herniated disc

[headtrainer]

You make a great point. Some patients are poor candidates for surgery due to age, diabetes, obesity, etc., etc.
And by the way, great job exhausting your conservative options prior to having surgery.

Odd enough, some obese people do better after back surgery than thin and fit people. Back surgery is notorious for mixed outcomes.

 

[headtrainer]

The sad truth is this—certain forms of exercise is good for the body. But bodybuilding like most of us do takes its toll on the spine, shoulders and knees. Once you are injured, there’s no magic bullet for alleviating the problem or the pain. You have to learn to work around your pain the best you can while accepting you now have limitations. All of us will develop limitations sooner or later in life if we continue bodybuilding.

 

[headtrainer]

thanks for posting man, the truth is im really down right now, if it were not for my little girl and what it would do to her i might just check the fuck out, i been fighting for a long time after going thru multiple surgeries on my hip due to military service, and have had some back issues for a couple years or so because of that, shit also knee issues, but now this fucking thing totally fucked me up, i am 3 weeks out and walking about a half mile or so unassisted, not having any pain like i was the first week or so, so i guess i have come a long way in 3 weeks, idk man sometimes just get tired of fighting and want to give the fuck up, i almost hate to say that on here but it is what it is, just not in a good place right now.

Keep in mind there’s a lot of people going through the same thing you are. Also keep in mind things could be a lot worse. For me, being blind would be the worst. And I’m thankful Im not in a wheelchair like Ronnie Coleman. Injuries and surgeries have taught me how to be more patient and content in life. I live in chronic pain every day to varying degrees. But I’ve never thought about suicide. I experience anxiety and depression at times, but want to live as long as I can. I’ve learned feeling sorry for myself is the worst thing I can do. There are other hobbies besides bodybuilding. You can always find happiness in other things ( e.g., your daughter). You got hurt serving in the military. You are a HERO. No one can ever take that from you. Stay courageous soldier!

 

[headtrainer]

I have had 4 herniated discs for about 15 years now. Getting the epidural or any injections did help somewhat but it's not a permanent fix. You will need to continuously get them. As far as surgery goes everyone is different. I have friends who have gotten the surgery and didn't do anything for them. And other who it did help somewhat. Over time you will get used to the pain and discomfort. Some days are way worse than others. As far as medication goes you can try gabapentin. Lyrica helped me. As far as the 5-325 go they probably aren't doing anything bc that is a low dose. See if he can increase you to the 10mg ones. But be very careful with taking them. That's a slippery slope that you don't want to get on. Hope this helps a little bit brother.

I’m not a fan of lyrica or gabapentin. They change your entire outlook on life and greatly affect your ability to have an orgasm. I would not take those drugs unless it was for a brief time after surgery. Instead, I’d recommend having surgery and getting off those drugs. One of the best back surgeons in the world resides in Nashville TN.

 

[Reno911]

I’ve had 2 cervical fusions with a total of 3 discs fused and another disc that sits directly on top of my fusion bulges at times. Have you tried avoiding shrugs and exercises like face pulls to decrease the pain?

Yes, since the issue started no trap work and I've been limited on rowing exercises. Some bother it some don't but straight arm pulldowns and regular narrow grip pulldowns are fine for the most part.

 

[TrippplePPP]

yes he said microdiscectomy, when this first hit i was damn near bedridden for the first 48-72 hours, when i saw him it was the 13th day and was still on two crutches, then, i say 2 days after that visit it progressed fairly quickly, went to 1 crutch, next 1 or 2 days went to a cane, used a cane for 2-3 days and walking unassisted for the last few days, still have a bit of numbness in lower leg but not much, enough to be annoying, slight bit of subtle intermittent tingling in toes, walking just about a half mile in the evening time, thats not including walking around the house and yard during the day.

I'm glad to hear you are doing better bro. Good luck with the rest of recovery. I would expect you to have on-off leg symptoms like. numbness for a while. Slowly get back into doing planks and lite core exercises and then expand upon that. Don't rush anything and avoid axial loads like squatting for some time.

 

[Bio]

thanks for posting man, the truth is im really down right now, if it were not for my little girl and what it would do to her i might just check the fuck out, i been fighting for a long time after going thru multiple surgeries on my hip due to military service, and have had some back issues for a couple years or so because of that, shit also knee issues, but now this fucking thing totally fucked me up, i am 3 weeks out and walking about a half mile or so unassisted, not having any pain like i was the first week or so, so i guess i have come a long way in 3 weeks, idk man sometimes just get tired of fighting and want to give the fuck up, i almost hate to say that on here but it is what it is, just not in a good place right now.

I understand getting down now and then but keep that focus on the things you have in your life that make you smile! I've had 6 spine surgeries, need a 7th, an auto immune disease...ankylosing spondylitis...which has kept me in chronic pain every day of my life since I was 17, hernia surgery coming two weeks from tomorrow, had surgery for Carcinoid Syndrome in 2014 and other surgeries sprinkled in there too. Perception is everything, so keep yours as positive as possible. It's ok to get down but pull back up and be grateful for other things in your life!!

 

[j4ever]

Keep in mind there’s a lot of people going through the same thing you are. Also keep in mind things could be a lot worse. For me, being blind would be the worst. And I’m thankful Im not in a wheelchair like Ronnie Coleman. Injuries and surgeries have taught me how to be more patient and content in life. I live in chronic pain every day to varying degrees. But I’ve never thought about suicide. I experience anxiety and depression at times, but want to live as long as I can. I’ve learned feeling sorry for myself is the worst thing I can do. There are other hobbies besides bodybuilding. You can always find happiness in other things ( e.g., your daughter). You got hurt serving in the military. You are a HERO. No one can ever take that from you. Stay courageous soldier!

thanks man i appreciate it, you got that right things could always be worse, there are people on there going thru bad shit, hell they are kids out there there die and never even have a chance at life, i always tell myself that, and was really down for awhile, have not been that far down in a long time, it kinda took me back to the time i did not walk for about 2 years and that where a lot of it came from.

 

[j4ever]

I'm glad to hear you are doing better bro. Good luck with the rest of recovery. I would expect you to have on-off leg symptoms like. numbness for a while. Slowly get back into doing planks and lite core exercises and then expand upon that. Don't rush anything and avoid axial loads like squatting for some time.

thanks man, when i first saw surgeon at the 13 day mark and he saw me and looked at mri, he said you need surgery, but i did not jump right into and waited a bit, and i started getting better, went from 2 crutches to a cane in about 2-3 days i think, then i used cane for 2-3 days, made an appt went back today, e said yeah you are much better but i was worried about your neurologic deficit last time, so he say we can still do surgery, we can do inject or we can do nothing, lol, for now i told him inject, but he is backed up so it is not until the 16th, if i keep improving there a good chance i will cancel it, also once i stopped sleeping on our main bed that helped, its to soft so i been sleeping in one of the spare bedrooms, that damn bed i would get up after a couple of hours of shitty sleep and damn near could not walk for about 4 hours, so have to buy another mattress.

 

[j4ever]

I’m not a fan of lyrica or gabapentin. They change your entire outlook on life and greatly affect your ability to have an orgasm. I would not take those drugs unless it was for a brief time after surgery. Instead, I’d recommend having surgery and getting off those drugs. One of the best back surgeons in the world resides in Nashville TN.

yeah that damn lyrica kinda fucked me up, i dropped it about a week ago, i was on 150mg a day, doc told me to go to 225, after i did started having headache that got worse each day, then on the last day i was taken it i bad headache and started vomiting, so i stopped it cold.

 

[j4ever]

I understand getting down now and then but keep that focus on the things you have in your life that make you smile! I've had 6 spine surgeries, need a 7th, an auto immune disease...ankylosing spondylitis...which has kept me in chronic pain every day of my life since I was 17, hernia surgery coming two weeks from tomorrow, had surgery for Carcinoid Syndrome in 2014 and other surgeries sprinkled in there too. Perception is everything, so keep yours as positive as possible. It's ok to get down but pull back up and be grateful for other things in your life!!

damn brotha you got a lot going on there, yeah this back is secondary to my hip which i have had 5 surgeries on, and like you sprinkle some other shit in there like shoulder and hernia, this situation threw me back to when i was having problems not walking for 2 years and being bedridden for 6 weeks in traction, idk i just mentally went back there, and then i was thinking im fucked, i cant do anything any longer im done, my back is gone, bodybuilding was first love but i had backed off some a good while back, picked up more on hiking and climbing/general mountaineering, which i have to take trips for because no damn mountains around here, lol, i kinda fell in love that, but here at home yes still train 2-3 days a week, cycle 2 times a week, and sometimes throw on a pack and hike a few miles down the river, just got to watch for the cotton mouths and corals, good luck with everything brotha i wish you well.

 

[MooseKnuckles]

It definitely plays with your head when you go from working out every week and enjoying everything you do, to being injured, in pain and not being able to do your normal activities you love.

When I get to that point, I always take a step back and look at what I do have an when you start looking around you see some pretty bad disabilities.

When I started therapy on my first shoulder surgery this year, I was talking to my therapist how bad it sucked I couldn't workout and do my normal activities for 6 months and then I looked over to the side of me and there was a lady in her mid 50's sitting in a wheel chair double leg amputee above the knee, and I felt like an ass for even complaining about what I couldn't do for a few months.

 

[j4ever]

It definitely plays with your head when you go from working out every week and enjoying everything you do, to being injured, in pain and not being able to do your normal activities you love.

When I get to that point, I always take a step back and look at what I do have an when you start looking around you see some pretty bad disabilities.

When I started therapy on my first shoulder surgery this year, I was talking to my therapist how bad it sucked I couldn't workout and do my normal activities for 6 months and then I looked over to the side of me and there was a lady in her mid 50's sitting in a wheel chair double leg amputee above the knee, and I felt like an ass for even complaining about what I couldn't do for a few months.

i hear that bro, it is easy to fall into a pity party, my mental health is tied to my activity level so that sucks, i will have to lay out again this weekend but i think next weekend i have a good chance to get out to my daughters swim competition and that will be awesome, yeah there are peeps out there going thru some real shit and dealing with it, hope your appt today went well for ya.

 

[MooseKnuckles]

i hear that bro, it is easy to fall into a pity party, my mental health is tied to my activity level so that sucks, i will have to lay out again this weekend but i think next weekend i have a good chance to get out to my daughters swim competition and that will be awesome, yeah there are peeps out there going thru some real shit and dealing with it, hope your appt today went well for ya.

I'm glad you have been slightly improving and getting out and doing things, I feel like when people have a positive view and are trying there hardest to get feeling better it truly helps, I've seen people get injured have a negative attitude, lose interest in there daily life and just sit around feeling sorry for themselves and it's just down hill from there. I kind of did what you did, I had to quit weight lifting because of surgeries but I decided to start going on more walks with my family, doing body weight squats, lunges, just doing small things to stay active. I actually really enjoy going on family walks.

Stay strong and my offer stands anytime if you ever need someone to talk to.

My Doctor appt went well, thanks for asking and I start PT tomorrow for the second time this year

 

[TrippplePPP]

thanks man, when i first saw surgeon at the 13 day mark and he saw me and looked at mri, he said you need surgery, but i did not jump right into and waited a bit, and i started getting better, went from 2 crutches to a cane in about 2-3 days i think, then i used cane for 2-3 days, made an appt went back today, e said yeah you are much better but i was worried about your neurologic deficit last time, so he say we can still do surgery, we can do inject or we can do nothing, lol, for now i told him inject, but he is backed up so it is not until the 16th, if i keep improving there a good chance i will cancel it, also once i stopped sleeping on our main bed that helped, its to soft so i been sleeping in one of the spare bedrooms, that damn bed i would get up after a couple of hours of shitty sleep and damn near could not walk for about 4 hours, so have to buy another mattress.

When you mention neurologic deficit that usually means decrease reflexes, decreased motor strength or other nerve impingement signs which they do take seriously and would do surgery for despite a person's pain. Again, good luck. Keep us informed. I think what you did and scheduling the injection is a good idea and like you said just cancel it if/when you start feeling really good.

 

[BigNJ]

now i know there are some fucked up backs on here, who has dealt with herniated disc? i am 3 days out from it being 3 weeks and getting around good now but still using 1 crutch, i was using 2, i think its the worse pain i ever had as it was unrelenting and would not let up for the first 48 hours or so, this process is moving slow as shit, it took me a week to get into a doc, then another week to get into the back doc, then another week to get mri which is this thursday, of course it will be next week before anything comes from that, i be a month out before they offer epidural inject, been on lyrica and prednisone and for awhile 5-325 but they did not really do shit, the prednisone has definitely helped.

Be careful using Lyrics. I've experienced severe memory loss after few days of using it at 150mgs

You might react differently however, most people I've spoken to experienced the same issue.

 

[11sh11]

Having these issues really suck, especially when limiting something you love doing.
I'm curious about how many of you consistently received deep tissue therapy?
I've been a neuromuscular therapist for 21yrs, incorporate mobilization, scraping, cupping where needed. When someone has been diligent and consistent with getting the work done, usually I've seen people 75-80% better on a day to day basis after just a few weekly sessions. My clients have included professional athletes over different sports too... I know the easiest, most commonly known route is injections, surgeries, etc... and can be difficult finding an effective therapist... but seems to me to be well worth being able to avoid surgery, improve, and prevent progression

 

[j4ever]

Having these issues really suck, especially when limiting something you love doing.
I'm curious about how many of you consistently received deep tissue therapy?
I've been a neuromuscular therapist for 21yrs, incorporate mobilization, scraping, cupping where needed. When someone has been diligent and consistent with getting the work done, usually I've seen people 75-80% better on a day to day basis after just a few weekly sessions. My clients have included professional athletes over different sports too... I know the easiest, most commonly known route is injections, surgeries, etc... and can be difficult finding an effective therapist... but seems to me to be well worth being able to avoid surgery, improve, and prevent progression

for a long time i have gotten deep tissue massages and ART done, but i am not exactly sure what to get with this or if i would want to, i would be worried about someone adding to the problem and setting me back a couple of weeks if that makes sense, so what can be done to help improve a herniated disc?

 

[11sh11]

for a long time i have gotten deep tissue massages and ART done, but i am not exactly sure what to get with this or if i would want to, i would be worried about someone adding to the problem and setting me back a couple of weeks if that makes sense, so what can be done to help improve a herniated disc?

That's great that you're doing that. A ruptured disc is a major problem, whereas herniation can be maintained and healed. Maintaining core strength is of benefit. The bodywork will maintain range of motion, provide mobility, and prevent the excessive tightness that causes imbalance and exacerbates the issue. The improper body mechanics will create excessive wear and tear, making it worse.
Prolotherapy can heal the issues

 

[Wonton]

Having these issues really suck, especially when limiting something you love doing.
I'm curious about how many of you consistently received deep tissue therapy?
I've been a neuromuscular therapist for 21yrs, incorporate mobilization, scraping, cupping where needed. When someone has been diligent and consistent with getting the work done, usually I've seen people 75-80% better on a day to day basis after just a few weekly sessions. My clients have included professional athletes over different sports too... I know the easiest, most commonly known route is injections, surgeries, etc... and can be difficult finding an effective therapist... but seems to me to be well worth being able to avoid surgery, improve, and prevent progression

I haven't but will do it in the future. Couple issues to deal with prior

Seems like , if you want to be in the game - pre maintenance is required

Besides my shoulders def could use some work