Back trouble

[Caster]

Wahh, wahhh, yeah I'm complaining of pain like all the other whiney people.

No seriously, anyone have suggestions on non surgical care for a bulged disk?

No insurance, I pay my DR bills on the spot or I don't go. I just went to get a cortisone injection, because that helps a lot. Instead he put me on a course of pill steroids. I've been to the emergency room several times and all they ever told me was that it was an overexerted muscle. Well, I went to see this little indian (Dot not feather) doctor and he was pushing around and BAM!! He pushed on what he called L4-L5 area and I nearly pissed myself. I started laughing (the manly thing to do to keep from crying) He said, "Ohh that's tender" I said NO, tender I can deal with, THAT HURT!. So apparently I have a bulged disk. He says an MRI is needed to confirm but I ain't got a grand to drop on an MRI. Even if I did, I don't have 10-20 grand to drop on the corrective surgery.

SO, I'm EXTREMELY mindful of what and how I do things. I have to be mindful of my back when I work out, mostly just 4-5 miles on a treadmill. I HATE pain pills. I have a few, I take them ONLY when I need to. They make me stupid, and I'm already dumb enough sober.

Suggestions are most welcome guys! BUT, I am reminded of Cary Elwes in the princess bride who said "Life is pain! Anyone who says different is selling something." So, I'm headed back to work. If this is what I have to look forward to as I get older.......well I have nothing but vulgar words to say.

[Guest nicemac]

Traction helps a bulging disc but the relief is usually just temporary. I had two bulging discs and wound up having surgery. Until you can't stand the pain any more, stay away from the knife.

An MRI can be fairly inexpensive if you shop around. A friend of mine needed one and told them up front she was paying out of pocket. She got one for $300–and that was within the past year. Before my surgery, mine tagged the insurance company for $3k.

This type of thing is why I left my last job. I was nearly 35 and already feeling worn out. I had a fella tell me "Get out while you are young. Did you ever see a good looking old mechanic?" Put me to thinking. My back hurt, my neck hurt, my knees hurt, crap, something always hurt. I got out later that year and went to something less damaging to my body.

[Jonnin]

Have you tried an inversion table? Hanging out upside down for 15 min in the morning is supposed to help. We got one for $100 used, but it wasnt for back problems (its for an inner ear problem). Advil cna help reduce swelling and help it heal a bit if you aggravate it, if you take like 4 every 8 hours and rest (during flare ups, not as a daily thing. It wont fog your head). Keeping the backs of your legs well stretched/loose helps, as tight hamstrings pull your hips which can aggravate/cause back problems or making existing ones worse. You should be able to sit at a 90 degree angle, you back on the wall, your legs flat and knees locked to the floor, at a minimum, when you can do that much, the pull on your hips is reduced enough to be good.

[Guest nicemac]

An inversion table puts your spine in traction.

[Caster]

Cool, So just hanging upside down huh? I got a stack of 2x4's I'll build me something I can hang from the rafters of my work shop.

[Guest mustangdave]

ever been to a chiropractor...or an osteopathic doctor...the traction solution is probably the main non surgical solution out there

[UncleJak]

When I injured my back, the doctor gave me a tenz (sp?) unit. It kinda shocks your back, but feels good. I used it combined with ice packs every day. They offered me pain pills, but like you, I refrained. Maybe check into that. Good Luck!

[Caster]

I have one. It works....kinda. It has two large square jelly coated pads and if you act dumb and turn it up, you'll look like you're havin' a seizure!! I use it in the evening to relax the muscle before bed. I wonder if it is actually helping or if it's more psychosomatic. Not that it matters, any relief is relief.

[mikegideon]

Try Skelaxin. Muscle relaxer with almost no side effects if you only take one. Helps me out

[dralarms]

MY wife was dianosed with 2 or 3 "ruptured" or "bulging" disks years ago. Went the whole non surgical gambit, IE, shots (helped for a few days), pain meds (hated taking them), exercise(didn't help on the pain), Finally when we lost our health insurance she said "I'll just have to suffer with it"

Well after about 6 months of watching her suffer with no relief, someone suggested trying a different bed. Now we had just bought a very expensive (IMHO) pillow top bed. She loved it, I hated it (I had to sit on the edge of the bed every morning and get the circulation back in my legs or hit the floor when I tryed to get up).

I checked out different beds, nothing in my price range seemed to feel any better than what I already had, so in a final act of desperation I talked with a customer of mine who owns a retail store that just happens to have beds in it. He tells me of the stuf he was going through with his back pain and finally broke down and bought a temperpedic bed (course he gets a discount) and wonders and amazement he no longer has back pain and can move around normally.

Ok, I can't afford one and he knows it, but I get the wife to go down there and lay on one for a few min. and she loves it. Figures.

I manage to find a way to get one (now I got mattress and box springs and the stupid little pillows), and after just about 3 days I no longer had to sit on the edge of the bed in the morning, I hit the ground running, so to speak.

Her it takes a little while longer to feel different, but after about 1 month of sleeping on it she no longer has back pain (unless we have to work on a concrete floor all day).

Took the long way around to tell you that you need to at least try one, if you have a store that has them locally then go lay on it for 15 min. see if it doesn't feel good.

I love mine and if I needed a new mattress today I'd buy another in a heart beat.

[peejman]

Mom had bulging/slipped disks many years ago (~25) before surgery was so common. At that time, the only real solution was LOTS of rest. She spent 3 months mostly in bed followed by years of chiropractors and physical therapy. She's still careful about what she does and I fuss at her regularly when I catch her doing something she shouldn't. She hasn't had any serious problems (other than over-exertion) in probably 10 years. That time frame doesn't paint a very happy picture, but if you keep doing the things that hurt it in the first place, it will only get worse.

[Guest nicemac]

…but if you keep doing the things that hurt it in the first place, it will only get worse.

You gots to take care of your back.

[dats82]

In addition to what has already been mentioned regarding manipulations and traction, you should be sure to take care of yourself in general. By this, I mean to make sure you are not carrying excess weight, try to stretch and keep your muscles loose, and stay hydrated. The cushioning and protection provided by your joints and the disks in your back is directly dependant on the amount of fluid in the cartilage.

[strickj]

Tens units and muscle relaxers will do nothing for spine problems. Those will only help tension and pain in the muscles.

As been suggested, stretching your spine and a Tempurpedic mattress will do wonders for you. An inversion table is not necessarily needed. You can simply hang from a pull-up bar with some light weights on your ankles. That's what I do. Works great!

Epidurals are absolutely amazing but only lasts for a couple of months or so. They are very painful for me (I have super sensitive nerves below mid torso), but YMMV.

You can see the HUGE needle in this pic running middle to middle left. Those are my deck screws mid right.

[Caster]

You know dats82 that brings up a good point. I wonder if my pistol exacerbates the problem? SP101/3inch in a Galco OWB holster on a custom made 1/4 inch thick leather belt. I'm thinking this winter of carrying in a shoulder holster (gag) for a few weeks and see if I feel a difference. OR, maybe trading for an Airweight.

Thanks everyone for the help.

[dats82]

You know dats82 that brings up a good point. I wonder if my pistol exacerbates the problem? SP101/3inch in a Galco OWB holster on a custom made 1/4 inch thick leather belt. I'm thinking this winter of carrying in a shoulder holster (gag) for a few weeks and see if I feel a difference. OR, maybe trading for an Airweight.

Thanks everyone for the help.

That may be a contributor;however, I was thinking more along the lines of dunlap or dicki-do disease. The more weight carried on your belly, the more your spine has to curve to maintain center of gravity. This places more stress on the disks in the lumbar region.

[Caster]

I will admit to having let myself go as of late, but I'm 6ft 215lbs. Slight belly, I wouldn't say full on gut though.

[VolunteerGuns]

Two ruptured discs. L4 & L5. Tried the no surgery route, and went to a chiropractor. Used the traction table, tens, and adjustments. After undesirable results, chiro sent me for MRI and after review of the film, he asked if I wanted my surgery locally or in Nashville. I agreed to see the neurosurgeon in Cookeville, but had already made up my mind, absolutely no surgery. The neuro checked my MRI and told me he had an opening in a week. I told him I wanted to wait and see what happened, and went home with a bottle of hydracodone. Two days later I was unable to sit on the toilet, stand up straight or sleep at all. Doc called in some oxys which offered no relief either. The next day I could not walk or even stand I was driven to the hospital and had the doctor not offered, I would have begged for the surgery. I was admitted and put on a morphine pump. Ahhh. I had the surgery the next morning and walked out later that day. Amazing.

Oh, this was just in March.

[Guest UberDuper]

One more thing to consider. Your shoes.

I used to get these crazy spasms in my lower back. Usually on the left side. The muscle would literally stay locked up for a couple days to a week. I'd end up hunched to the left with my left shoulder dropped and my right shoulder up for a couple days before I just couldn't walk anymore.

I dealt with this happening every couple months for 2 or 3 years till one time it started happening while I was in Vegas. Decided to go buy some shoes that were better for walking. By the end of the day my back was loosened up. It's been about 3 or 4 years now and I'm on my 3rd or 4th pair of that exact same shoe and my back hasn't spas'd out since.

Now I just have lower back and leg pain from sitting on my ass all day long every day.

Edited July 22, 2011 by UberDuper

[-Bristol-]

I have a buldging disc but it hasn't bothered me in a few years. I found the trick was to keep inflamation to a minimum. If you wakeup in the morning with a stiff back, your having problems with inflamation. Your bed or other factors might agravate it, but it comes back to inflamation. Treat yourself as if you have arthritis because these type drugs will work on the inflamation. OTC drugs like ibuprofen will help. And there is a link between inflamation and infection. You can google "antibiotics for inflamation" and see that antibiotics can help attack the inflamtion, followed up with the ibuprophen. And keep your weight in check. I do alot of bike riding but last year I returned to an old passion and started running again. I expected the bulge to limit me but it never did. I ran several 5k events, and one 10k and the bulge never said a word.

[ftncityfatboy]

I have used a tens unit for almost 35 yrs off and on. The theory behind it is that is sends pain signals to the brain to distract it from the original pain, kinda like self hypnosis. These units regardless of how they work, WORK. My favorite part is when I'm wearing it in hot weather and sweat rolls down my back onto the charged pads. ZZZZZZIIIIIITTTTTT, ZZZZZZZIIIIIIITTTTTT, woo hoo, woo hoo, people do tend to look at you rather funny. I opted for the knife years ago, I've had no adverse reactions except that one time....no wait, that was something else. Be very mindful of what you do and how you do it. The slightest out of normal thing will send you into intense pain. Live with it as long as you can, then see a "good" ortho doc and discuss options. Exercise those muscles, heat/cold, tens, crown black. That advise from Dr. Fatboy didn't cost you a penny......

[Curiousgb]

I have a slightly bulged disk, and have been prone to "throwing" my back out. I started doing lots of core exercises and the results are very good. I rarely have any back issues now. YMMV.

[Oh Shoot]

Had lumbar discectomy in my 20's. Made my living with about half brain, half brawn ever since. Even closed with a three year stint totin' FedEx Ground until I was almost 60.

Biggest prob these days is the inevitable arthritis that sets into the area after a trauma like that. Keeping weight off is big, too -- can tell diff of 5 lbs. I do water class exercise couple times a week, as can do stuff there I can't do on dry land. Can walk a lot too, but can't jog. I find carrying extra weight, like even 30 lbs of groceries in pack, doesn't seem to make much diff, but the repetitive violent pounding of running is a no go. I have 4 stretching and core exercises that also seem to help some.

To my knowledge, once a disc is truly herniated, at least toward the inside of the spinal column, you're gonna need some sort of medical intervention, though. They can go in and zap/dissolve just part of it with needles and whatnot these days, though, and the rather drastic surgery I had 35 years ago is seldom necessary. Nor is the excruciating mylogram used for exact diagnosis in the pre MRI days.

- OS

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Caster, if it bothers you much it would probably be worth a thousand or two for a really good definitive diagnosis regardless of how you decide to treat it. Maybe it wouldn't cost that much. Just sayin, in the long run it might be cheaper to know what is going on rather than guess. There are so many different things that can go wrong with a back. Sounds like your Indian doctor gave you a real good idea.

I've had three Indian doctors who were all fine fellers and seem quite competent as best I can tell.

Some people look bad on MRI or XRay but don't have much pain. Others don't show much on imaging but have a lot of pain anyway.

It was once explained to me that many disc problems tend to hit during middle age. The discs are like jelly donuts, tough outer cartilage filled with jelly. When you are young the jelly is squishy and the outside is flexible. When you are old the outside may be brittle but the jelly is mostly dried up. In middle age the outside begins to get brittle but the jelly inside is still squishy enough to leak out if you get a good enough leak in the exterior. It leaks out and pushes on nerves and causes inflammation and ruins yer day, week, month and year.

15 or 20 years ago in middle age I got a couple of 2 or 3 month lower back spells from doing trivial things. One time it was caused by facing forward at the desk and picking up a big heavy book from the side desk without turning around and facing the book. Later I found out that it is not a good idea to pick up stuff unless you are facing the thing. And use proper posture of course.

The back was apparently just looking for a good excuse to mess up.

Then fell down walking in the woods and it didn't hurt right away. Just kept getting a little worse every day over about a month. Started going to a chiropractor friend who is a nice person but the back kept getting worse in spite of the treatments and exercises.

There is a lot of contradictory advice and treatment about backs. Some people say that doctors will make it worse and only go to chiropractors and eat health food and wear funny-looking shoes. Some say stay away from chiropractors because they are quacks.

Finally it got so bad was eating ibuprophen constantly and barely able to walk and sleeping about 1 hour per night because of the pain. Then one Sunday it got REALLY bad and had to call an ambulance to get to the emergency room. It was really embarrassing to get hauled to the hospital at 2 am in an ambulance. The ER set up an MRI appt and appt with an orthopedic surgeon and lots of steroids, muscle relaxers and pain pills (which didn't help much).

The Indian orthopedic surgeon was a nice hard working feller who never advised surgery. If it hadn't gradually improved maybe he would have. But I was just barely hobblin around, so it proves at least some surgeons are not "in principle" knife-happy.

He set up for some physical therapy sessions. The exercises recommended by the doctor and physical therapists were different and contradictory to the exercises recommended by my chiropractor friend. Maybe that chiropractor's exercises really work better for some folk, but for me the doctor's recommended exercises seemed more effective.

The pain causes inflammation, and the inflammation causes more pain, so it is a positive feedback system. There was this anti-inflammatory Voltaren that worked great for me, except after 3 months the stomach hurt worse than the back and had to quit taking it.

There was a big-population back research study a few years ago which concluded that people seem to heal faster if they keep moving. Maybe stay in bed a day or two but then get on with it even if it takes five minutes to hobble across the living room. That is where a good diagnosis would help. There may be conditions where you could hurt yourself following that "general advice".

The herniated goop from a disc can often reabsorb on its own, but it takes a long time to reabsorb. Some damaged nerves can regenerate, but they take a long time.

The pain can be so bad and the healing so slow that it is easy to think the doctor is lying and it ain't really ever gonna get any better. Mine took about three years to mostly heal up and doesn't bother me since (knock on wood) but am careful not to injure it.

Everybody's story is different, but here are things that seemed to help me--

1. Close attention to posture.

2. Be careful how you do things (the pain is a good reminder).

3. The elastic back braces (like you see em wearing at home depot) help support the back and remind you to keep good posture.

4. Most easy chairs and couches are really bad for backs. You need chairs with good lower back support. A lot of supposedly comfortable furniture bends a bad back the exact wrong direction. An old fashioned wood straight chair can be more long-term comfortable than a luxury lazy-boy recliner when the back is messed up.

5. Got a lower-back foam pad (well, actually several of different styles) and used em on the office chair and any other chairs to support the lower back.

6. Got a thick memory-foam mattress topper, and later a memory-foam mattress.

7. Took a piece of firm foam about 3 foot X 2 inches X 4 inches and cut it in a semi-circle profile as a lower back support in bed. It looked like a long flattened cylinder. Stuck it in a long pillow case. With the pad so long, if I slept on the back or rolled to one side or the other, the pad was always under the bad part which needed support all night.

8. I quit wearing a fat wallet in back pants pocket. When yer back hurts even such a minor mis-balance is obvious when sitting, eventually takes its toll.

9. The back didn't begin to completely heal up until I switched from a manual transmission to an auto transmission. Was very fond of my little S10 pickup with the stick shift but it had a pretty stiff clutch. Am pretty certain that just pushing that stiff clutch pedal every day was aggravating the back enough to keep it from healing up. I'm real cheap and the S10 was relatively new and I liked it, but eventually bit the bullet and bought an auto-transmission truck and the back started getting better quicker. Maybe that was just a coincidence but seemed to make an immediate discernible improvement.

Edited July 24, 2011 by Lester Weevils

[Lumber_Jack]

I'm down with what is believed to be a bulging disk as well. Been out of work for 2 1/2 weeks. Actually physical therapy has helped me a lot. They use your own muslces to pull your spine into traction and relieve the pressure. I was skeptical at first but have made some good progress since starting therapy. Next step is MRI if not better by Aug 3