To ask for herniated disc experiences? (desperate)

[fortunatelynot]

Hello all

Ten days ago I woke with a lower back ache. For the next three days I could not move at all easily with pain in my lower back. It improved but since then I can barely sit and struggle to straighten up after sitting. I have spoken to a doctor over the phone (I had a call scheduled for something else) and described the pain. He 'thinks' it is a herniated disc; having googled it for ages, I think he is right.

I'm mid forties and pretty fit - I run about 25 miles a week. Bizarrely I have been able to jog short distances - I know this sounds crazy but at periods during the day, when I am upright, it feels better. Sitting, even going to the toilet (sorry) is agony when I stand up. I can sleep on my side but literally any sitting/driving etc is so painful. My lower back feels so weak; even reaching forward to put shoes on hurts.

I have never had any type of back issues and this has come out of the blue. The doctor did not really give any helpful advice (although to be fair, the call was for something else).

Any experience of this?

I was in agony with mine, completely incapacitated. The only thing that helped was amitriptyline. Worked a treat but gave me a very dry mouth and I always felt exhausted the next day if I took it later than 6pm the previous night.

I had one a few weeks ago. GP referred to physio and I made a full recovery after 6/7 weeks. It was excruciating for the first couple though. It started in my back and then the pain moved to my hip. I was also numb on my big toe and a strip around my calf and shin. Mine was L5/S1. I also used an inversion table that stretched my spine out. The physio didn’t rate it and said there was little evidence for its use but it definitely relieved the pain and I’m sure it helped with recovery.

Hello all

I'm gutted to say that it has come back - not once, but twice. After the initial bout of pain I had another few days of it then a two or three weeks of feeling better (possibly weak in my lower back and a bit stiff) but certainly a bit better.

I woke up on Tuesday and went to work and again, I could feel lower back pain that has gone back to being exactly what I experienced before. It causes pain bending over, hurts when I sit/lay etc and this time, has also caused lots of pain in my hip. I have been doing the exercises suggested by my GP.

I am fed up of this. How is everyone else?

I hate to say it, but it took a year for my back to get better after a herniated disc. My physio said I'm an outlier though and that most people are better within 4 months.

I think it's pretty common for things to flare up after it feels as if things are getting better. Basically, you're feeling better, so you push yourself physically and it's just too much. You normally don't realise until the next day when the pain kicks in. My physio was keen on noticing if the time taken for a flare up to calm down was getting shorter (eg 3 days instead of 5 days). This was a sign of overall improvement.

Mine seems to have a flare up once a year, I end up back at the physio for a couple of sessions, like an MOT. I'm 6 years in. I do pilates every week and treat it well.

Mine took about a year to sort itself too. It was about 6 months of agony first time round,then a short time of being ok and then another 5 or 6 months of agony. I sympathise, it was the worst pain I have ever felt. Hope you start to feel better soon.

Hello OP, this happened to me about 9 years ago. Agony. Walking helped, being active genuinely helps things.
I had loads of physio and it was worth every penny, think I went weekly for 3 months. They gave me specific exercises to do every day, I was told to walk miles a day too (I walked EVERYWHERE), what not to do too.
I made a full recovery (my physio actually thought overexercising may have caused mine) - I take more rest days these days!! It is definitely a weak spot now, and I have to be really careful when strength training and I’ve jarred it twice in the years since doing deadlifts.
But really work on trying to ‘fix’ it now if you can.

My husband has had a painful back and sciatica for months now. He tried osteopathy, then saw a chiropractor who did an x ray (cost under £100). This showed a pars fracture that had caused a disc to herniate and trap a nerve. Without an x ray he wouldn’t have known about this. He subsequently had an MRI and is awaiting a date for surgery

My doctor now thinks I’ve slipped a second disc as my pain has changed. So back on the Amitriptyline and got physio booked in for mid August. If that doesn’t resolve it then another scan.

21 years of this now. I’m fed up.

Look into occult tethered cord

Look into magnesium oil spray

My herniated discs were cervical, and I had the worst neck pain and numbness in my hands. I had an MRI which showed that one of them was pressing on my spinal cord.

I had physio including traction and other stretches, and within a few months, it was as if it never happened.

@PrincessMonacoOfKent wgat helped if it wasn't injection was it time

@Deedoo yes, just time, and being careful with what I do (I now have a wheely trolley so I don't have to carry a bag home from the shops if I don't want to drive!). Also, on advice of physio, strengthening my back muscles by swimming, walking, elliptical, etc.

@saraclara what helped your neck disc herniation

@Fairysteps11 how is your neck

@PrincessMonacoOfKent thank you x I need to stop lifting heavy bags of shopping or heavy anything now it's so hard as I don't have help

Surgery was the only possible treatment for my herniated disc, and it worked a treat.

I had one a few years ago. My left leg would go numb with pins and needles and the pain was very sharp which made walking really uncomfortable. I didn't have any pain whilst sitting or lying down.

I had an MRI to check what the problem was. I was really surprised when the consultant confirmed it. He told me that it would fix itself and I wouldn't need an operation, thankfully. There's 10% chance of it reocurring. I think it took about 6 months to fully recover.

@MissConductUS where was it neck or back xx

@Itiswhysofew so glad you healed did you do anything to help ? Whwre was yours in back or neck x

Neck. It was my C4-C5 disc. They went in through my throat, removed the herniated disc, and replaced it with a titanium and plastic artificial disc. All of my symptoms were gone when I came out of anesthesia.

I also had surgery, but on my L4/L5 disc in my back so it was a different operation but also a huge success.

@MissConductUS wow that's amazing I am scared for them cutting throat though can't they go via the back neck lol.

@fortunatelynot did your heal

I wouldn't listen to any GP for exercises. You need a decent private physio. The exercise may be exacerbating it. For now I would just walk as much as possible, try and straighten and lots of heat. Ice is supposed to help but I find only hot water bottles offer any relief.