Herniated/Bulge Disc

[406flyfish]

Appreciate the feedback. Starting to feel some improvement from the steroid shot. Continuing with PT and acupuncture. Just found a chiropractor that has the DRX900. Have an appointment tomorrow, looking forward to seeing if it will be beneficial for my case. Luckily, this is a workman comp case so the majority of treatments and medications have been covered.

 

[Poser]

Do NOT attempt to use a foam roller on your back while you have this injury.

 

[North of 60]

100% agree with what Ross said about posture. I've have lumbar supports for every vehicle i ride in for the past 20+ years and any chairs i sit in for more than 30 min.

I've had both cervical and lumbar epidural steroid injections. Suggest having an especially competent doc for cervical epidural steroid injections to prevent complications. Lumbar injections are generally less complicated.

The single best and longest lasting thing I've done to reduce spinal and other lower body joint pain is to drop 55 pounds and keep it off.

Good PTs are worth their weight in gold.

 

[blackdog]

If I were in your shoes (and I pretty much have been), I would strive to get in the best shape of my life. Carrying extra weight is a killer as is having a weak core. There's been lots of proponents of stretching but I am a much stronger advocate of strengthening. There was a time when it would take me 15 minutes just to get out of bed each morning. The thought of going to the gym was a joke. But once I started some rehab, the harder I went with strengthening my core and eventually lifting heavy all over, the better I felt. Sure, I started with LOTS of core work, McGill Big 3 is a great place to start along with walking 10-15 minutes 2-3 times a day. But that graduated into competing in powerlifting competitions and deadlifting 600lbs earlier this year as a 55 year old. And my back has never felt better.
And those little inflatable lumbar supports for your car is also super valuable. Seems like car seats are about the worst possible aggravators of lumbar issues.

 

[307]

Be cautious with some forms of stretching. Many of the stretches that feel good at the time make the problem worse later.

 

[Steve from GA]

This machine has fixed some bad lower lumbar episodes for me. Back raises are the key to building a spinal support system that is like steel.
https://teeter.com/product/dex-ii/

 

[K9kodi]

How’s your fitness other then the disc?

 

[199p]

Im 95% to what i was pre my own injury my biggest downfall is foot drop in my right leg gets worse as i get tired. and requires a custom innersole that can be a little niggly with boot fitment.

I found that those gravity tables/chairs that hold you upside down had the best effect for me, and now I do a lot of hanging. Generally, 3-5 minutes throughout the day is about perfect, depending on how much lifting I have been doing.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

I found getting in shape and staying that way to be most helpful. Maintain a strong core and eat healthy. I’m up at 4 am 5x week and get my exercise in first thing. So far have avoided surgery on a herniated disc.

 

[HvyBeams]

Herniated L5-S1 in 2005. I was to a point that I had to pull myself out of my truck. I had a discectomy and the pain was gone immediately. I rehabbed properly and haven't had an issue since. The only surgery I was happy I did. Best of luck to you!

 

[go_deep]

21 years later, the more I walk, the better my back feels.

 

[greenomics]

Herniated a disc in lower back about 10 years ago. Didn't take it too seriously and ended up with nerve damage in my left calf/foot. Took about 6 months to regain calf function. Still get numbness in my left foot on a regular basis.

 

[Glory]

21 years later, the more I walk, the better my back feels.

Yeah I was going to add that walking seems to fix a lot of back problems. Walk 3+ miles a day and keep increasing speed. That pretty much fixed my back problems.

 

[K9kodi]

A lot of folks overlook legs.

Aside from being generally fit, a necessity to maintaining health, legs are monumental in how the. Rest of your body feels. If there’s an imbalance, you will feel it.

Often times lower back issues are accompanied by hamstring issues.

Having tight hamstrings can and will
Absolutely pull on the pelvis. This, in some cases can present as disc herniation, or tight hamstrings can severely limit or slow the healing of lower back pain / disc issues.

This doesn’t mean go out and lift the world, but stretching as well as light workouts like stiff legged deadlifts controlled and doing light quad exercises can fix the imbalance. Gotta be healthy overall

 

[UZY524]

L5-S1 bulge protrusion is the most common one in the hunting crowd basically every dude I know over 35 has it or had it.

Real world timeline from guys who’ve been there and are back chasing elk muleys:

0-6 weeks: PT epidural if you need it is king. Walks, McGill Big 3 every morning curlup, side plank, bird dog, and quit sitting on your wallet.

6-12 weeks: Add deadlifts again, but light and perfect form (belt squats or trap bar if conventional bugs it. Most guys are 80-90% by week 10-12 if they’re religious with PT.

3-6 months: Back to packing out deer, hiking 8-10 miles with 40-50 lbs. I’m 3 years post L5-S1 protrusion packed a bull elk 4 miles last fall, no issues.

Keys that actually worked for us:

McGill Big 3 daily Google it 5 min fixes 90% of morning stiffness
Reverse hypers or 45° back extensions 3x week
Sleep on your side with a pillow between knees
Stand walk every 30 min at work no exceptions
Core is everything stop crunching, start anti rotation Pallof presses, farmer carries

Gabapentin helps sleep, but once pain drops under 4/10 ditch it makes you weak and foggy for hunting season.

You’re 30s, doing all the right stuff early 99% chance you’re back packing mountains in 4-6 months. I’ve seen way worse cases hauling elk by the next opener.