22yr old w/ degenerative disk in lower back, any hope??

[envies]

Hello,

Just got back from the doctor after having lower back pain for over a year that would not go away. After comparing old x-rays with ones taken today....he said I have degenerative disk disease in my lower back....the lowest disk. He said to stay away from heavy lifting such as squats and deadlifts if I want to have any chance of living a normal life in 15 years....keep in mind I am only 22.

Anyone have any experience with this? Is my 'serious' weightlifting career over for life now?

Thanks for any help, suggestions..

 

[Zyglamail]

Often times the degeneration of disks is due to injury that isnt allowed to heal. The strenghtening of tendons and ligaments in that area often will take the strain off and allow the disk to repaire itself. Prolotherapy has great success in this area and some of the prolo docs are even combining GH with the injections to help promote disk regeneration.

Check out prolonews.com

 

[The Wenis]

/\ what he said. plus some.

i've had it since i was in my early 20s as well. around 10 years. strengthening the muscles in your abs and low back will help a little. the available surgery is risky and sometimes doesn't work. my degeneration has peaked. that's the good news. at some point it stops getting worse. i get injections every few months and it keeps the pain away for a while.

 

[envies]

Thanks for the replies....

/\ what he said. plus some.

i've had it since i was in my early 20s as well. around 10 years. strengthening the muscles in your abs and low back will help a little. the available surgery is risky and sometimes doesn't work. my degeneration has peaked. that's the good news. at some point it stops getting worse. i get injections every few months and it keeps the pain away for a while.

What type of injections do you get?

What types of exercises are you not able to do now? Can I ever hope to do squats again one day?

 

[Zyglamail]

Thanks for the replies....



What type of injections do you get?

What types of exercises are you not able to do now? Can I ever hope to do squats again one day?

The injections I am referring to are comprised of lidocaine and an inflamatory agent and it is injected directly into the tendons and ligaments cause severe localized swelling. WIth it comes very rapid healing, thickening and strengthening of the tendons and ligaments that are treated. The problem with "modern" medicine is they throw the fundamentals they learn out the window and forget that with inflamation comes essential healing and without it healing can be all but stopped. The prolotherapy injections actually cause some discomfort and stiffness for a couple days but they work and they work well. Going under the knife should be a last resort. If your serious, and have an open mind check out prolonews.com for more details on what prolotherapy is about, they also have a doc listing so you can see if there are any in your area.

 

[envies]

I will definitely check out the site, thanks.

The injections I am referring to are comprised of lidocaine and an inflamatory agent and it is injected directly into the tendons and ligaments cause severe localized swelling. WIth it comes very rapid healing, thickening and strengthening of the tendons and ligaments that are treated. The problem with "modern" medicine is they throw the fundamentals they learn out the window and forget that with inflamation comes essential healing and without it healing can be all but stopped. The prolotherapy injections actually cause some discomfort and stiffness for a couple days but they work and they work well. Going under the knife should be a last resort. If your serious, and have an open mind check out prolonews.com for more details on what prolotherapy is about, they also have a doc listing so you can see if there are any in your area.

 

[The Wenis]

Thanks for the replies....



What type of injections do you get?

What types of exercises are you not able to do now? Can I ever hope to do squats again one day?

epidural injections. and i'm not going to tell you to do something your doc said not to do, but i still do squats and deads. not as much as in college but pretty heavy for a 30 something guy. i had acl surgery 8 months ago so that's why i can't do as much on deads and squats now, it has nothing to do with my back. before the knee surgery i was doing 405 on both deads and squats as a 4th set for maybe 5-9 reps. now i'm back up over 300 on both. so yeah, there's hope.

 

[_Yossarian_]

Often times the degeneration of disks is due to injury that isnt allowed to heal. The strenghtening of tendons and ligaments in that area often will take the strain off and allow the disk to repaire itself. Prolotherapy has great success in this area and some of the prolo docs are even combining GH with the injections to help promote disk regeneration.

Check out prolonews.com

havent seen that name in a long time. Where ya been Zyglamail?

 

[mlende]

I also have degenerative disk disorder. I finally had to have surgery and ended up getting L4 & L5 fused. I did not lose any noticeable flexibility and have been able to build my lower back strength back up. IMO, the surgery is better than the shots, although the recovery is very slow. As for deadlifts and squats, the key is taking it slow to regain your strength.

 

[envies]

Thanks for the replies guys!