Disc Protrusion / Herniated Disc

I have had some amazing sucess with back issues using essential oils and pilates. Certain oils work better then others.

I have a herniated disc and a bulging disc in my neck. Thanks to physical therapy, chiropractic care, and yoga, I am out of pain without pain meds and have full range of motion. I did take pain meds (Ibuprofen and Neurontin) to manage the pain while I went through the first 8 months of therapies, but I kept the dosages as low as I could so I still felt pain if I did something "wrong." Pain can be a great teacher as long as it's not overwhelming.

Massage can also help especially in the beginning. I started with physical therapy and massage until I was out of the acute phase then moved into chiropractic and yoga once I could do all my physical therapy exercises easily, but knew I still wasn't out of the woods. I had private instruction with a woman who is both a yoga teacher and body worker. She gave me my own personal set of yoga asanas to do at home. I find this more beneficial than a class, because I simply cannot do all the poses that a generalized class would have me do and I definitely don't want some instructor pushing me to stretch beyond my ability.

The active running and aerobics may need to take a back seat for a while, but maybe it's time for a change in the exercise routine...

I have two herniated discs in my lower back. The only "cure" is surgery; however, that doesn't even really cure the problem because you are not guaranteed that the pain will cease. I did NOT have surgery for this very reason. The only thing that has ever helped me is Chiropractics. Now, you have to be careful because there are good Chiropractors and bad Chiropractors. Try and find one that is a Palmer graduate. There are two Palmer schools I believe - one is in Florida and the other is in the midwest somewhere, but I don't think that it really matters which one of the schools they attended. I am not sure if you have on near you, but there is a practice called Palmercare Chiropractic. I think they have an office in Maryland, but I don't know if it is near you or where it is exactly in MD.

There is also physical therapy you can do. Yoga is an excellent way to help alleviate the problems. You would need to find a really GREAT instructor though who could cater to your injury and ease you into the poses that will help you out in the future. Pilates is good, but I wouldn't recommend Pilates until after you started yoga. (I say Yoga because the whole purpose of Yoga is to elongate the spine. This would allow more space for the discs thus alleviating the pressure on the nerve.) Meds while they serve a purpose are useless. It's almost like putting a band-aid on a broken leg. It alleviates the symptom but never addresses the problem (I mean this only in relation to a disc problem). Trust me there is a need and a use for them especially in the beginning, but eventually if you start the Chiro you will feel better rather quickly.

When I hurt my back I could barely walk. Within one week of going to the Chiropractor, I could get from one place to another without a wheelchair or in the instance of being home, without crawling. Even though I did the chiropractor, I will still always have nerve damage and I can no longer feel the outside of my left leg; however, I can walk and my chronic pain is manageable without drugs. If I ever have a bad day, I just pop several Tylenol and that works it out for me.

My dad had herniated discs in his back, and I think that he would give this advice to anyone that had any sort of disc issue.
No matter what you do, even if you trust your doctor completely, if you are told that you will need surgery get a second, and even a third opinion. My dad and my friends boyfriend both had surgery on their backs, and daddy also had two discs in his neck fused together. He had never ever been the same, and has regular migraines now. Good luck.

Chiropractic and yoga both work by opening up the spine, so those might help make more space for the disks. I also used Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT) to help my neck after a car accident. I don't know if it will work as well with herniated disks, but it helps muscle imbalances. The specialist can strengthen muscles that you may not have realized weren't working properly, and realign your spine that way. My husband had a herniated disk with similar symptoms to yours and had the surgery to remove it. It was an easy surgery and he went home the next day. If he doesn't do his exercises, his back feels weak and he feels numbness in his heel, so the surgery does work to fix the immediate problem, but you will have to stay fit to prevent recurrences.

My freshman year of college, I played softball with what we all thought was a severly pulled hamstring. Yes...I played...I'm not the one to say it hurts too much to play...dumb on my part! Then the pain got to my knee...which I received a cortesone(sp) shot for...didn't help at all. One morning, during the summer and after college ended, I woke up and it took me 20 minutes to climb up the stairs because I couldn't walk up them...I was in SOOO much pain! My dad took me to the doctor and they said it was finally time for an MRI...herniated disc at L5, S1.

Got a shot of cortesone in my spine...worst pain ever(giving birth to my daughter was nothing!). Didn't work. Tried steriods...didn't work. Only option left....surgery. It worked...thank God! And after I was never told I couldn't do anything. I still played 3 years of college softball after, I walk, run, box, Pilates all the time...no problems. I do find that if I'm not exercising or stretching, the pain will rear its ugly head! But, never as bad as before. And it goes away!

I've never been told that I couldn't do something. And the pain doesn't return when I am doing stuff. Please let me know if you have any other questions...I hate it, but I have some experience in the subject! :)

Good luck!

My husband used to be a rodeo cowboy (professionally) - bull riding is not great for the back long-term! And THEN when he retired from rodeo, he decided he would play rugby. He's been doing that for the past 20 years. So you can imagine what x-rays of his back look like. The last orthopedic surgeon he went to was shocked my husband can still walk, and was in total disbelief that he plays rugby several times a week, after seeing his back x-rays.

So almost by accident, my husband discovered acupuncture. I know that sounds crazy - believe me, we are huge fans of western medicine here in our house. Eastern medicine seemed like voodoo as far as I was concerned. Anyhow, my husband had new medical insurance and was assigned to a new doctor. He threw out his back to the point that I almost had to call an ambulance to come get him. He couldn't walk! We go in to see this doctor, who is a legit MD, but also specializes in acupuncture. So they bring my husband in there (riding in a wheelchair), do some acupuncture on him, and he WALKED OUT and hour later. Not only did he walk out, he felt better than he had in years! The next day he was back at rugby practice. Since then, he's had 3 or 4 acupuncture treatments in the past several years, but it has almost eliminated his back pain. The acupuncture reduces nerve inflammation, which allows the muscles to relax, and for the back to heal. It's not going to stop disc herniation, but it will reduce the swelling that the herniation causes. For my husband, it was like a miracle. I would give it a try and see if it helps you!

For the record, my husband has been told by several orthopedic surgeons that if his back pain ever becomes unbearable, they can try surgical disc replacement. Obviously this is a risky surgery, so he prefers to use any methods possible to keep from having to do that. So far so good with acupuncture!

Good luck!!

I had this in the L4/5 had surgery followed by physical therapy and there is nothing I cannot do. Sometimes when it rains it gets a little sore but I'm so much better. Before the surgery I was bed ridden for 8 weeks living on pain killers. Good luck

I have had several bouts with back issues, my latest sounds similar to yours. Physical therapy has taken care of the problem, I'd say I'm 95% healthy again. I tried chiropractic care last time (when I had sciatic pain), it didn't help at all. Walking and gently stretching backwards "squished the bulge" back into the disk where it belonged. I. too, had been very active prior to (and in between) my bouts of back problems, I simply have to remember that my disks are somewhat compromised (will never be 100% perfect again), and continue to exercise and always try and lift correctly. Form a relationship with one doctor (Urgent Care sometimes overreacts in their advice!), and try the least invasive forms of therapy first. PT can work wonders! Good luck to you - I believe you'll recover, like I did!

I feel for ya. I also had a herniated disc with the sciatic pain UNBELIEVABLE pain down my right leg. I've had 4 children, and labor and delivery weren't that painful! I went the rounds of steroids, muscle relaxers, etc and finally ended up having surgery. Pain gone, but every once in awhile I have a little bit of pain that might last a minute. Nowhere near the degree from before though. Just an irritant. I also have a roundish area about 4 inches around on my right calf that is numb from nerve damage. I don't have any limits on activity. I walk, run, lift children, etc. I even had a baby after the surgery. I'm extremely careful of lifting, I won't water ski or tube because I'm so afraid of it coming back. If I had it to do over, I would go to one of the back centers to see if a non-surgical method would work. It's come so far from my surgery 10 years ago. Chiropractic care made mine worse. In the back of my mind, I'm pretty certain that some day I'll end up having a fusion, but in the meantime, I am trying to be careful. I also am a naturally thin person, so I don't have a weight issue making my back worse. I only mention that because I had a good friend with a herniated disc and she was overweight and her weight made her back so much worse and she ended up with a fusion.

After reading many of the replies I now take a deep breath. Please know that all the people that wrote that surgery is the ONLY way simply have not researched, or experienced any other modality!! Both acupuncture and chiropractic and body work can and do help and fix this issue. I can refer you to an acupuncturist in Westminster. I am a body worker and have treated this problem with great results. My chiropractor also treats this with adjustments,and especially great success with a decompression table that relieves pressure on the disc and gives it space to heal.
Please feel free to contact me if you wish to get to a non Western practitioner.
L. M

I have been there and remember it never goes away.

Part of my treatment was therapy about 7 months, with sports massage (thought I would die.. you should have seen the black and blue bruises on my inner thighs..

They also sent me to "Back School".. They taught us how to walk how to sit, how to do tasks, lift carry.. Spoke about activities to avoid..
I had to purchase a different car so I could sit properly..

I also ended up depressed and had to go to therapy. To not have the ability to do everything I used to as easily, was frustrating and embarrassing.. I hated realizing, I was never going to be totally the same physically.. The good news is that know what will bring on a back problem and how to take care of it..

Getting older is a bit#.. Even if you are in your 20's..