Herniated Disk

[hmm112958]

Hi Guys. I'll try to keep short..

"Multilevel degenerative changes of the lumbar spine with a left subarticular protrusion at the L5-S1 contributing to severe subarticular zone narrowing of the transiting S1 nerve root"

Injured lifting a boxes water heater. not heavy but awkward. Sciatica pain.. mostly piriformis and ham/calf/foot.

Plan WAS to get epidural injection, but doc prescribe gabapentin 300mg 3x/day and the pain is almost gone (amazed me as I went from tons of pain upon standing and being unablet to do certain movements to almost no pain - 90% recution in a few days).

Anyway, I know the herniation is still there and I want to return to the gym. My plan is to stay away from the pain, however I'm concerned that the gaba (or really any type of pain solution such as the epidural) would mask the pain allowing me to do something that would cause degradation or prevent recovery. I'm interested in any thoughts on this..

Thanx!

[BromanianDL]

Really a bad idea to lift until you are pain free without drugs. Maybe pushups or pullups won't damage your lower back, but just about everything else can cause more damage. I recommend the book "Back Mechanic" by stuart mcgill, his program will get you back on track.

[Szyszak]

Hi Guys. I'll try to keep short..

"Multilevel degenerative changes of the lumbar spine with a left subarticular protrusion at the L5-S1 contributing to severe subarticular zone narrowing of the transiting S1 nerve root"

Injured lifting a boxes water heater. not heavy but awkward. Sciatica pain.. mostly piriformis and ham/calf/foot.

Plan WAS to get epidural injection, but doc prescribe gabapentin 300mg 3x/day and the pain is almost gone (amazed me as I went from tons of pain upon standing and being unablet to do certain movements to almost no pain - 90% recution in a few days).

Anyway, I know the herniation is still there and I want to return to the gym. My plan is to stay away from the pain, however I'm concerned that the gaba (or really any type of pain solution such as the epidural) would mask the pain allowing me to do something that would cause degradation or prevent recovery. I'm interested in any thoughts on this..

Thanx!

Traction of the spine can fix bulging disc and all of disc issues. Motion traction actually, try to search for reverse hyper extension - Louie Simmons
And about the sciatic pain, most of the time posterior chain tightness contribute to this condition, so stretching glutes / hamstring / calves can help a lot.

[ProgrammerHunch]

I have a herniated disc in my L back (L5-S1), as well as my neck. I dealt with severe L back pain for years. I also have been dealing with SI joint pain on both sides, but now I have very little pain. I also have some facet joint arthritis. Finally I have scoliosis. Despite doctor's orders to stay away from Deadlifting, I'm really glad I didn't listen. I am Deadlifting 355 right now with not much pain. My latest MRI showed that my herniation had gone way down, probably because my stronger core was forcing it back in.

Strengthen your lower back. Hyperextensions are a pretty safe yet very effective way to do this.

Stretch/massage your calves, hamstrings, butt muscles, QL, etc can be extremely helpful.

The guy above me mentioned traction, it can be very helpful as well. Get a good inversion table and get on that from time to time.