years and is actually doing well. (No surgery)

If you want to learn more, please let me know,

J.

A.,

Sorry I have not responded to you sooner, but I have some information for you. I have been dealing with chronic sciatica for 15 years now. I still have occasional flare-ups, but it use to be horrible. Especially when the pain would shoot down my leg. I'm more stable now, and there are a lot of reasons for that which I will explain shortly.

Secondly, I was in a serious car accident 2 1/2 years ago that caused a slipped vertabrae and a bulging disk at L4/L5 and disk compression at L5/S1 (I was thrown across the cab of the truck and my hip hit the center console----yes I should have been wearing my seatbelt). For treatment, they tried pain killers only at first along with anti-inflammatories. That hardly did anything for me. I was then referred to my chiropractor(she's awesome btw) for care by my PCP. Fortunately they were coordinating my care, along with another chiropractor that would come to her office once a week that specialized in rehab. It was actually later determined via MRI about my condition at which point I was referred to a pain clinic for epidural and SI joint spinal injections.

Recovery was long because of the multiple issues going on. I'm still dealing with problems, but not nearly as severe as they use to be. So basically it has been a combination of pain killers, chiropractic care, physical rehab (specialized and tailor-made for my condition), and spinal injections. You may just need 1 or 2 of those options for relief. I had three series of spinal injections in the course of 10mos. I hope this information is useful to you. And again, I'm sorry that I didn't respond sooner---life has been busy lately.

My sciatica has also improved from all of these treatments.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask: ____@____.com

B.

Hi A.-
I have the same disc (L5-S1) injured. It bulged out due to a fall. I have had a lot of luck with regular adjustments from a chiro. and a stint of physical therapy. Once I started feeling better from the main injury, I was able to stop the therapy and I go in once a month or so to keep everything lined up. It seems to help me not throw something out of place. I never had the siatica along with it, so I imagine your pain level is higher than mine was. My father has had cortisone shots before for his own lower back injury and they seem to help for a while, although they aren't a forever fix they seem to help with the swelling and pain and may allow you to be more active during the summer.

I have three bulging discs and physical therapy has helped with the pain. The physical therapist recently tried traction on me and I feel about 90% better! Good luck.

Physicians Neck and Back Clinic
http://www.pnbconline.com/

I had surgery for an L4-L5 disc fragment when my son was 1 year old and it was a horrible experience - the pain relief was great, but not being able to lift my son for 3 months was a big burden. Then the problem recurred about 5 months after the surgery, even though I had kept up with physical therapy and was cautious.

I had PNBC recommended to me by a friend when my surgeon was all set for me to have a second surgery. I decided to give it a try even though conventional physical therapy hadn't done that much for me (and I had done it all - stretching, strengthening, decompression, e-stim, etc.). I never had the second surgery. :)

These people work only on necks and backs, and they get results. If you ever meet another of their patients they'll rave just as much as I do. I'd start there before doing anything else at all.

A.:

This is personal preference of course, but that's the point of these posts anyway, right?!
I worked in the chiropractic field for a number of years and have been a patient on and off throughout my life.
I would recommend starting there and perhaps with physical therapy first.
I know of so many people who have been able to manage and live comforatbly with a disc condition and not need the invasive proceedures and all of the risk and side effects that go with it. I hope this helps.

I had the same thing happen to me. I injured my L5-S1 at work, and man did it hurt. But with all the stuff the doctor's thew3 at me i am glad that i took a lot to time to figure out what to do. I had physical therapy and kept up with it for 8 months. I also talked with my PT about the option my doctor gave me. The disc- decompression was something i thought i wanted a first but i researched it and decide that it was a somewhat quick fix and i would still need PT and be off my feet, for what was almost as long as what it would take PT to work. I did however get an epidural in my back which took some of the pain away. I had shooting pain down my right leg, and after the epidural it was dulled to almost gone. The only thing i can recommend is that you get physical therapy do it a t hospital. I did my therapy at Memorial Hospital in Sheboygan and i loved it. Also i tried to PT at the clinic but the therapist was a little dumb. So be comfortable with who you are working with and make sure if you aren't try someone new. Just be comfortable with what you chose, and get lots of information on everything. GOOD LUCK and just remember it takes time.

Hi A.,

I've a long history of neck and low back issues. I was in a car accident when I was 16. I'm now 38. I've had 4 children and over the years have become deconditioned. I've had a bulging disc problem on several occasions. I usually went to a chiropractor and took motrin for the pain until it got better.

Last summer; however, my back got really bad. A year ago I started losing weight and have lost 93 lbs to date. Last summer I started to run. After a couple of weeks of that my back went out badly. I sought help from a good chiropractor AND at the same time met with a personal trainer for strength training. My core was VERY weak! He started me lightly on some weight training. Within a couple of weeks I noticed how much stronger I had become. I have been doing weight/strength training every since and have only had to go to the chiropractor a handful of times since then.

My personal trainer was against chiropractic care at the time. My personal feeling is that both chiropractic and physical therapy at the same time is best. Keep the back aligned AND strengthen the muscles. It worked very well for me. I haven't been this strong for 15 years!

I would avoid surgery at all cost! Also, when I was younger I had cortizone shots down my spine on two occasions. I did get about 6 months of relief both times; however, cortizone shots are not good for someone in their childbearing years. There are other side effects that go with it anyway. I would only do shots if PT and chiropractic care doesn't work. I would do shots before I would ever consider surgery though. As an orthopedic nurse, this is my advice.

Good luck! I feel your pain!

I have a herniated cervial disc. The (very mean) spinal specialist I saw first firmly believed I needed surgery to correct it. However, I found immense relief through PT. I stopped that to try chiropractic instead, which helped further. Unfortunately I have no chiro coverage so I will probably be going back to PT. But, my point is that those non-invasive methods were very helpful in reversing many of the symptoms (though not all the pain). I avoided cortisone shots because I was told once you do them, you have to keep doing them. I might consider it in the future but for now I will stick with the PT. Good luck.

I had this same problem about 10 years ago. My doctor was very conservative in his treatment. He gave me lots of options, which others have told you, but the one I started with was simple walking. He told me to Walk, Walk, Walk!! I did -- only about 1/2 mile per day at first, then built it up to around 1 1/2 miles. It took several months, but I one day noticed that it wasn't bothering me any more! Sure beat the shots, meds, etc.

Hi A.,
I feel for you. My husband had this issue and I know that it was not fun. He went to a Chiropractor first big mistake-- it did nothing to help. He went to physical therapy which helped but still go a cortisone shot which we thought was going to cure it. But 2 years later it came back. We live in Omaha, NE so I suggested he try Rejuvenation Center. Boy it worked wonders. This is a facility that has the latest technologies. He learned excersies that would help but they used a machine that elongates the spine to allow the disk to go back into place. He does occasionally have some pain but usually after twisting the wrong way so he does his exercises and feels better. He was told the shot is a quick fix but not a permanent one. Since he hit 40's he has developed a belly that put more strain on his back. Hope this gives you something to think about.

Several of my family members have back problems similar to yours; my sister had back surgery in her late 30s, my mom in her 40s, my brother is getting to the point when he will have to have it, & my dad had 5 back surgeries at Mayo. In addition, I am an RN with experience caring for postop laminectomies.

My advice, is always try the least invasive treatments first. Yes, you're out some $ if they don't work, but if they do work, you're so much better off. Eventually you may need to go the surgery route anyway, but I urge you to try the others first. There are risks with every surgery. Some people have great results with surgery (my mom for example, & many I cared for in hospital), but others don't have such a great result (my sister & dad). You just never know. If it becomes necessary, it becomes necessary, but try to avoid it as long as you can. Good luck.

Healing Touch is another alternative modality you can try, IN CONJUNCTION with other interventions, to increase the chance of success with those interventions (can help to decrease swelling, inflammation, & spasms so that the other interventions work better, & is painless).

i have a L4-L5-S1 and had the disc decompression done at Urban Chiropratic in Rockbrook. It is a 3-4 month treatment plan. It has really seemed to help me. I hope this helps.

living with someone who has had back surgery, I would never ever recommend surgery to anyone, that really isn't necessary...there are a number of different chiropractic care treatments out there, including network chiropractic that can make you at least comfortable, bringing your pain days to a level of 1 instead of higher than 15, I would recommend chiropractic care vs. being sore and cranky for the rest of your life...

I would start with Chiropractic and acupuncture. I don't believe in shots or surgery unless everything else has failed. If you can get a Chiropractor and a physical therapist to work together that would be perfect.