anybody had a herniated disc or ruptured disc?

[nuh_mizer]

It looks like I have one or the other in my neck. It doesn't hurt very bad anymore byt I can't feel parts of my right hand. I had an MRI done and the guy who did it made me feel like I'm going to be in a wheel chair. Has anybody here had the same thing and how did the recovery go?

thanks

 

[40butpumpin]

Yeah bro, in 1982 I herniated a disc in my lower back in an accident. I was 21 at the time. I was in rough shape as I remember. I had all kinds of tests done including a spinal tap twice. They were a bitch Ill tell you. I had surgery in 84 finally and had the disc removed, I didnt have any fusion done tough. Before the surgery I had a lot of paralysis in various parts of my lower left leg. After the surgery I had nearly all of the paralysis dissapear, I would say 99 percent. What didnt return is inconsequential as far as Im concerned. Herniated discs are not all that uncommon. I know thats not much comfort to you but Im saying that because surgery for that is pretty routine anymore. I was talking to a physical theraist a few months back whos husband had a hernated disc removed from his neck as an outpatient. I said damn, it sure has changed since I had the surgery done. Youll get the feeling back bro, a piece of disc has irritated a nerve in your neck but this does get better. The guy at the mri has obviously never had the problem himself. Let me know if you have any more questions. Im working with a busted keyboard, sorry for the bad typing.

 

[nuh_mizer]

Thanks for the info bro. I get a little more feeling back in my hand everyday, but I know that it won't go away without seriuos treatment.

 

[StoneColdGold]

i have degenerative disc disease. its a congenital condition that causes the discs to dry up and/or become more prone to herniation. I have a herniation at L4/L5 and disintegration at L5/S1.

Anti-inflammatories are a part of my daily supplementation. My father had the same problem. He's had two surgeries. The last one was a year ago and it went very well. They have made great strides in what they can do. What's really exciting is that there have been 30 "trial surgeries" experimenting with artificial discs, and they seem to have gone exceptionally well.

Bottom line: if its an accute injury you have, surgery to repair the problem is the way to go. just find a good surgeon.

 

[JKD]

i Hearniated disk l4 and l5 when I was 17. I went through extensive physical therapy and traction. I was functioning normally after about a year of the incident. I just recently fucked it up again. I have been seeing a chiropractor for about 2 months and haven't made any progress. He suggested cortizone injection in my lower back. I don't want that cause I will get a false sense of security and probably end up fucking myself up even more. I am at a loss - just got done with a cycle and managed to keep most of my gains but evertime I go to the gym now - I can barely walk afterwards. I been thinking about surgorey but that might not be the answer. Anyways moral of the story - injuries suck.

 

[mrhamilton]

i have had three laminectomy/microdiskectomy surgeries at the L5-S1 level. I also have a cyrrent herniation at the same level. You are not alone in your pain, as I know that myself and many others live with chronic nerve pain on a daily basis. I would suggest as a first course of action, a cortisone epidural.(i have one tomorrow) Ask your doctor about seeing a physical therapist and massage therapist that specialize in spinal column injuries. With a consevative treatment plan and the proper rest and care, over 75% of all herniations are disolved naturally by the body, requiring no surgical procedures. If you are one of the unlucky ones like myself, than surgery will take care of the problem, but you must be smarter than me, and follow ALL of your aftercare instructions completely. If you allow enough time for your body to recover after surgery, then the chances are extremely good that this will be a onetime event for you.

Take care and listen to what your doctors say. If you don't like what they are telling you, get a second opinion. Your injury can be a very serious one if you do not take proper care of it.

good luck
mrhamilton

 

[Zyglamail]

So many injuries from all over the body are simply cause by strained and sprained tendons and ligamints. When these supporting structires are strained/sprained it allows the bones to become misaligned etc. This is often diagnosed via MRI's etc but it has been clinically proven MRI's are not a reliable means of determining tendon/ligiment damage. Far to many Docs want to put you under the knife which often times causes irreperable damage. If you are loosing the feeling in your hands at times, its likely due to referral pain from C4 and C5 in your neck. If you truely want the problem fixed and due not want to undergo surgery check into prolotherapy. You can find a lot of good info at http://www.prolonews.com/ as well as search for a doc in your area. I have had it done in the past for elbow problems and it worked wonders. I recently have gone back and am getting my mid back treated now.

 

[Judo Tom]

i have a herniated/ruptured disc at c5-c6. I was really really bad for 3 months after it..and pretty bad for 6-10 months after it. I use to compete in Judo but so far this injury has kept me off the matt for now.

not sure what to say really except i would look into therapy and NOT SURGERY from what i have researched it looks like that if you are young and have the surgery in about 10 years you will need another operation again for the discs above or below the first one...

for me its not really an option because once i get that it will pretty much end my carreer so i am going to try more rehab and strength training to be able to support the injury with the muscles rather then get a metal rod put into the neck..

anyone with experience or knowledge in this AREA please email me if you have some time..

good luck bro

 

[Zyglamail]

The reason you need surgery again is because surgery does not fix the root of the problem which is invariable tendon/ligiment laxity. When these structurs are not 100% it causes problems with nerves, disks, cartiledge and the list goes on. Judo Tom, even if you have had surgery in the past I highly recommend you seek out a prolotherapist. Research has shown incredible results and its been in use for various things for over 100 years. Studies have also shown that tendons/ligiments are actually thickened 40% which equates to approximatly doubling their strength. Help your body help itself, and avoid the knife if you can. Im not preaching to live in pain, but seek a cure, not just a poor fix.

 

[Silent Method]

I have a herniated disk in my neck. At the time of the injury I was debilitated. I thought I had broken my damn neck! It didn't take long before I was back on track - and I was largly untreated durring recovery. It'll still flair up at times and get sore, but it's quite manageable.

I'd hold off any thought of surgery untill you give it a good deal of time, and try some forms of therapy. I'd look into prolotherapy for sure. You might also look into the "McKenzie (sp?) method."

 

[Zyglamail]

I have a herniated disk in my neck. At the time of the injury I was debilitated. I thought I had broken my damn neck! It didn't take long before I was back on track - and I was largly untreated durring recovery. It'll still flair up at times and get sore, but it's quite manageable.

I'd hold off any thought of surgery untill you give it a good deal of time, and try some forms of therapy. I'd look into prolotherapy for sure. You might also look into the "McKenzie (sp?) method."

Once the laxity in tendons/ligiments allows the spine to get out of position the disk can slip out of its proper position and bulge out. The tightness and soreness come from pinched nerves as well as the muslces contracting to try and hold the spine in position. If the tendons/ligiments can be healed and even strengthend via prolotherapy the spine will get pulled into place and all the associated problems will be alleviated.

The nice thing about prolo is you know right then and there if the procedure is targetting problem areas. For example when I was having mine done the doc would treat a whole area. some tendons/ligiments in a given area where fine while others were damaged. When a non-damaged tendon/ligiment was treated there was no pain at all. When an injured one was treated there was an involuntary reflex further supporting the diagnosis of the injured tendon/ligiment.

 

[117th AirCav]

herniated disk

I have a herniated disk in my L3. When it first happened my whole leg would go numb after standing for 3 minutes. I went to a Chiropractor and massage therapist and they really helped it out. My advice would be to try this route before you get cut on.

 

[Zyglamail]

Chiros have a place for sure, they can often alleviate pain etc but its only temporary. Unless the tendons/ligiments are healed it will be a recurring problem. The message will help get blood(and esential nutrients) to the injured spot and thereby help healing but its still a slow process and prolo seems to be a much faster way to get the healing done.

 

[nuh_mizer]

So many injuries from all over the body are simply cause by strained and sprained tendons and ligamints. When these supporting structires are strained/sprained it allows the bones to become misaligned etc. This is often diagnosed via MRI's etc but it has been clinically proven MRI's are not a reliable means of determining tendon/ligiment damage. Far to many Docs want to put you under the knife which often times causes irreperable damage. If you are loosing the feeling in your hands at times, its likely due to referral pain from C4 and C5 in your neck. If you truely want the problem fixed and due not want to undergo surgery check into prolotherapy. You can find a lot of good info at http://www.prolonews.com/ as well as search for a doc in your area. I have had it done in the past for elbow problems and it worked wonders. I recently have gone back and am getting my mid back treated now.

My doctor mentioned something like what they describe. That would be great if it's actualy what he is talking about b/c my insurance may pay for it.

thanks for the info everybody

 

[Silent Method]

Chiros have a place for sure, they can often alleviate pain etc but its only temporary. Unless the tendons/ligiments are healed it will be a recurring problem.

Right on.

The "McKenzie method" I mentioned is a series of exercises that help you to align your spine and allow disks to "reset" into proper position. It has a MAJOR emphasis on allowing for tendon/ligiment recovery, but it does not provide much in the line of active recovery methods targeting tendon/ligiment damage.

Prolotherapy looks like it addresses this problem quite well.

 

[DepressiveJuice]

go see an orthopaedic spine surgeon. make sure his specialty is spines. more than likely, they'll recommend surgery. i work for two orthopaedic surgeons and most of the patients turn out better after the surgery. some claim that the pain is wors after the surgery. they mostly do fusions but if your disc isnt that bad, then they'll just cut the bulging part out. if they remove the disc, then they'll have to replace it with bone (taken from your hip) and with cages to hold the bone in

 

[Zyglamail]

go see an orthopaedic spine surgeon. make sure his specialty is spines. more than likely, they'll recommend surgery. i work for two orthopaedic surgeons and most of the patients turn out better after the surgery. some claim that the pain is wors after the surgery. they mostly do fusions but if your disc isnt that bad, then they'll just cut the bulging part out. if they remove the disc, then they'll have to replace it with bone (taken from your hip) and with cages to hold the bone in

Why would you want to have the bulge cut out if the underlying problem isnt fixed? The problem isnt the bulge, the bulge is a symptom of tendon/ligiment laxity. Fix the problem and the symptom will go away on its own.

 

[DepressiveJuice]

Why would you want to have the bulge cut out if the underlying problem isnt fixed? The problem isnt the bulge, the bulge is a symptom of tendon/ligiment laxity. Fix the problem and the symptom will go away on its own.

hmm. to make more money i assume no i dont really know why. im just going by what these two doctors do. one has been practicing for over 30 years. the other has been doing it for about 5

 

[Zyglamail]

hmm. to make more money i assume no i dont really know why. im just going by what these two doctors do. one has been practicing for over 30 years. the other has been doing it for about 5

Hehe, dont get me wrong, surgery has its place, but something like a herniated disk generally doesnt warrent going under the knife. I also do not doubt that these sergeons know how to operate, but as we all know, people generally preach what they know and your docs know surgery. Now granted, im no surgeon, but I have gone under the knife and if I can heal myself via a couple simple office visits as opposed to surgery thats the path im going to take.

 

[mrhamilton]

Hey Zyg, I agree with you that prolotherapy does have it's uses, and is highly regarded by C. Everett Koop as a wondrous treatment option. But having seen a physiatrist who specializes in prolotherapy, I was informed that the greatest use for it is in cases of things like whiplash, or other tendon damage. Most herniations are caused by compression type injuries and are not the result of weak or stretched tendons. Although it can be useful after these compression type injuries to help tighten and strengthen the excess tendon length(when you herniate a disk you get shorter, but tendons remain the same length). I am not an advocate for surgery by no means, but like other treatments it does have its place.

BTW i like my injections, but several hundred injections in a specific location on several ocassions does sound like a real PAIN!

later
mrhamilton

 

[DocTodd]

The 3 absolute ONLY indications for surgery are bowel and/or bladder incontinence, progressive weakness/paralysis, and intractable pain not responsive to anything else. The treatment protocol starts with antiinflammatory meds, traction, then injections or percutaneous discectomy. Studies show that if you took 100 people off the street WITHOUT ANY PAIN, 20-50% of them would have MRI findings suggestive of a problem. And lastly, degenerative disc disease (DDD) is not congenital.

Check out this website and go to the animated surgeries....these things are what i do and see everyday. Prolotherpay pretty much causes an inflammatory reaction and increases the circulation to the area. It just helps the body heal itself.


http://www.floridaspinesurgery.com

 

[Zyglamail]

BTW i like my injections, but several hundred injections in a specific location on several ocassions does sound like a real PAIN!

later
mrhamilton

amn, several hunderd in a specific location? Have you ever had it done? While it is a few pokes, its no where near several hundred. So far I have had elbows(about 12-15inj), foot (2-3inj), shoulder(15-20inj) and mid back between the shoulder blades(approx 15-20inj) I had the elbow and shoulder done last year, worked wonders. Currently have problems with foot, back and opposit elbow and just started getting them treated now.

 

[nuh_mizer]

Most herniations are caused by compression type injuries and are not the result of weak or stretched tendons. ....

Mine is not a compression type. I did it doing dumbell military press. I was having a guy spot me (who wasn't sure what he was doing) and to make a long story short, I couldn't get the dumbells into position and had to bring them back down. I tried to stop them from hitting the floor and thats when it happened.