Lower back disc pain

[Boydo90]

I hate to see that other guys have similar issues but it also makes me feel better that I am not alone. It scares me that I have these issues at such a young age (31) and I wonder what I will be dealing with as I get older. Im not opposed to surgery if that is required, but obviously would like to find a natural remedy if possible. My chiropractor is also a physical therapist and he has given me a lot of stretches to loosen my hip flexors and hamstrings. He also said my ankles are tight and need stretching. Hopefully stretching will give some relief. Thanks for all the responses to my post

 

[BBob]

Which stretches do you guys recommend?

Depends on what ails you. If you’re like a bunch of us that have or had L5-S1 issues then things that will stretch the QL (quadratus lumborum) and the all various glutes. Figure 4’s are common stretches. ELDOA L5-S1 stretch (YouTube it. Find Stephanie Obregozo, she has a good one) has helped me a lot flattening my back and eliminating the disk pinch at my L5-S1. Massage ball in the glutes. My glute med’s are a big issue and if I keep them happy the tension in my lower back is happy and stays away. Foam roller helps me a ton keeping everything loose in the legs and hips which in turn also helps keep the low back pain away. I lived with on again off again low back pain and seize ups for decades and one day the L5-S1 nerves decided they’d had enough and floored me. It was a longish haul figuring it all out and what had been building up most of my life but in the end I’ve pretty much eliminated the low back issues with the above. That’s my journey and hopefully you’ll figure out yours.

 

[Ratbeetle]

That. Right. There.

It’s been almost 20 years. I do not regret surgery.

I'm going to 3rd this. I dealt with severe sciatic nerve pain from a L5-S1 issue for 2 long years. I was one miserable SOB to be around.

I didn't want surgery so I tried it all. Inversion therapy, chiropractor, physical therapy, yoga, acupuncture, prednisone...even kratom I was so miserable.

Had surgery to remove the rupture off the nerve over 2 years ago now and wish I would have done it so much sooner. I have a bit of permanent nerve damage from waiting so long but the surgery was life changing for me.

Go get a MRI and find a good ortho surgeon to talk options. If you have something compressing a nerve root in your spine, surgery is the only option that will truly provide relief. None of that other crap will really fix it.

 

[3325]

My chiropractor is also a physical therapist and he has given me a lot of stretches to loosen my hip flexors and hamstrings. He also said my ankles are tight and need stretching.

His advice and prescriptions may be all you ever need for a bulging disc. For a ruptured disc, probably not. Mine herniated so bad that little pieces had broken off and were laying against the nerve. No amount of therapy would have sucked them back into place, the surgeon had to pick them out.

Get an MRI and figure out what you’re dealing with.

 

[Outlaw99]

Lots of good thoughts and advise. I just finished dealing with this. Off and on the last 5 or so years and steady the last 8 months. The lower back pain from a bulging disc eventually led to some extreme sciatica that made sleeping almost impossible. I figured it was time to make an appt with the spine Dr. Again and most likely look at surgery in my future. I decided to give PT one more try. I went through another round of PT and followed his instructions to a T. My back has been back to 100% for the last 2 weeks.

I believe the important thing is to hook up with a very knowledgeable PT who’s willing to get to the bottom of your specific issues and not treat it like all other generic back pain problems. You’ve got to be completely open and honest with them to help them figure out exactly where the issue is so they can begin treating your symptoms.

It’s not always as simple as “x disc is bulged, and we need to get it back in”.

In my case, 2 discs had been bulged and inflamed long enough that my body was compensating in other ways to function around the injury. There was a whole another section of my back that had become nearly rigid to compensate for the lower back injury. This led to a lack of flexion which led to other stuff putting pressure on nerves leading to sciatica.

Long story short, I’m a firm believer that a lot of back issues can be fixed without surgery. The key is finding a competent/talented PT who’s willing to dig in and solve your particular problem. It’s up to you to do the work and follow the instructions to make it work.

 

[wapitibob]

Welcome to the Mans Club. I've gone to a chiroprqctor every month for over a decade. Finally started using the inversion board my wife bought me a long time ago. Haven't been to the chiro since.
I had my Dr. give me a prescription for hydrocodone 325's and flexeril that I have in my pack when hunting, just in case.

 

[Mt Al]

Lots of good thoughts and advise. I just finished dealing with this. Off and on the last 5 or so years and steady the last 8 months. The lower back pain from a bulging disc eventually led to some extreme sciatica that made sleeping almost impossible. I figured it was time to make an appt with the spine Dr. Again and most likely look at surgery in my future. I decided to give PT one more try. I went through another round of PT and followed his instructions to a T. My back has been back to 100% for the last 2 weeks.

I believe the important thing is to hook up with a very knowledgeable PT who’s willing to get to the bottom of your specific issues and not treat it like all other generic back pain problems. You’ve got to be completely open and honest with them to help them figure out exactly where the issue is so they can begin treating your symptoms.

It’s not always as simple as “x disc is bulged, and we need to get it back in”.

In my case, 2 discs had been bulged and inflamed long enough that my body was compensating in other ways to function around the injury. There was a whole another section of my back that had become nearly rigid to compensate for the lower back injury. This led to a lack of flexion which led to other stuff putting pressure on nerves leading to sciatica.

Long story short, I’m a firm believer that a lot of back issues can be fixed without surgery. The key is finding a competent/talented PT who’s willing to dig in and solve your particular problem. It’s up to you to do the work and follow the instructions to make it work.

I'm seeing a top notch PT tomorrow afternoon for the same reason. All was good for years, then started feeling numbness in my thigh, now worse. Would rather start with a PT vs. spine doctor anyway.

 

[Nate4789]

Stretching helps a lot of lower back issues

 

[BeastOfTheTrees]

4 bulged discs and 1 herniated. As long as you continue to workout it won’t hurt too bad. The moment you stop for awhile bam it’ll hit ya. Chiropractor every 2 weeks helps too. A big stone glacier lower lumbar pad pushed into the discs helps me while rucking too.

 

[Outlaw99]

4 bulged discs and 1 herniated. As long as you continue to workout it won’t hurt too bad. The moment you stop for awhile bam it’ll hit ya. Chiropractor every 2 weeks helps too. A big stone glacier lower lumbar pad pushed into the discs helps me while rucking too.

This is so true. Keeping things limber and maintaining your core strength goes a long ways towards recovery. Once you start losing strength and flexibility, your body starts trying to compensate in other areas, and that’s when your injuries compound.

 

[mark1j]

41 here. Herniated L4/L5 6 years ago. My back would go out 2 or 3 times a year. After my last episode I started stretching and working my core muscles twice a day no matter what. Make time to do your exercises and stretches twice a day no matter what, even if it means getting up earlier and staying up later. I bought a yoga mat to use at work when I have extra time.

 

[Wapiti406]

Which stretches do you guys recommend?

I have degenerative disk and this helps out quite a bit.

12 Minute Livestrong Workout w/Eric - Complimentary

12 Minute Livestrong Workout w/Eric - Complimentary

stream.foundationtraining.com

 

[D_Dubya]

Welcome to the Mans Club. I've gone to a chiroprqctor every month for over a decade. Finally started using the inversion board my wife bought me a long time ago. Haven't been to the chiro since.
I had my Dr. give me a prescription for hydrocodone 325's and flexeril that I have in my pack when hunting, just in case.

X2 for the inversion therapy - changed my life in less than 2 weeks after getting one 5 years ago. Specialist said I might try it, because for some people it works wonders and I might as well try. I do have to lay flat for about 10 minutes afterwards while everything settles back down. That and keeping hamstrings stretched makes a huge difference.

 

[Wingnutty]

Sorry to hear about so much back pain. I had constant sciatica from age 36-39. 24 hrs a day, 7 days/week. Not horrible pain thank god, but painful and nagging all the time. Tried 3 different PTs, chiropractors….started contemplating surgery.

Truth is, it seems everyone has the best idea for what you should do.

What worked for me? Dr. Stuart McGill and his book ‘back Mechanic’. The guy is legit. He’s a spinal researcher and he knows what’s he’s talking about. The book is simple. The principles are simple and cost nothing. It outlines a series of simple exercises. Do them. Don’t question it, do them.

I literally tried so many things to get better but it wasn’t until I read this book and followed his simple routine that I got better. Will it work for you? Maybe? The beautiful thing is that it WILL NOT hurt you worse and will benefit you regardless. I’m not gonna sit here and tell you “do this, it’ll fix you”, but I will tell you that if you really want to help yourself long term you’ll buy the book and do the exercises as part of your daily routine.

I thought I’d be screwed up for life. I’m not. I’m better. My back is stronger than it ever has been and that helps keep problems at bay.

I’m glad i didn’t get surgery, but I wouldn’t tell anyone who is in severe pain and has been for many months not to go that route (especially if it’s just a microdisectomy), but I’d leave that as a LAST resort.

Buy the book. Do the exercises. Give it some time. You’ve got nothing to lose.

 

[PTArcher1]

Follow the advice of your PT/Chiro. Advice you get on a message board like this is worth exactly what you pay for it. Nice to hear what may have worked for others, but listen to your professionals. Best of luck!!

 

[kleinpm]

I didn't read all of the replies....
2 books saved me
1) Treat your own back
2) Pain Free


I would be crippled without these.

Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk

 

[Glory]

Follow the advice of your PT/Chiro. Advice you get on a message board like this is worth exactly what you pay for it. Nice to hear what may have worked for others, but listen to your professionals. Best of luck!!

I respect a lot of medical professionals, but I have learned a lot more about back pain from message boards than PT.

 

[307]

If the disc is ruptured, there is no healing it. The only way to fix that is surgery.

This is false and dangerous information.

 

[skywalkr]

I think the best thing for back pain is to get stronger. A stronger back will be just that, stronger, and less susceptible to injury. People with back pain shy away from exercises like deadlifts when that is what they really need to be doing.

I really wouldn't even bother with stretching, it hasn't really be shown to heal or prevent injuries but it might feel good. If you enjoy doing it then have at it but it probably won't be that useful, especially compared to strength training.

I'd also caution against imaging. Lots of asymptomatic people have bulging discs when imaged and it's not actually an issue. After seeing it on the imaging they nocebo themselves into thinking they have an issue though. It's similar to a meniscus tear. A whole lot of people have a tear in their meniscus but have no clue. If they get an MRI and find out, they likely will start experiencing knee issues when nothing has changed except their perception.

Chiros and PTs are mostly a waste of time unless they focus on strength training. Most chiros are complete quacks with no meaningful training and most PTs don't utilize an evidence based approach.

Here's a good article about an approach to back pain:

Navigating Potholes: My Back Pain Experience

And for when you are strengthening your back, this is one of the best articles you can have in your back pocket. Training with an injury is not nearly as complex as people make it out to be but at the same time, it's important to take an intelligent approach. The key is finding an entry point where you can still elicit a training stimulus but without causing more pain. Then you can start to add to that as you're able, eventually back to full strength.

Pain In Training: What Do?

I have dealt with a myriad of injuries over the years, hip, knee, elbow, and wrist being the majority and when I started taking the approach of the articles above I have been in the least amount of pain for most of my adult life. I used to stretch for around an hour a day and do all sorts of "corrective" exercises I either got from a physical therapist or found online and now I just focus on getting stronger with intelligent progression, while adjusting my routine (but not resting) if I tweak something.

 

[Wingnutty]

Solid advice from skywalkr.

As stated before, saying “a ruptured disc won’t heal” is FALSE! My MRI showed a ruptured disc with a free-floating chunk floating around in my spinal column (sequestered fragment). The body can reabsorb these and the disc can heal, just like any body part can.

3 years later my next mri showed that the the disc still had a small bulge but the fragment was gone. Now 3 years on from that and a lot of core work later I’m in the best physical shape of my life at age 41 with zero back pain or sciatica.

Hurting my back provided a silver lining to me. It made me realize that I wasn’t invincible anymore and that if I wanted to live my best life I needed to take responsibility for my health and fitness. It got me motivated. Now I swim 2x/week, run 2x, Rick 1x and lift 3 days a week. I have four little kids and work full time and I still find time to do it. Not maintaining health and fitness will catch up to you. Feel the pain on your own terms with each workout or feel the pain from injury or poor health - either way you are gonna pay the piper - do it on your own terms!