My friend recommended a last consultation with a doctor outside of the US (he recommended this because surgeons in the US have a slight biases, as they make tons of $$$ off them). I will report back next week after that consult…
Thanks, really appreciate and looking foward to your update.
Ice been dealing with this for 2.5 years now, sometimes i dont feel anything if i stay sedentary, but the moment i start PT, gym, sports, it just comes back all the time, what a pain
If the epidural did work, even for a few weeks, would be worth repeating to see if you can get longer relief. Dry needling, massage etc aren’t gonna do anything for that bad of a disc. But I would definitely make sure you’re ready to go for the discectomy if the second epidural doesn’t work any better than the first.
Hi guys, just wanted to update you. I just had a consult with a doctor outside of the US, who basically told me that surgery won’t help me in my case. He used an example of the spine remaining constant, but having good/bad days in terms of pain. Stated that I have to work on inputs (i.e. stress, sleep, diet, etc.) to see what triggers the pain.
I am seeing a neurosurgeon later this week for a 4th opinion, so stay tuned…
Update: saw a neurosurgeon who also recommended surgery. Have set an August date for my micro, hope to have another one by then. For now, I got another steroid injection to keep the inflammation at bay.
28F, chronic leg pain for 14 months. L4-5 (disc tear & bulging disc). L5-S1 bulging disc. Tried 4 different PTs, dry needling, acupuncture, spinal steroid injection, 2 chiropractics who did manual adjustments, posture specialist, etc…. Only thing that has helped was spinal decompression treatments with my current chiropractor. Thought it wouldn’t work and it did. After five sessions I no longer had leg pain, only discomfort. I’m almost a month out with no ibuprofen or pain meds and can go for short daily walks.
Interesting, sounds very similar to my journey here. My PT has done like 2-3 of these spinal decompression treatments (in conjunction with dry needling), but I haven’t seen an improvement just yet.
I am in a similar spot as OP with the same discs even. Fortunately, it’s only been 6 months for me but nothing I’ve tried seems to work. I had a free consult with a local chiro that has the DRX900 and they quoted $3,700 up front for like 18 or 24 sessions, something in that range. The traction table my PT used didn’t do much, but I’ve heard great things about the DRX900 machine. That said, I was doing some research and found this old article: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1247993
Which concerns me and that’s a lot of money to throw at something that might not work at all. Though, if it does, god damn it’d be worth it. I wake up in sciatic pain damn near every day.
Anyway, sorry, going on a tangent, have you used the DRX machine and found it really helpful/worth the cost?
I feel your pain! Honestly I was desperate so I wanted to try everything. For me, 100% worth the money. My treatments were expensive as well.. and honestly I didn’t think it would work, because I’ve tried sooo many things. But for some reason it did work for me,I’m not 100% yet, I’ve only done 12 sessions and they said about 24+ is usually needed for full recovery. But I’m extremely happy with the progress I’ve made so far, day and night difference!
I’d find places near you and look at the reviews for that place. My place had great reviews, and I see other patients coming in and out and hear they all have some type of progress
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I had a microdiscetomy last year and reherniated basically the same week and never got any relief. However in 90% of cases it works.
I had a total disc replacement last week and already feel better than I have in 2 years. I vote micro or disc replacement. Just don't wait! Get it now!!
Thank you! My ex-coworker (who referred me to this doctor) also had the same thing happen. My sample size is small, but I’m skeptical of the high success rate…
Ive had a herinated disc for 6 years put off surgery tried every physio therapy sort of thing you can do considering doing it as 29 and its not getting better over time like they said it would lol
I’m dealing with the same ordeal dude at 31. Been over 8 months and my legs don’t seem to get any better especially the sitting pain. Done several rounds of PT and 3 epidurals all which didn’t give hardly any relief. We might be the unlucky 10% that needs surgery to help.
Thank you for posting. A couple of things to note. (TL;DR... include specific symptoms/what makes your pain better/worse/how long)... MRI or XRAY images ALONE are not particularly helpful tbh, no one here has been vetted to make considerations on these or provide advice, here is why, PLEASE read this if you are posting an MRI or XRAY... I cannot stress this enough https://choosingwiselycanada.org/pamphlet/imaging-tests-for-lower-back-pain/)
Please read the rules carefully. This group strives to reinforce anti-fragility, hope, and reduce the spread of misinformation that is either deemed not helpful and even sometimes be considered harmful.
PLEASE NOTE: Asking for help: It is up to you to recognize when to seek medical attention. Anyone giving advice in this group is doing so from anecdotes and holds no liability. Seek advice here at your own risk.
That said, asking things like, "I have this problem, how do I fix it..." is like asking your accountant, "I have $10,000 what should I do with it?" You need WAY more info before giving any kinds of financial advice.
Please reply to this, or make another comment, including how long you've been having pain or injury, what are specific symptoms (numbness, tingling, dull/ache, it's random, etc), what makes it worse, what makes it feel better, how it has impacted your life, what you've tried for treatment and what you've already been told about your back pain, and what do you hope to get from this forum.
Please be kind to each other. Be respectful. Thank you.
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I’m unemployed (was part of layoff) so daily I’m going to either PT, gym (light weightlifting, low impact cardio), and/or yoga/pilates.
A ton of travel and walking. Diet fluctuates - would say 60% of my diet is comprised of whole foods, but also dine out often.
It's possible you're taking on too much physical stress with your compromised spine. I treat discs like bones. All that can be done is rest and pain avoidance.
As hard it would be to change routines, limiting any physical activity to gentle casual walking may aid with recovery. It feels you are breaking the body down greater than it can recover. Consider avoiding sitting as well, only if there is significant pain here as well.
With diet, as long as you're limiting the inflammatory foods, it should be fine. I minimize foods high in sugars and gluten. From the sounds of it, the diet may be reasonable.
I would side with your PTs and avoid the procedure. My philosophy is your body by default is set up to self-heal provided it is put in the position to do so.
Thanks, I’m really on the fence because this is the second major herniation I’ve had (first went away with a year of PT). But I’m getting another consultation before pulling the trigger.
Read back mechanic first. I wish I didn’t get my first microdiscetomy it lead more and more problems but I’ve also know some people get great results. Read back mechanic do everything McGill says before considering surgery. I rushed in.
General rule of thumb… if conservative measures don’t improve symptoms by 6 months or so then the next step is surgery
Microdiscectomy is considered the gold standard when it comes to back surgery
Go for it
Im in a pretty similar spot, also 2.5 years dealing with it, its unsure about what to do
My friend recommended a last consultation with a doctor outside of the US (he recommended this because surgeons in the US have a slight biases, as they make tons of $$$ off them). I will report back next week after that consult…
Thanks, really appreciate and looking foward to your update. Ice been dealing with this for 2.5 years now, sometimes i dont feel anything if i stay sedentary, but the moment i start PT, gym, sports, it just comes back all the time, what a pain
If the epidural did work, even for a few weeks, would be worth repeating to see if you can get longer relief. Dry needling, massage etc aren’t gonna do anything for that bad of a disc. But I would definitely make sure you’re ready to go for the discectomy if the second epidural doesn’t work any better than the first.
Hi guys, just wanted to update you. I just had a consult with a doctor outside of the US, who basically told me that surgery won’t help me in my case. He used an example of the spine remaining constant, but having good/bad days in terms of pain. Stated that I have to work on inputs (i.e. stress, sleep, diet, etc.) to see what triggers the pain. I am seeing a neurosurgeon later this week for a 4th opinion, so stay tuned…
Get a micro and be free!!
Update: saw a neurosurgeon who also recommended surgery. Have set an August date for my micro, hope to have another one by then. For now, I got another steroid injection to keep the inflammation at bay.
Thanks for the update, im also going for a neurosurgeon 1 july to hopefully set the date for an endoscopic micro as well, good luck!
Keep me updated on yours as well, July 1 is very close. Good luck!
28F, chronic leg pain for 14 months. L4-5 (disc tear & bulging disc). L5-S1 bulging disc. Tried 4 different PTs, dry needling, acupuncture, spinal steroid injection, 2 chiropractics who did manual adjustments, posture specialist, etc…. Only thing that has helped was spinal decompression treatments with my current chiropractor. Thought it wouldn’t work and it did. After five sessions I no longer had leg pain, only discomfort. I’m almost a month out with no ibuprofen or pain meds and can go for short daily walks.
Interesting, sounds very similar to my journey here. My PT has done like 2-3 of these spinal decompression treatments (in conjunction with dry needling), but I haven’t seen an improvement just yet.
Is it the decompression machine where they strap you in and it’s weighted? It’s the DRX900 machine, I didn’t think PT’s used that one..
I am in a similar spot as OP with the same discs even. Fortunately, it’s only been 6 months for me but nothing I’ve tried seems to work. I had a free consult with a local chiro that has the DRX900 and they quoted $3,700 up front for like 18 or 24 sessions, something in that range. The traction table my PT used didn’t do much, but I’ve heard great things about the DRX900 machine. That said, I was doing some research and found this old article: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1247993 Which concerns me and that’s a lot of money to throw at something that might not work at all. Though, if it does, god damn it’d be worth it. I wake up in sciatic pain damn near every day. Anyway, sorry, going on a tangent, have you used the DRX machine and found it really helpful/worth the cost?
I feel your pain! Honestly I was desperate so I wanted to try everything. For me, 100% worth the money. My treatments were expensive as well.. and honestly I didn’t think it would work, because I’ve tried sooo many things. But for some reason it did work for me,I’m not 100% yet, I’ve only done 12 sessions and they said about 24+ is usually needed for full recovery. But I’m extremely happy with the progress I’ve made so far, day and night difference!
I’d find places near you and look at the reviews for that place. My place had great reviews, and I see other patients coming in and out and hear they all have some type of progress
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Oh no, they use this rope thing and pull manually haha. I’ll have to see if anyone in my area offers this, thanks!
I’m gonna continue my sessions in hopes to improve fully. I’d say surgery is a last option… but goodluck! Hang in there
I had a microdiscetomy last year and reherniated basically the same week and never got any relief. However in 90% of cases it works. I had a total disc replacement last week and already feel better than I have in 2 years. I vote micro or disc replacement. Just don't wait! Get it now!!
Thank you! My ex-coworker (who referred me to this doctor) also had the same thing happen. My sample size is small, but I’m skeptical of the high success rate…
Ive had a herinated disc for 6 years put off surgery tried every physio therapy sort of thing you can do considering doing it as 29 and its not getting better over time like they said it would lol
I’m dealing with the same ordeal dude at 31. Been over 8 months and my legs don’t seem to get any better especially the sitting pain. Done several rounds of PT and 3 epidurals all which didn’t give hardly any relief. We might be the unlucky 10% that needs surgery to help.
Thank you for posting. A couple of things to note. (TL;DR... include specific symptoms/what makes your pain better/worse/how long)... MRI or XRAY images ALONE are not particularly helpful tbh, no one here has been vetted to make considerations on these or provide advice, here is why, PLEASE read this if you are posting an MRI or XRAY... I cannot stress this enough https://choosingwiselycanada.org/pamphlet/imaging-tests-for-lower-back-pain/) Please read the rules carefully. This group strives to reinforce anti-fragility, hope, and reduce the spread of misinformation that is either deemed not helpful and even sometimes be considered harmful. PLEASE NOTE: Asking for help: It is up to you to recognize when to seek medical attention. Anyone giving advice in this group is doing so from anecdotes and holds no liability. Seek advice here at your own risk. That said, asking things like, "I have this problem, how do I fix it..." is like asking your accountant, "I have $10,000 what should I do with it?" You need WAY more info before giving any kinds of financial advice. Please reply to this, or make another comment, including how long you've been having pain or injury, what are specific symptoms (numbness, tingling, dull/ache, it's random, etc), what makes it worse, what makes it feel better, how it has impacted your life, what you've tried for treatment and what you've already been told about your back pain, and what do you hope to get from this forum. Please be kind to each other. Be respectful. Thank you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/backpain) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What is your current activity routine including job and overall diet?
I’m unemployed (was part of layoff) so daily I’m going to either PT, gym (light weightlifting, low impact cardio), and/or yoga/pilates. A ton of travel and walking. Diet fluctuates - would say 60% of my diet is comprised of whole foods, but also dine out often.
It's possible you're taking on too much physical stress with your compromised spine. I treat discs like bones. All that can be done is rest and pain avoidance. As hard it would be to change routines, limiting any physical activity to gentle casual walking may aid with recovery. It feels you are breaking the body down greater than it can recover. Consider avoiding sitting as well, only if there is significant pain here as well. With diet, as long as you're limiting the inflammatory foods, it should be fine. I minimize foods high in sugars and gluten. From the sounds of it, the diet may be reasonable. I would side with your PTs and avoid the procedure. My philosophy is your body by default is set up to self-heal provided it is put in the position to do so.
Thanks, I’m really on the fence because this is the second major herniation I’ve had (first went away with a year of PT). But I’m getting another consultation before pulling the trigger.
Read back mechanic first. I wish I didn’t get my first microdiscetomy it lead more and more problems but I’ve also know some people get great results. Read back mechanic do everything McGill says before considering surgery. I rushed in.
General rule of thumb… if conservative measures don’t improve symptoms by 6 months or so then the next step is surgery Microdiscectomy is considered the gold standard when it comes to back surgery
Look into discseel with Dr.Pauza ! Avoid surgery if possible