Disc Degeneration and Bulging Disc

**Vintage_Dude** · 03-18-2007, 05:46 AM

Hi people, I wrote a few months ago about the back pain I was experiencing and I did not know much about the cause. My MRI results show that I have a bulging disc and slight degerenative disc disease in L4 and L5. The back pain I experience is pretty much constant. No pain in the legs or anwywhere else. Just focused on a portion of my lower back, slightly to the left of my spine. I've been to 6 physiotherapy appointments, receiving ultrasound and electric stimulation but to no avail. They say it takes at least 12 visits but I am losing faith and am starting to think they just want my money. I have scheduled an appointment with a chiropractor as well but am weary of the feuding that goes on between physios and chiro's (each says the other is wrong etc...). Does anyone know of any exercises I should be doing or any other form of healing I can do? My quality of life is diminished severely and there is no way I can do weights until this is gone. It has already been one year of pain with no improvement. If anyone knows about this, I would greatly appreciate your insight.

Paul

**tatdawg** · 03-18-2007, 05:59 AM

i have had the same condition for over 25 years. all i can tell you is to avoid surgery at all cost. work on getting your core as strong as possible. keep your weight in check= no large belly. and i have to do some yoga type stretches the first thing in the morning as soon as i crawl out of bed. it has limited what i can do for leg and back as in squats and rows. i mostly do bodyweight squats and pullups and chinups. it is a lifetime challange. but what can you do? one of the reasons for my sig. below. i wish you the best of luck. you are not alone in this.

**Vintage_Dude** · 03-18-2007, 06:35 AM

Thanks. Are you taking any anti-inflammatorys or pain killers? Also, is there ever a time when the pain is gone? More info on me: I am 36 and I believe I injured my back suddenly one year ago whil doing dead lifts. I have a history of back abuse though, in that I did a lot of strenuous activity as a youth (pulling a rickshaw for several summers). I'm sure it was bad for my back and docs tell me it is most likely the result of prolonged degeneration but I can swear I felt this all happen right after doing a really bad set of dead lifts one year ago. I certainly don't want to have surgery. I can walk and do things, I still work and I'm on my feet most of the day but the pain is moderate to severe and I know I don't want htis pain for the rest of my life. I gained 30 pounds since the injury and I have to lose that now. It is hard because exercise is not only somewhat difficult due to the pain, but I'm also concerned it could aggravate my situation. I am beninning a diet today for starters and will see about the cardio with my doc. Any suggestions as to whether a physio is better than chiro or vice versa? Man, this pain sucks. Can't ski or golf or do much without pills and the pills are undoubtedly bad for my stomach they say. I don;t have much faith in the ultrasouns therapy and I think the physios treat the symptoms rather than the cause. How do I fix the disc????

**20xclean** · 03-18-2007, 07:01 AM

I damaged my lower back at age 19, and sucked up up until last August when ruptured one of my three bulging disks.

There are some stretching excersise that help. The one I've found to work the best is laying flat on my stomach and pushing my upper body up while keeping my hips on the floor. When you get your upper body up, look up and exhale. Hold the stretch for 3~5 seconds and then lower yourself. Do this 10 times in the morning and 10 at night before bed. I have a lot of pressure in my lower back when I do this, and it's somewhat uncomfortable but it helps you force the disks back forward and of the spinal cord and sciatic nerves.

In my case, I had to have surgery. For all the horrible cases out there, mine was the exception. I could deal with the back pain, but when that disk ruptured it was inevitable. After surgery, I went from having difficulty walking to feeling 95% upon waking up. I went from pain so bad in my right leg couldn't sleep more then 2 hours a night, and eating loritab 7.5 to feeling better then I have since I was 19, and no pain killers three dasy post surgery. I had the surgery in AUG, 6 weeks recovery and I was back in the gym. By January, I was back to my previous strength, though my right leg is still lagging behind due to the atrophy from the injury.

I hope you can deal with this without surgery. I'd be careful with chiro's, especially with spine portrutions. Disks don't have bloodflow, so they don't heal. Best you can hope for is IF a section breaks off you re-absorb it instead of it sticking against your spine like mine did.

BTW, I ruptured mine doing hack squats my first day back in the gym after a 9 year break. Even with the rupture, I was able to use the recumbant bike and do light upper body. With those excersise and a clean diet, I went from 265 to 230 in three months. It can be done. 40 minutes on the recombant 6 days a week at 75 to 80% intensity and you'll drop that 30lbs before you know it.

Good luck man.

Chris

**tatdawg** · 03-18-2007, 07:14 AM

i can only tell you how i deal with it. i went to chr. and dr. and it is the same. i feel it constantly but i have learned to live with it. there are times when it goes out and my back spasms up like here recently when it took me 10 minutes on the floor in agony to put my shoes and socks on. after a week or so it will let up. buddy i know it sucks but these are the cards i was dealt and i have no choice but play them. i don't take any kind of pills except over the counter alieve when it goes out only. i refuse to get surgery untill i can't move around anymore. it ain't easy but i have lived with this for a long long time. you have to do what is best for you but keeping a slim waist and strong core should be top priority then see how it is.

**BigJimCalhoun** · 03-18-2007, 09:57 AM

I have two bulges and a tear. (L4-L5 and L5-s1)

I went to a chiropractor 19 times and then rested. I can do squats and leg presses again.

**Midas21** · 03-18-2007, 12:21 PM

I know your situation all to well. I just finished 12 weeks of phys. therapy and I am doing better. My buldging disc is L5, S1. I am also taking a drug called relafin. At first I didn't think the drug was helping but when I ran out I could tell it did make an effect. I don't like the fact that I have to take the drug, but if it means that I'm not in constant pain then I'll take it. I think the therapy was the greatest benefit. My therapist worked with me on strenghting my core, and also how to engage my abdominals when I move. This helped stabilize my core when lifting, bending, and twisting, ect. We also worked on my body mechanics, how I would accomplish my tasks throughout the day. My body tried to compensate for the injury and possibly agrivated the injury over time.

My therapy sessions would always conclude with traction. This gave me great relief. What we tried was to get the buldge to migrate
back into the space and the traction opened up the space between the vertibrae. It really took time however. I want to say that I did not feel any real change until about 8 weeks in, 16 visits. I still have bad days, but not like before. I'm back in the gym but there are certain exercises I won't or can't do. We'll see in time if that changes. FWIW, I went to the Chiroprater first until the visits stopped helping, then I was resigned to go to an M.D. and P.T. Stay with it, it can get better.

**jmc53** · 03-18-2007, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by tatdawg

all i can tell you is to avoid surgery at all cost.

My experience was the opposite. My bulge was L5/S1 and I spent three years in pain, and tried everything - most things gave some temporary relief, but it was always temporary. In the end I consulted a surgeon, whose first words to me were "The sooner we operate after the problem appears, the better the results".
I had the surgery, and have been 100% ever since.

**Vintage_Dude** · 03-18-2007, 02:36 PM

Thanks for all the input. I'm really reluctant to get surgery. I'm afraid the risks outweigh the benefits but if it is the only sensible way to fix the problem than I guess I would have no choice. It seems pretty radical though. What were the exact problems you were experiencing before deciding to go under the knife?

**jmc53** · 03-18-2007, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by Vintage_Dude

Thanks for all the input. I'm really reluctant to get surgery. I'm afraid the risks outweigh the benefits but if it is the only sensible way to fix the problem than I guess I would have no choice. It seems pretty radical though. What were the exact problems you were experiencing before deciding to go under the knife?

Constant mild sciatic pain down the right glute and hammy, occasional spasm requiring immbolity and serious drugs, and towards the end numbness in the my right calf and foot. It was progressive, began as a mild problem and became more severe over time.
Good luck with it.

**Vintage_Dude** · 03-18-2007, 03:21 PM

Sounds a lot worse than what I'm going through but who knows.....maybe I'm on my way to where you were right now. I have no pain or discomfort anywhere aside from the localized spot in my lower back. Legs, calves and hams are fine. Will probably try everything possible before considering surgery.

**tatdawg** · 03-18-2007, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by jmc53

My experience was the opposite. My bulge was L5/S1 and I spent three years in pain, and tried everything - most things gave some temporary relief, but it was always temporary. In the end I consulted a surgeon, whose first words to me were "The sooner we operate after the problem appears, the better the results".
I had the surgery, and have been 100% ever since.

i am glad it worked out for you. i have had friends that it did not help. if i reached the point you was at i would get surgery also. right now i am fuctioning ok so i pray i can avoid it. but who knows what life may bring. i have never had the means to get surgery anyway. i really feel for everyone that has to deal with this.

**jmc53** · 03-18-2007, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by tatdawg

i am glad it worked out for you.

Yes, I was lucky. I was quoted a 20% chance that I would not get any improvement, and a 30% chance that there would be significant improvement but not total relief of symptoms, and a 50% chance of total improvement. I was also quoted a 0.05% chance of death due to anaethaesia complications. The scary one was, due to the location and the nerves in that area, a 1.5% chance of loss of bladder control - that would suck big time!
I made the decision, because in order to be mobile before the surgery I had to take anti-inflammatories, cortisone, and painkillers - that were slowly damaging stomach, kidney and liver .... so something had to be done.

**tatdawg** · 03-18-2007, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by jmc53

Yes, I was lucky. I was quoted a 20% chance that I would not get any improvement, and a 30% chance that there would be significant improvement but not total relief of symptoms, and a 50% chance of total improvement. I was also quoted a 0.05% chance of death due to anaethaesia complications. The scary one was, due to the location and the nerves in that area, a 1.5% chance of loss of bladder control - that would suck big time!
I made the decision, because in order to be mobile before the surgery I had to take anti-inflammatories, cortisone, and painkillers - that were slowly damaging stomach, kidney and liver .... so something had to be done.

i am truly thankful that it worked out for you. i guess i am afraid of cutting around the spinal cord. i just pray to god that i can avoid that. but i also realise that this could get beyond what i can endure at any time. i try to protect it the best i can but there is only so much i can do. time will tell.

**tomofutah** · 03-18-2007, 05:11 PM

vintage dude..glad to see you getting a lot of opinions to weigh, I will add mine if that is OK.
I agree with TatDawg on the importance of keeping the gut off and building up your core strenghth as the main way of maintaining a pain free lower back.
My disc degenerated to the point where one day suddenly it just collapsed, leaving me pretty much paralysed and into a hospital. After weighing the options and taking the advice of a life-long skiing buddy who was a surgeon and knew my level of activity, I had a laminectomy. Long story short, after a brief recovery period and lots of sweat, I ended up 100%. At the time of the accident, I was about 220# (mostly fat, it was not a pretty sight). Over a two year period of mild exercises, stretching, and mostly diet, I was down to 165#, still not muscle, that came later. Surgery was in 1985, in 1993 at age 45, I started weight lifting and building up. The only restriction was to use strict form, not massive weight. After two years of lifting I was up to 185, and most of it muscle. Now, more than 20 years after the surgury, I am still pain free and active.
The things I still need to watch are my gut, and I still stretch, mostly my quads..they build up easy and tend to pull my body out of position causing back pain if I forget to stretch regularly. There are also a series of stretches by Vladimir Janda that really work for me...they are easy to perform and impossible to describe. I tried Googling them for you, but no sucess. My doc gave me a small book, so maybe search at your library. Hope this adds to your options and gives you a little more information...good luck, bud!

**Capt. America** · 03-20-2007, 05:53 AM

Having 2 herniated disc's in my lower back and Degenerative Disc Disease for the past 20 years, exercise and weight control is your biggest goal. No need to try to break any weightlifting records. I keep my reps around 12-15 paying strict attension to form, especially my back arch. Hyper extensions are a great core builder, I still squat (ATG) and do deads. I run 3X per week and at age 51 scored a perfect 300 on the Army Physical Fitness Test. Every 3 months I go to a Pain Clinic and get injections of B-12 and a few other medications around the injured area to keep the pain minumal. Sure, it hurts every day but the key is to keep blood cirrculation at a maximum. When you get up in the morning do lots of stretches to assist in getting the blood flowing, I have a 1" peice of plywood under my side of the matress, this helps alot. There are lots of ways to continue being active and AVOIDING surgury at all costs. But diet, weight control and EXCERSISE are the big 3. A strong core will help immensely.

**Caligrl35** · 03-20-2007, 07:42 AM

I also have a bulging disc at L5-S1, being that I was married to a chiropractor for 13 years, I got free treatment. I did see a neurologist and he said he didn't feel surgical intervention was necessary at that point. I was given exercises to do to strengthen my abs and back. I used an exercise ball, back extensions and crunches. It worked wonders! I still have occasional pain, but I see my chiropractor (not my ex!) once in a while and it keeps it in check. I agree that the most important thing you can do is strengthen the surrounding muscles and stay away from dead lifts! Good luck with it, I know back pain can be a pain in the ASS!!

**Vintage_Dude** · 03-20-2007, 08:45 AM

Caligrl is that you in the avatar picture by your name? Damn hot if I may say so. Makes me want to hit the gym immediately!

You say you're going to a chiro. I'm wondering how that is....as I am currently seeing a physio and I do not feel I'm getting results. My company insurance covers me for physio but not chiro so I would really need to hear more about what they do as opposed to physios and if they succeed better in doing so. My bulging disc is driving me nuts. It's nothing I can't live with but it's just constant fricking pain and I don't want to live with it. It totally sucks and after a year....I'm so sick of it I would consider surgery if it guaranteed to take the pain away and give me back my weight-lifting life. The fear of aggravating it keeps me from doing most of the things I love...playing hockey, lifting, skiing, golfing etc......are you saying it's ok to do these things with a bulging disc?? I mean.....won't it make it worse? Or should I just take the pain killers and anti-inflammatorys and do whatever the hell I want as long as I can stand the pain? Seems like the docs and physios don't have any good answers but it also seems thay all want my money. Hmmm.......

**Caligrl35** · 03-20-2007, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by Vintage_Dude

Caligrl is that you in the avatar picture by your name? Damn hot if I may say so. Makes me want to hit the gym immediately!

You say you're going to a chiro. I'm wondering how that is....as I am currently seeing a physio and I do not feel I'm getting results. My company insurance covers me for physio but not chiro so I would really need to hear more about what they do as opposed to physios and if they succeed better in doing so. My bulging disc is driving me nuts. It's nothing I can't live with but it's just constant fricking pain and I don't want to live with it. It totally sucks and after a year....I'm so sick of it I would consider surgery if it guaranteed to take the pain away and give me back my weight-lifting life. The fear of aggravating it keeps me from doing most of the things I love...playing hockey, lifting, skiing, golfing etc......are you saying it's ok to do these things with a bulging disc?? I mean.....won't it make it worse? Or should I just take the pain killers and anti-inflammatorys and do whatever the hell I want as long as I can stand the pain? Seems like the docs and physios don't have any good answers but it also seems thay all want my money. Hmmm.......

My best advice to you would be to ask around the gym. Chances are, many people there have a chiro that they go to. Find out who has the best reputation among people that work out, you don't want someone that is just going to tell you not to work out. My chiro used to compete in bodybuilding. Find someone and get a consultation, (usually they offer free consultation). Then he can explain to you what needs to be done. If you do it right, it will be worth every penny! Screw the insurance company, they never want to pay for anything that actually helps anyone!! Good luck!

**Vintage_Dude** · 03-25-2007, 09:20 AM

So I have the MRI results in hand. This is is quoted word for word below:

"Borderline mild congenital spinal stenosis at L4 and L5. There is mild degenerative disc disease at L5/S1. There is mild posterior disc bulge associated with shallow left paracentral disc protrusion encroaching upon the lateral recess and neural foramen. There are also bilateral inferior osteophytes contributing to bilateral formaminal stenosis, worse on the left. No significant abnormailty at the remaining disc space levels. Small linear high signal intensity at the level of the conus is consistent with an antomical variant, ventriculis terminalis.

IMPRESSION: Mild degenerative disc disease at L5/S1 as described above."

So I took this to my physio and he says I'm not a candidate for surgery. He says my diagnosis is treatable if I commit to his therapy, which will be traction, exercises, stretches, massage therapy and electro-stimulation. I don't think he understands just how painful this has become, and the pills they are giving me for the pain do not work. I have anti-inflammatorys and muscle relaxants and nothing seems to work. This pain is driving me fricking crazy after a whole year with no improvement, though I only started physio a week ago or so. I have very little faith I will ever be the same again. No one seems concerned because the pain does not radiate down my legs. It remains concentrated in the lower left of my back. I'm not even sure what is causing the pain. If anyone out there knows anything more on this, please share your thoughts. I cannot function the wayI used to and it is severely hampering my quality of life, not to mention my moods! Chronic pain sucks. I need to get this fixed. I just don't know how.

**blackwax** · 03-25-2007, 10:25 AM

1. stretching daily, especially hamstrings and ileotibial bands
2. tons of ab exercises. focus on ones that dont strain low back: planks, bicycles, etc
3. lots of core and balancing exercises (balance board, swiss ball stuff)
4. lose weight
5. try one injection of corticosteroids - it will give you 3 months of relief so you can build up your back more

**tatdawg** · 03-25-2007, 10:58 AM

i am truly sorry for what your going through. i am fortunate that i go through 2 week periods of intence pain then it will ease up to a more bareable level for a long while. i can only pray that you can find some relief and get back to a better quality of life.

**SumthinOrNuthin** · 03-25-2007, 03:23 PM

Vintage Dude, I can relate to your problems although my situation is that most of the time it bothers me, some of the time it seriously interferes with my life and very, very occasionally, it goes away for a little while.

Quick history - my problem started after I did a pile of heavy work, hard landscaping my garnen. That was 5 years ago. My pain sounds similar to yours in that its actually to the lower right of my spine, kind of the very top of my glute about 2-3" away from the bottom of my spine. I've seen a combination of chiros, physios and therapists but never an MD and I've never had any x-rays or a scan or anything.

I have periods where it just drives me nuts. I can't play racketball and struggle to get round the gym if I can get round at all. If I wake in the night I can't get back to sleep because its so uncomfortable and if I try to roll over in bed .... $%^$?.

I've been advised to strengthen my core and I do core work every single workout but hey, it still bugs me.

At one point where I was feeling it bad and it was affecting my day-to-day life I saw a very good sports massage therapist. After 2 treatments it felt markedly better. She basically gave me a deep tissue massage around the area that hurts and told me she could feel a ton of scar tissue. Built up over time apparently. Her actual words were "Sh*t this about the worst I've ever come across. I like a challenge!" It really did help but in the end, after everal very beneficial treatments, it came down to affordability. And I couldn't afford it. But I continued with core work and also lots and lots of stretching.

Worse day I ever had I literally couldn't get out of bed. Serioulsy I had to roll out and get into a crawling position and take it from there. When I got upright I had awful pains down my leg and couldn't put my weight on my bad side. I managed to get myself to the nearest physio I could find and he immediately said it was my sacroiliac (sp?) joint in my pelvis. I got a sacroiliac belt to wear and it made a huge difference, I was fine within 48 hours. (This little joint had siezed, preventing my pelvis from being able to flex naturally. The belt holds the pelvis in place whilst the ligaments around the joint heal.) I've used it a few times since then.

So, there's 2 things you might want to try/consider and I mention them because of where you said your pain is located. Exactly the same as mine only the other side.

I've been talking about this with friends this week because I read this thread when you first put itup and it scared the hell out of me. I thought maybe I had a ruptured disc. And then wierdly, the next day I was totally pain free for the first time in months and have been so now almost all week. The only change I've made is I've STOPPED doing a lot of my stretches - only been stretching quads and hams. No glute stretches or wierd contortions. It got me to thinking about what the very first physio I saw told me. That I have hypermobile hips - she said I must never take up yoga! Apparently the hypermobility, if abused, can lead to all kids of problems. This week I've been thinking that maybe some of the stretches I've been doing have been wrong for me.

I dunno, it could all be a strange coincidence and tomorrow I'll wake up and not be able to put my socks on again. But I hope this long and tedious story has given you couple more avenues to explore

**Midas21** · 03-25-2007, 03:52 PM

All I can tell you is that it took many weeks before I noticed any difference. I did not think things were working either, and I was very frustrated. Somewhere around weeks 6-8 of anti-inflamitories and 2x week therapy I started to feel a little bit better. Not alot mind you but a little. In weeks 8-10 things got decidedly better. I also thought that the Rx was worthless until I ran out at 90 days, then I realized that it was helping alot when the pain intensified drastically 24-36 hours after my last dose. I think that building my core strength up and improving my hamstring flexability were two of the best things for my pain. In retrospect, I can understand that building strength and flexability takes time and this might account for the lag from beginning treatment to relief. One other thing I just remembered, about the same time as I began thereapy, I just so happened to have to buy a new mattress. I bought a memory foam type that is very firm. With this I started sleeping through the night rather than waking up every 1-2 hours from discomfort. Once I started getting quality rest every night, my mood improved and made dealing with the pain easier. If your matress is old or soft you may want to try a different one.
Good Luck!

**Vintage_Dude** · 03-25-2007, 05:24 PM

Thanks to everyone writing with their suggestions. I think I have a lot of scar tissue in the general area because my MD and my girlfriend (and even I) can feel some stuff in there. I'm not sure how that affects the pain or the situtaion though. My physio seems to want to take things slowly. I only do 2 sets of excercies per day, back stretches and hamstrings. I guess it will get more detailed as I loosen it up a bit or something. The pills they've prescribed make me sleepy and irritable. In response to one of the replies above, I was told my pelvis is normal and the problem is not there. The MRI scan ruled out Sciatica and Pelvic problems so I'm left with disc problems and the variety of complications that involves. I am far too fearful to even attempt going to the gym at this point. I even had to decline golfing today (my favorite thing!). I am afraid that doing anything at all will make the situation worse. I'm in the process of beginng to correct my posrture, as I've always been a terrible sitter (legs crossed over in weird pretzel shapes, lying on the couch sideways etc...). I have an ortho pad for my car and chairs at home. I use a hot water bottle now to ease the pain (seems to work for an hour or so). I suppose the only thing I can do is follow the guidance of my physiotherapy and be didligent in asking the right questions and making him justify his treatment of my back. In the back of my mind I have a paranoia that it's a cancerous cyst or something the MRI missed but I guess that's unlikely. The thing is.....no one I've seen seems to understand why I'm experiencing so much pain for such a 'mild' diagnosis. Whatever the diagnosis, the fact remains this has been constantly hurting for over a year and has not improved but gotten worse with time. I must have left it too long before seeking help. I only sought help after a year of this. Now I'm hoping whatever work I have to do will fix the problem. But honestly, I don;t see traction, electr-stimulation and excercises doing much. Maybe it will in time. I'm certainly going to try it before giving up completely and applying for disability or going under the knife. AS always, your comments and suggestions are appreciated and read very carefully.

**Vintage_Dude** · 03-25-2007, 05:29 PM

Also, I think at this point every little thing matters, from sitting and standing correctly, to diet, to avoiding certain activities and motions, and doing the right excercises and taking the right pills. So if anyone has something similar (and it seems some of you do), it's always good to hear your routines. Also, if anyone knows of better pills than Arthrotek and Flexeril, and the right dosages I would be glad to hear. As long as I can still function on them! I need the right pain killers if I'm to do anything.

**BELLC** · 03-25-2007, 05:38 PM

About 2 years ago, I was coaching my son's little league team and swinging a bat pretty heavily. Somehow, I ended up with a herniated disk C5-C6-C7. I tried everything to minimize the pain but it became unbearable. Steroid shots didn't work for more than a month. The Doc said my only relief would be fusion surgery.

18 months ago I did just that. Six $9000 each titanium screws were put inside me along with a support bridge. Total cost was about $70,000.00

I told the Doc when I went for a 3-month followup that I was one of his success stories (the ONLY time the guy ever smiled) and that I was doing 100% better. Apparently, not so many have been so lucky. And he made it clear that no matter what I do, the fact that I was over 40 meant my body was basically "degenerative" from that point on.

To this day I'm scared to do certain exercises and lifts which put pressure in that area. I can't afford a repeat. I'm cautious of my posture, especially when sitting (no slumping and no crossing my calves under the table or in bed). I still like working out, but even with a doctors permission (he wouldn't have to live with my pain if I got injured), I wonder if the weight training I'm doing already could cause serious injury.

**Vintage_Dude** · 03-25-2007, 06:18 PM

HI BELLC, I'm not sure where C5-C6-C7 are. It sounds like maybe you were more a candidate for surgery than I am. At least, my doctor and physio don't want me to have it. But if the pain does not go away, I may end up on the slab myself. Thankfully here in Canada, I would not have to pay for it as it would be covered under our health program. But still, I am very concerned about the risks of surgery. What were your symptoms, and what are C-5 etc...?

**rdaled** · 03-25-2007, 06:39 PM

I didn't have time to read all the post so sorry if this is a repeat...

The neurologist I went discouraged surgery too and said that even if they went in and trimmed the disc it would more than likely just bulge again. He said what will happen over time is the nerve that it is bulging up against and causing pain will stretch and the pressure will be reduced.

And that's pretty much what has happened for me since I injured mine about 6 years ago. However the first few months pretty much sucked. And pain medicine doesn't do much for nerve pain. Like was already said, stretching and strengthening your abs will help the most.

Hope it gets better for you!

**rdaled** · 03-25-2007, 06:43 PM

And oh yeah, I forgot soemthing else that has really helped... an inversion table. I love mine and use it all the time!!! If I start to hurt from exercise of whatever I just hang upside down for as long as I can stand and it makes a BIG difference!

HTH

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