Herniated Disc: Have any of you guys FULLY recovered?

[GreatOldOne]

I just think that I am an immortal god. I say that to myself: I am a god.

The placebo effect works and is powerful.

COME AT ME BRO!

it's actually not complete ****...there's a guy dr. sarno who has a book out on his voodoo version of 'think your pain away'...and while i really couldn't say it's the best idea from a mechanical viewpoint i do know a guy who took this approach and and says it actually worked for him 100%. i'm a skeptic at heart and think personally that the anti-inflammatory + mckenzie method is the way to go...but when you're in severe back and/or leg pain all day long you are ready to try anything and I couldn't blame anybody for doing it especially if there are a few cases where it will work.

people try anything and many things...and when you finally get better it's hard to say what the magic combination is. because there's another huge confounding factor in every success story which is really not controversal: time without reinjury helps.

[NorCalMike]

Interesting. Don't know how to read that image, but something doesn't look right... probably the lower disc that's darker is the one that's messed up?

L4 l5 disc bulge checking in
Did physical therapy but what really helped we're steroids serious
Started with oral prednisone taper which helped temporary
Then started spine injections with an X-ray machine to guide doctor
Those things are amazing. After like 5 I mostly feel no pain.

Sometimes acts up when walking
I'll never deadlock again

Thanks for sharing.

it's actually not complete ****...there's a guy dr. sarno who has a book out on his voodoo version of 'think your pain away'...and while i really couldn't say it's the best idea from a mechanical viewpoint i do know a guy who took this approach and and says it actually worked for him 100%. i'm a skeptic at heart and think personally that the anti-inflammatory + mckenzie method is the way to go...but when you're in severe back and/or leg pain all day long you are ready to try anything and I couldn't blame anybody for doing it especially if there are a few cases where it will work.

people try anything and many things...and when you finally get better it's hard to say what the magic combination is. because there's another huge confounding factor in every success story which is really not controversal: time without reinjury helps.

Yup. There is none with this injury, it's so individual. Two identical MRI's and one person has chronic pain and the other feels perfectly normal. So you just gotta try a few things and go with what works. I do think some people are too quick to go the surgery/injection route. For many of use here (who lift and exercise regularly) we're in a better position to recover due to living active lifestyles. Whereas the average Joe who "doesn't even lift" has to change his whole lifestyle to self-rehab without surgery and meds.

[Beararms]

still have pain from time to time, especially when I stand up for a long time.

[anonymous]

i reached 98% recovered like 1.5 years after injury. its been 3 years after injury still 98%.

[NorCalMike]

still have pain from time to time, especially when I stand up for a long time.

How about some details... when did you herniate it and how long did it take to recover? Did you self-rehab without meds/injections or go the surgery route?

i reached 98% recovered like 1.5 years after injury. its been 3 years after injury still 98%.

How often are you bothered by it today? At 98% it better be rare

[NorCalMike]

bump

[SquallFF8]

How did you herniate it and what were your initial symptoms? Like did you have sever epain and need meds etc. And did you notice a correlation to being more "sedentary" and having pain flare ups? Something I'm curious about from your brahs. Another poster ITT mentioned not stretching for 6 months and then the pain really came back. I herniated mine summer 2012 and when I took some time off from the gym recently (almost no exercise nor stretching) I noticed thats when pain started to return. Couldn't even sit down for more then like 5 minutes.

I was picking up something heavy at my manual labor job in college and didn't use the best form. I heard a pop in my lower back and it hurt. I couldn't even bend over that day without it hurting/giving out on me. I rested up for a few days and I was feeling pretty good from that point on until I quit my job (8 months later) and got a more sedentary lifestyle with my new job. Thats when it started to hurt more from time to time. I have never needed meds for the pain. I've found that when I stretch and i'm active, it doesn't really hurt. But when I sit around for too long it flares up to remind me that its still not right 3 years later. Kind of sucks but its manageable. I wish it wouldn't have happened but can't really fix that now.

[NorCalMike]

I was picking up something heavy at my manual labor job in college and didn't use the best form. I heard a pop in my lower back and it hurt. I couldn't even bend over that day without it hurting/giving out on me. I rested up for a few days and I was feeling pretty good from that point on until I quit my job (8 months later) and got a more sedentary lifestyle with my new job. Thats when it started to hurt more from time to time. I have never needed meds for the pain. I've found that when I stretch and i'm active, it doesn't really hurt. But when I sit around for too long it flares up to remind me that its still not right 3 years later. Kind of sucks but its manageable. I wish it wouldn't have happened but can't really fix that now.

I'm the same in that when I stretch/am active all is good. But I tried taking a week off from the gym recently and that backfired on me. I think this injury just forces us to be more active. But also, people just recover differently or the severity is different. I've never taken/needed pain meds either. When it flared up for me last week, just more of a discomfort then anything. I've had this less then a year and feel like I can get a lot better just by losing weight and strengthing my core. Pain/Discomfort isn't even that bad now so when these are improved I feel good about my outlook long-term.

You mentioned possibly getting surgery, and definitely in your case that is not necessary. Because exercising works for you. Surgery is often unsuccessful and for the worst of the worst. Might do more harm then good for you imo

[anonymous]

How about some details... when did you herniate it and how long did it take to recover? Did you self-rehab without meds/injections or go the surgery route?



How often are you bothered by it today? At 98% it better be rare

pretty much injured it november 16, 2010 (wont forget that day ever lol). doing deadlifts, notice something feeling wierd in my back. keep going up in warmup sets. get to 315 and it feels really heavy so i put it down after 3 reps. then i go to take the plates off and i cant bend over at all. im completely stiff. 60 seconds later the pain starts pouring in, any movement is extremely painful. i try doing pullups but just hanging from the bar is excruciating. go home and the next 3-4 days are unbearable pain and just laying in bed all day. thanksgiving break couldnt come sooner a week later. get an mri and l4/l5 central disc herniation. i start working out 1 week after injury but very limited and light (keep going to the gym, just start slow, time off only hurts u, getting blood flow to the area speeds the recovery). hyperextensions/hanging from pullup bar/cobra stretch are my 3 saviors. those 3 things healed my back over time. after 6 months im back to doing legs (somewhat limited though). 1 year later im doing everything i was before except for deadlifts, barbell rows, and barbell squats. stiffness becomes less apparent. 1.5 years later i can do anything i culd before injury. the 2% is the random stifiness i get here in there which goes away with the simple cracking of my lower back. to this day i dont have much stifness, i just crack it when i wake up and before a workout and im 100%. im at the point where i forget i herniated a disc until threads like these pop up. i was in your shoes though i saw no light at the end of the tunnel, but its there dont worry.

[Beararms]

How about some details... when did you herniate it and how long did it take to recover? Did you self-rehab without meds/injections or go the surgery route?
July


How often are you bothered by it today? At 98% it better be rare

Was doing to much, lifting, bball, pt, and a crap ton of standing. It took me about a year to "recover" even though I'm still bothered by it. Self rehab with meds.

[Jelet]

iv herniated my disc in december and i am in CONSTANT pain. feels like a sharp knife in my back. its a disc bulge l4-l5.

not getting better.

i dont know what to do... people say only get surgery if its ruptured but im in so much pain that i dont know ...

i did stretching 2x a day for 2 months but didnt see any relief so i stopped. dont know brahs . im giving up.

[gachase21]

iv herniated my disc in december and i am in CONSTANT pain. feels like a sharp knife in my back. its a disc bulge l4-l5.

not getting better.

i dont know what to do... people say only get surgery if its ruptured but im in so much pain that i dont know ...

i did stretching 2x a day for 2 months but didnt see any relief so i stopped. dont know brahs . im giving up.

go see a neurosurgeon , ask about a neurostimulator

[Jelet]

go see a neurosurgeon , ask about a neurostimulator

why have you used?

[Alyxx]

I'm talking your back feels just like it did (or very close) prior to the herniation. And not having to do core exercises regularly to prevent pain from coming back. Basically can you go on with your life without being inconvenienced by your fukking back or it causing pain.

I feel and pray that this isn't something I'm gonna have to deal with the rest of my life. Please share your experience or knowledge guys. Thank you.

It is something you're going to have to deal with the rest of your life. You'll get back to 95% but you can flare up again. Like I have, 2 injections, 5 months of physical therapy here BRAH

But don't worry. We'll make it

[DavidJr74]

Just took a 30 hour plane ride back to the United States about a week ago. anyone with a herniated disc knows I'm gonna be sore for about a week now lol....still am a little. Finally got the back pain to calm down.

[repsDTGdaily]

go see a neurosurgeon , ask about a neurostimulator

sounds like **** to mask the pain. i would never do that. you could **** it up so much more

[RSFGunney]

I my spine went full potato instantly last year and underwent emergency surgery in July.

I did phisio for 3 months, then pilates for 6. I still stretch every single day and have to wear a back brace when working out. I have to swim at least twice a week (swimming is like magic medicine for my back pain, I can literally swim the pain away) and I cannot sit for long periods of time or drive on particular bad off-road sections or my back flares up and I have to spend the day flat on my back.
If I don’t follow that routine first I get stiff, and then sore, then I’m pretty much bed ridden.

So I had the magic "This surgery will fix everything and you will be able to do everything you used to" surgery and ive stopped counting the things I cant do and just found a way to lift 4 times a week and not be in constant pain.

[Thai_Clinch]

ruptured and herniated 2 discs in my neck in high school during a football game. wasnt allowed to play contact sports ever again and was told to not lift weights for 9 months. It has been 12 years since it happen. That was when my weight ballooned. No real movement outside of walking and such all through my sophmore year. I went from a solid 190lb. (benching 225lb. at 15 years old) to 240lbs. and fat. Wish i didnt wait so long to get back into weightlifting and better shape but that neck injury scared teh chit outta me.

[Villain102]

herniated disk here brah, did it at the age of 16, im pretty sure it was from squatting but in hindsight deadlifting may have been the culprit (albeit, probably bad form)

i remember being in your shoes man, everybody elses life problems seem insignificant and it becomes the only thing on your mind
one thing i will say is i, and many in this thread have felt this way, and with time it will pass. personally ive had minimal help from any healthcare professional on my back, one physiotherapist i had i stopped going to after about 4 sessions because of how **** she was. I remember thinking id never touch a weight again, the worst part being id only been in the gym a few months, and i absolutely loved it. Only just getting back into lifting in the last few months.

Research man, read everything you can on the internet, study your back, what makes it sore and what you can tolerate. Get competent medical help, and you'll be where i am now after 3 years in a number of months (at about 90%). It is something you have to persevere but in time, you will get better (SRS)

[Jelet]

so has anyone with a bulging disc NOT have surgery and have the pain go away or lessen after 6 months?

it seems like everyone whose painfree has there pain go away after like the first 4-5 months. but its been almost 6 months for me and im still not getting better!!!!

this is such bs.

i cant sit down in my class, how will i work a desk job with this pain?

how will i do my blue collar odd jobs with this pain. this is a true nightmare!

[godsangina2]

so has anyone with a bulging disc NOT have surgery and have the pain go away or lessen after 6 months?

it seems like everyone whose painfree has there pain go away after like the first 4-5 months. but its been almost 6 months for me and im still not getting better!!!!

this is such bs.

i cant sit down in my class, how will i work a desk job with this pain?

how will i do my blue collar odd jobs with this pain. this is a true nightmare!

How did you get it brah? I remember you saying a year ago in your progress thread that you don't even train legs.

[gachase21]

why have you used?

Yea, I had one implanted. Here is a copy of a post I made earlier in this thread with part of my story

Mine started like this, Docs first told me I had a strained hamstring. Sent me to physical therapy, meanwhile pain progressively kept getting worse day by day. then decided I had a herniated disk after doing a MRI, but it was just barely one. Sent me to a pain management place that gave me the steroid shots. Pain still progressively got worse(this is about the point I wanted to cut my leg off). He sent me to a very reputable neurosurgeon. Did a CONTRAST mri's couldn't. Saw things not seen in xrays or other mri's. Had a arachnoid cyst in my spine and arachoiditis(scaring tissue bundling nerves up from blood going in my spinal collum in a injury). Implanted nuerostimulator( yea it's expensive, about 80k for everything involved) wasted all that time and money, plus needed pain on everything that happened until I got the contrast mri that really told me what it was(and saw a chiropracter once who apparently made the cyst worse)

Mike, I have delt with this from a sever injury, My leg hurt so bad I seriously considered cutting it off with a reciprocating saw at one point. Did the whole routine, physical therapy , steroid (not the cell tech kind brahs lol) shots , tons of drugs, considered several surgical ideas. After Deciding my condition(arachnoidities http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnoiditis ) could not be helped with surgery the doctors decided to try to Implant a neurostimulator in me( sutured to spine( -http://www.medtronic.com/patients/chronic-pain/device/neurostimulators/what-is-it/index.htm
At first I was skeptical about it working. After the surgery with inflamation it took a while to settle in. Then I had to be constantly insisting the reps reprogram it. It has 16 points that sends electric signals that counteract the pain signals coming up from my spine. The amp, wavlenglth, etc have to be adjusted for each point to reach primary relief. I now take no drugs and basicly have no pain, unless I forget to recharge it(in that case it hurts to the point I can barely function or walk). I would go for this if all else fails.

sounds like **** to mask the pain. i would never do that. you could **** it up so much more

It is. It would be something you did If there is no other option, and all other treatments have failed. It pretty much completely eliminated the pain from me, where previously it was bad enough I wanted to cut my leg off.

another copy of previous post

manipulating brain waves for pain relief works quite well. I have a device implanted in my spine with a battery pack and controller implanted in my lower back that sends electric impulses to my brain to confuse it and counteract the pain signals going to my brain. I have a wireless remote where I can adjust the Amplitude, Pulse width , and Pulse rate.Also a wireless remote to recharge it. True story.
http://www.medtronic.com/patients/ch...-it/index.htmt

[Jelet]

I used to have an inversion table and used it like everyday, it mad pretty much all my back and neck problems disappear, those things are so awesome.

can u link a video that shows how to do it properly i hear mixed things with inversions like to not go past a certain angle or something.

[basement iron]

Oh yeah. Haven't had an issue in a while, well except for occasional soreness.

Strong core, back, stretching is what helped me.

[Jelet]

heres mine.




mri of my herniated disc. l4 l5

[NorCalMike]

iv herniated my disc in december and i am in CONSTANT pain. feels like a sharp knife in my back. its a disc bulge l4-l5.

not getting better.

i dont know what to do... people say only get surgery if its ruptured but im in so much pain that i dont know ...

i did stretching 2x a day for 2 months but didnt see any relief so i stopped. dont know brahs . im giving up.

I'd say keep going with the conservative treatment but give it your full attention. This involves stretching but also light cardio such as walking or the elliptical. Maybe consider getting an exercise ball (they're cheap) and jump on that at home stretch your back out. Ab rollers are great too. 2 months is not a lot of time. I'd go full on trying with the conservative measures for another month or so and if still little/no improvement then seek professional help/opinion.

Hope you get better man.

It is something you're going to have to deal with the rest of your life. You'll get back to 95% but you can flare up again. Like I have, 2 injections, 5 months of physical therapy here BRAH

But don't worry. We'll make it

Who says I can only get back to 95%? Someone a few posts up (#160) said they forget they even had a herniated disc until threads like these pop up. That's where I hope and expect to be in the next few months. My pain is manageable now and I'm probably 20-30lbs overweight and have a weak core. I'm banking on being just about fully recovered when the weight drops and the core is strengthened.

I think it's something I'll have to be cautious of forever but as you get older you're more prone to injuries etc. For the people that recovered (ITT) it doesn't seem like they have to do much besides exercise regularly and stretch every now and then. Not much of an inconvenience. That's for the people who are able to recover of course.

Just took a 30 hour plane ride back to the United States about a week ago. anyone with a herniated disc knows I'm gonna be sore for about a week now lol....still am a little. Finally got the back pain to calm down.

I think anyone's back would hurt. That's 30 hours straight sitting down... many people will have a sore back for a few days after.

herniated disk here brah, did it at the age of 16, im pretty sure it was from squatting but in hindsight deadlifting may have been the culprit (albeit, probably bad form)

i remember being in your shoes man, everybody elses life problems seem insignificant and it becomes the only thing on your mind
one thing i will say is i, and many in this thread have felt this way, and with time it will pass. personally ive had minimal help from any healthcare professional on my back, one physiotherapist i had i stopped going to after about 4 sessions because of how **** she was. I remember thinking id never touch a weight again, the worst part being id only been in the gym a few months, and i absolutely loved it. Only just getting back into lifting in the last few months.

Research man, read everything you can on the internet, study your back, what makes it sore and what you can tolerate. Get competent medical help, and you'll be where i am now after 3 years in a number of months (at about 90%). It is something you have to persevere but in time, you will get better (SRS)

Very true thanks.

Oh yeah. Haven't had an issue in a while, well except for occasional soreness.

Strong core, back, stretching is what helped me.

If you return to this thread please share more information. When did you herniate it, where, and how etc.

[Brahizcool]

It sucks ballssss, but if you streghthen lower back and abdominals (core), you're gonna make it.
I have reduced it to a minimal IMO, rarely feel it, but when I do, tears my man, I feel like shedding some.


Its Not herniated, almost herniated, 2 years back i got a bulging disk L4 L5 s1 , nerve impingement. Sciatica something, effects one nerve which is going from back till ankle.

Brb pain from lower back goes till knees.

Brb can't play chit, can't life chit. Can't drive ****. Can't do ****.

1. Firstly you will have to figure out what kind of herniated disk it is. See Elliot hulses video on it. (Bulging disk)

2. Strengthen hip flexors, lower back, abdominals, pelvic area, hamstrings, in short everything related to core ...using YOGA.

3. When pain decreases, Dont do cycling, Sprint. Sprinting is a bodyweight exercise that builds the core like no other exercises. Brb every part in co ordination

4. ICE. Apply ice once or twice daily. 20 mins.

5. Take rest + fish oil + multi. Keep your diet in good condition. This is training for you to start training.

6. Dead lift. Do it correctly and increase weights slow , im.still on 135. Lol.
But doing this will make your back strong as ****. My lower back actually became a lot better after doing dead lifts. [Doctor didn't recommend, doctors don't know **** about weight lifitng]

7. Work on your hamstrings - isolation. Quads get worked almost always, imbalances reduce core stability.

************
P. P.s : Make a list of top 10 core yoga exercises do ,1x15 reps on every alternate rest day till the rest of your life.

PM for routine, I'll help as much as I can. SRS

P.p.s agn; make sure to remove what causes pain, not all core exercises will benefit you, listen to your body.

P.s: pain ..is temporary, it may last for a minute for a day for a month or ever a year, if you quit however, it may last forever.

- YouTube lol jk

keep your self motivated through speeches /videos and keep your head up high because you're fighting for every painless minute of your life. You're already a legit fighter if you're alive and a legit fighter never gives up.

Thing about it, the saiyan prince didn't have any back pain, Leonidas didn't have any back pain.

So when you tackle your pain and strengthen your body and your mind your traits become more stronger than them.

Life is all about becoming the strongest version of yourself? So be it.

[machinegunjake]

Happened my first deployment in 2008, still not fully recovered. After PT and just about everything else, still have back pain almost daily.

[NorCalMike]

It sucks ballssss, but if you streghthen lower back and abdominals (core), you're gonna make it.
I have reduced it to a minimal IMO, rarely feel it, but when I do, tears my man, I feel like shedding some.


Its Not herniated, almost herniated, 2 years back i got a bulging disk L4 L5 s1 , nerve impingement. Sciatica something, effects one nerve which is going from back till ankle.

Brb pain from lower back goes till knees.

Brb can't play chit, can't life chit. Can't drive ****. Can't do ****.

1. Firstly you will have to figure out what kind of herniated disk it is. See Elliot hulses video on it. (Bulging disk)

2. Strengthen hip flexors, lower back, abdominals, pelvic area, hamstrings, in short everything related to core ...using YOGA.

3. When pain decreases, Dont do cycling, Sprint. Sprinting is a bodyweight exercise that builds the core like no other exercises. Brb every part in co ordination

4. ICE. Apply ice once or twice daily. 20 mins.

5. Take rest + fish oil + multi. Keep your diet in good condition. This is training for you to start training.

6. Dead lift. Do it correctly and increase weights slow , im.still on 135. Lol.
But doing this will make your back strong as ****. My lower back actually became a lot better after doing dead lifts. [Doctor didn't recommend, doctors don't know **** about weight lifitng]

7. Work on your hamstrings - isolation. Quads get worked almost always, imbalances reduce core stability.

************
P. P.s : Make a list of top 10 core yoga exercises do ,1x15 reps on every alternate rest day till the rest of your life.

PM for routine, I'll help as much as I can. SRS

P.p.s agn; make sure to remove what causes pain, not all core exercises will benefit you, listen to your body.

P.s: pain ..is temporary, it may last for a minute for a day for a month or ever a year, if you quit however, it may last forever.

- YouTube lol jk

keep your self motivated through speeches /videos and keep your head up high because you're fighting for every painless minute of your life. You're already a legit fighter if you're alive and a legit fighter never gives up.

Thing about it, the saiyan prince didn't have any back pain, Leonidas didn't have any back pain.

So when you tackle your pain and strengthen your body and your mind your traits become more stronger than them.

Life is all about becoming the strongest version of yourself? So be it.

Great post. So you're basically fully recovered? When do you still get pain? Driving and getting out of the car is my biggest discomfort now. Literally cringe when getting out of the car sometimes and am stiff right after getting out. Even after just a 15 minute drive.

Happened my first deployment in 2008, still not fully recovered. After PT and just about everything else, still have back pain almost daily.

That sucks... how bad/painful was your initial herniation in 08?

[machinegunjake]

Great post. So you're basically fully recovered? When do you still get pain? Driving and getting out of the car is my biggest discomfort now. Literally cringe when getting out of the car sometimes and am stiff right after getting out. Even after just a 15 minute drive.



That sucks... how bad/painful was your initial herniation in 08?

It was pretty terrible brah. The full scale didn't even set in until shortly after I got home. It hit me like a brick one day after I bent down to pick something up. It took them months to figure anything out because they must have thought I was some 19 year old drug-seeker and was only making it up. Once they finally did an MRI, needless to say they felt like idiots.

Lifting actually helped me a lot, after PT did next to nothing, and other assorted regimens/treatments. The level of pain decreased, as well as the frequency of pain, but it is still there and more often than I'd like. The initial injury caused a pinched nerve as well, that duo is terrible. Fortunately it's never caused me to pee/chit myself though..