Bulging disc recovery timeline?

[Struggllepiggle]

I have a bulging disc apparently.

I’ve had occasional bouts of back pain in the last couple of years. I had an episode over the winter where I could barely move for a few days and since then it’s generally been very low grade.

About 6 weeks ago it started to get worse. Then I played some sport about 2 weeks ago and made it much, much worse. It was immediately sore then the following day I could barely move. It improved from the first day but has stayed at the same level since.

After 10 days I rang the GP who made me a physio appointment for the next day. I went and she diagnosed bulging discs at L4 and L5. An element of guesswork I suppose as no MRI but she was very thorough.

I’m now almost another week on and still absolutely no improvement. It ranges from bad (if I’ve been resting and not doing much although I’m never sedentary) to almost vomiting in pain if I’ve been on my feet for longer.

I’ve been doing the exercises physio advised, I have Naproxen and co-codomal but it makes no difference at all. I may as well not be taking anything. Lots of
baths.

The physio said the worst should be over in 10 days and I should be pretty much back to normal within 6 weeks.

I’m 3 weeks on from the original injury and just under a week from seeing the physio.

Should I be seeing improvement?
Is this level of pain normal or should I go back to the doctor?

I’m not one to take a lot of painkillers - I’ve previously broken both my shoulders and didn’t take more than nurofen.

I’m currently sitting here with shoots of sciatic pain going up my leg and constant throbbing in my back and feeling sick from it.

I’m also meant to be completing a work transfer in a months time (I relocated and have been unemployed waiting for a start date) and there will be significant physical safety training as part of the transfer course. There’s no way I can do that the shape I’m in and I’m so worried I won’t be better by then as I desperately need money.

Any help would be very much appreciated!

Poor you, sounds rotten, I hope it improves soon
I have problems with L3/4, have done for over 30 years. You do kind of get used to it - few crappy days or weeks then it subsides. Inactivity makes mine worse, I'm much better being active - not just standing, that also makes it worse. Hopefully in a month it will be fine, but if you find it helps, do keep active - brisk walking for me as opposed to gentle (once I can do so) - I think a wider stride opens my back up more if that makes sense.

I had a C5&C6 prolapse a couple of years ago. I took about a month before the pain was bearable, another couple before it felt more normal and six until it felt completely better

Gentle exercise is the most important thing you can do, Pilates especially.

I’m waiting for surgery for a fragmented disc at L5/L6 that is digging into my sciatic nerve. I was fobbed off for months then finally diagnosed in A&E after the muscular skeletal team refused to see me until I’d had one as I had significant leg weakness and some bowel issues and they were worried about spinal cord compression.

My surgeon says weakness rather than pain is the red flag symptom. Do you have any issues lifting your toes off the floor or any foot drop? If so, or if it doesn’t start to resolve soon it would be worth pushing for an MRI

Thank you.
No foot weakness so that’s a start.

I have horses and dogs so always remain active even when I’m trying to rest. I defo plan to start Pilates and swimming to strengthen my back but figured I should wait for the pain to be more bearable as it still seems too acute?

The only time I get any relief is when I spend a couple of hours lying on my stomach with a pillow under my hips. I’ve ordered a TENS machine which will arrive today, if that doesn’t help the pain I’m making another doctors appointment as it’s just unbearable.

Me too. Mine was 5 months ago and I have not done myself any favours to heal by following standard NHS advice. When it didn’t get better I upped the Pilates and did lots of physio stretches. It has just aggravated it and I am sure I have re-bulged it a few times! I’m trying a different approach now having found a book called Back Mechanic and watched various YouTube interviews by the author Stuart McGill. It’s all about ‘spine hygiene’ ie moving in a way that doesn’t put bad force on the back, to give it a chance to heal, intermittent fast walking and doing 3 core exercises when you are ready. Lying on your stomach and doing deep breathing also helps the bulge go back in. He says not to do several exercises physios give eg knees to chest, side to side twists. The cat/camel one (gently) is apparently ok. Lots of rest in between. So, sharing from my resting position incase any of this helps you get better faster than me. I’m an active person too and it’s rubbish, I sympathise.
oh, I find the sticky hot patches that last about 8 hours give me relief

Suffered with a bulging disk for about 21 years now. Sometimes it's worse than others. Generally I suffer after a long busy shift on my feet. But losing weight helped me massively too,

Manageable to ibruprofen mostly these days

and I should have said ‘listening to your body’. If you get pain after 10 steps, just do 9 (but keep up the 9)

I had bulges at l3/l4,l5,l6 and also l5/s1 and the pain in my left leg was unbearable. First started august, in and out of hospital with concerns re cauda equine, ortho surgeon said for most people the body absorbes the bulge within 6months, I had some improvement in nov but in dec it was back to unbareable again. By feb I was able to reduce meds and zero from March. So for me too the full 6/7 months. Still not 100%, what made mine worse was being too active so I was very limited for months on what I could do. I took naproxen , cocodamol and what was without a doubt the saviour to the nerve pain in my leg was amitriptyline- I took 60/70mg a day at the worse and then reduced down- makes u sleep for first few weeks then u get used to it. If the sciatic pain is bad I would recommend trying the amitriptyline. I have never experienced pain like it so you have my utmost sympathy. I still sleep on side with pillow between legs and have lost a lot of feeling in leg and 2 toes which they say will never return however I am glad I have so far avoided any surgery. Go easy on the exercises as that definitely made it worse for me initially! Good luck!

@skinnytobe this is reassuring- after a full year of limited movement and alot of other life stress I am now trying to lose the 2 stones I put on( plus another 1) so I hope too that weight losss will help me too. Not easy but will be worth it

6 weeks to a feel a bit better maybe but I’m afraid it was over a year for me not to have pain every day. Everyone is different though and I think the key is finding what works for you. Definitely activity and for me either sitting upright or lying down. Reclining on the sofa was terrible for me. The leg pain is horrible. Try and stretch even though it feels awful

It definitely makes a difference. 9 years ago I was 18 stone. I dropped to 9stone (post divorce/nursing degree stress)

Met a new partner and now I'm back up to 11 stone and my back is already feeling it! I'm working slowly to drop it again ready for wedding/honeymoon next year though!

Hi OP,
If back pain is muscular 2weeks absolute minimum to settle with movement and regular pain relief. Disc protrusions can take 6weeks to 18months to settle down if causing leg pain. A minimum of 2-3months physio is usually needed prior to local anaesthetic and steroid injections for leg pain- caudal or lumbar epidurals. For some people this can significantly reduce the symptoms whilst the natural history of the disc progresses- resolves by itself. Some people may only get short term relief. If an MRI confirms a disc protrusion and corresponds to your leg pain pattern of symptoms you may be offered a discectomy operation if physio and epidurals have not helped and you are not coping with the leg pain. Surgery is for leg pain rather than back pain although there is some evidence that in some people back pain can be caused by a disc protrusion. Most people find the back pain improves post op when they are able to walk better or position themselves better . Look at the British Association of Spinal surgeons (BASS) website for lots of info written by spinal surgeons rather than Google. Also read ho on symptoms of Cauda Equina Syndrome so that you are aware of what symptoms are deemed a spinal emergency. Happy for you to PM me if need be.

PS, I’m NHS but don’t normally post about work stuff but forgot to name change!

Thanks very much for all the advise.

TENS machine has arrived and feels good when it’s on but pain is the same once it stops. I walked 100m in order to feed the horses earlier and felt exhausted and sick from pain afterwards. I think it’s getting worse, not better.

Mine is definitely mostly back pain although also feel it in my legs (although I would say that’s an annoyance kind of pain rather than debilitating).

The timelines are reassuring in the sense that this is normal, but not reassuring about my job prospects. I’ve been out of work for 6 months waiting for this transfer due to relocation and have about £500 left to my name and I doubt they’ll let me start it I’m not fit (police so I need to do officer safety training and fitness tests; if I were already in I can be put on light duties but can’t imagine them doing that for a transferee especially if this is potentially long term).

Thank you for all the help

I had this last year. Twisted in April and hurt my back and had leg pain and numbness. It took until September to get an MRI as physio wouldn't treat without certainty. It showed two bulging discs. Very painful all this time.
I was then given some exercises to do.
Once I started it took another 4 months but did improve then.
16 months on and it's not 100% but only hurts with prolonged walking.

I have this at the moment. My physio (private, spinal specialist), said it gets better in 90% of cases, usually within 12 to 16 weeks. I'm 12 weeks in and it's improved, but still pretty sore
But paracetamol now works (whereas initially it didn't). The physio's advice has been, initially do gentle mobilisation. If it hurts a lot, don't do it. Walking and swimming are good. As its improved, the aim now is to get stronger core muscles, through things like planking. Important to sleep well.

It's rubbish. Hope you feel better soon.

Thank you. Looks like I need to buckle up for the long haul!

I now have codeine to add in and I’ve done basically nothing today and it feels the best it’s felt. (Only just taken the codeine so it’s not just that!). I know all the advice is to keep moving but wondering if I need a few days total rest as even very short distances were crippling me - as in, in the time it takes me to dress, brush my teeth and walk the 100m to feed my horses it goes from a 4/10 to a 8/10 (I wish I was being dramatic but I’m not!).

Right now after a day of total rest, it doesn’t hurt if I don’t move and probably a 2/10 walking to the bathroom so that’s a big improvement.

Ironically, actually sleeping better than I have in ages thanks to the painkillers! Daily naps and solid 11pm-8am. Usually I’m an insomniac so that’s a nice change

@Struggllepiggle did your pain resolve

@Deedoo mostly!!

Around mid September, the back pain turned into awful sciatica. I had regular osteo treatment for about 4 months which helped a lot. The fitness test and personal safety training I had to do at work was interesting!

Now - I do have a permanent low level ache and it flares up a bit if I do too much manual labour but it’s nothing like it was. I do find standing for long periods of time still gives me bad pain but as a rule it’s fairly manageable. I daresay it’s not helped by my lifestyle as a rule. Horses mean a lot of heavy lifting and physical work but hey ho.

@Struggllepiggle
oh sciatica is horrid glad it's gone now xx

What did the osteo do

@Deedoo it was various things; some bone crunching, muscle manipulation, stresses, massage and he had a machine which was similar to a tens machine but on a different frequency or something like that? He also gave me exercises to do.

I think part of it was I was really badly crooked for a long time following the initial injury so everything else ended up seized up too I guess! I chose osteo because I’ve had good experiences with them in the past. I was advised not to go to a chiro.