Non surgery options for bulging discs?

[lizerdbits]

I have had chronic back pain for a couple years that I attributed to various stresses and when I finally saw my doctor an X ray showed a bulging disc between L5 and S1. She recommended a specialist and I have an appointment Wednesday but he's listed as an orthopedic surgeon which was a little scary. My original doctor said he would probably do an MRI. The pain is all in the lower back, it's never radiated to my legs or feet, which would have prompted me to go sooner.

Has anyone had bulging discs and had relief by non surgical means other than lots of painkillers/shots? I'm curious what has worked for people with this problem other than major surgery and would like to know more options before going to the appointment. Perhaps I'm being a little crazy thinking that surgery will be offered as the first option. My dad has had several back surgeries which I can talk to him about in more detail before going (they occurred when I was in elementary/middle school so I don't remember details). He now just has a trainer in addition to doing special back exercises at home so I'm hoping something like that will help me, but I will see what the doctor has to say. I briefly tried to find information online but most of what I'm seeing is 'cure your back pain for good with our special pills and exercise device' crap. I've got a few meetings this afternoon so I'll have to try tonight to get some real information on what the options are. I'd like to avoid surgery since parts of my job involve wearing protective equipment that require you be able to move around pretty well and I'd be out for quite a while. My movement right now isn't very limited, it's just painful sometimes, so I'm able to work.

So what worked for you or someone you know? (Asked in a way of curiosity and not a request for medical advice since I have an appointment in 2 days. :) )

[flamingyouth]

1. I have a bulging disc there too.

It's been very painful - I sympathize.

I tried PT for a few visits but I didn't find that it helped me much; I think we didn't click, though. I had PT for bulging discs in my neck and that helped a lot (different therapist), though. The neurosurgeon recommended surgery on my neck and I didn't go for it and am kind of glad I didn't now, to be honest. I had two steroid injections in my neck during that whole ordeal too and the first one really helped a lot. I haven't had any yet for my lower back.

I've been doing yoga and Pilates for years and have been working one-on-one with a Pilates instructor who has me doing exercises from a book called "Pilates for Fragile Backs." Her sessions are actually more like PT than Pilates. I've found it to be quite helpful.

Good luck with the doctor and the MRI, etc. I didn't know they could diagnose bulging discs with an x-ray - I had to go through the MRI before I got my diagnosis. Hope you feel better soon! :pals:

[lizerdbits]

2. Thanks

The X ray was sort of a preliminary, it's cheaper and faster. The GP said she would have ordered the MRI herself for a better look but would have to fight the insurance company. Apparently if the orthopedic surgeon orders it there's not as much of a fight? :shrug:

I talked to my dad and he said he had PT for about 6 months but still got to a point when he was practically dragging one of his legs it hurt so badly (I'm not even close to that) so most likely I'll get PT first which is good. His surgery was fusing a couple discs and he said at that time (mid 80's) they didn't have MRIs so they didn't really have any idea what was physically wrong until they opened him up. I might ask the surgeon or a future therapist about the book you mentioned, as my dad does pilates now too. :)

[ThingsGottaChange]

3. I bought a rock hard mattress

I had a bad disk about 20 years ago from a new job where I was sitting all day. It got steadily worse, with the pain going all the way down to my foot. I was going to have a cortisone injection but chickened out. Then I read something about a very firm mattress helping. So, I bought a new bed and made myself sleep on my back every night - even tho it really hurt - and in a couple of weeks things seemed to get back in line. It just stopped hurting. I was amazed! I still have occasional bouts with it but, nothing like before. Took me 10 minutes to get a sock on, for cryin' out loud.

Hope you come up with a solution. Back surgery really scares me. Try the bed thing. Sleep on your back and stretch out as much as you can.

[lizerdbits]

4. I was actually wondering about my bed

I was sleeping on my college futon for about 6 years out of college until I got a real bed. About a year later my problems start, but it could be coincidence. The pain first started when my job got stressful, then it was that stress coupled with job hunting, hence waiting so long to see a doctor. I had a waterbed in HS though and never had problems, but maybe the extremes (fluid or really hard) work best? Or maybe due to age it didn't have an impact. I'll see what the doc has to say about beds. My only problem is that I turn a lot while sleeping based on having my covers in a ball in the morning so I know I won't stay on my back. Not a 'tossing and turning' uncomfortable kind of sleep, I just seem to move around. Thanks. :)

[Warpy]

6. Funny you should mention that

I can't sleep on a real bed. After a few nights, I can hardly walk in the morning and it progresses to an all day thing over time.

I sleep on a futon. It's like sleeping on a padded brick, but my lower back is decent when I get up in the morning and, except for the other issue of fibro, stays that way all day.

[ThomCat]

11. Good point.

I have two herniated disks and I have to sleep on a futon too. Though I had to put a pillow top on it for a bit of softness because the sleeping directly on the futon was affecting my knees and shoulders (numbness on whichever side was laying against the futon).

A small amount of give over a very firm futon has done wonders.

[yasmina27]

5. I hear you - am in almost the same situation

except my bulge is at L4-5 and L5-S1. According to a neurosurgeon, there is "nothing" wrong with me. I've been going to a physiatrist that I saw last year for similar, but not as severe, pain. I've had 2 steroid injections and had NO relief.

I do have the pain that shoots down my leg into my foot, sometimes it's numb, like my leg fell asleep. I've read that 50% of people with bulges have no pain, and 50% with pain have no bulge. Hmmmmm, also heard that 90% of all back surgeries fail to solve the problem (this from a natural doctor on the radio here in Pittsburgh - never been to see him - tho' I'm thinking about it - so I can't vouch for his accuracy).

Dr. John Sarno has written some interesting books on back pain. He says that most back pain is anger repressed and stress induced. In my case, I can definitely see a possible relationship. The more stressed I am, the worse the pain is.

Unfortunately, I don't have any success stories to tell you. I'm still looking for some myself :/ .

Good luck! I hope you find the answers you're looking for.

[flamingyouth]

10. Interesting.

I believe that theory about the anger/stress connection to pain. I know that when I'm stressed my pain is worse. I also have a bulging disc at L4-5 in addition to L5-S1, so I'm in the same boat as you (along with the pain down the leg). NOT fun! Poor you. :(

Regarding beds (upthread here) - we bought a sleep number bed last year and that has been good for us. Sometimes I need a firmer mattress and sometimes I need a softer one (like after I've had my bladder cancer surgeries). They're a little more than a regular mattress, but the flexibility is really nice. We've been happy with it.

Back pain sucks! x(

[Susang]

15. If you have pain that radiates down your leg

You need to see a different surgeon! If any surgeon told you have herniated discs and then tells you nothing is wrong with you, they're pretty much a doctor you want to stay away from. If you have leg pain and numbness, the nerve is involved and at the very least, you need PT and/or anti-inflammatories. Please get a second opinion, perhaps from an orthopedic surgeon instead of a neurosurgeon.

Check out this website. My orthopedic surgeon actually recommended it to me. It should be able to answer a lot of your questions. http://www.spineuniverse.com/

[siligut]

7. Decompression Therapy?

Have you heard of decompression therapy for bulging discs? I have been told it is very helpful and non-invasive, however I have also been told insurance may not pay for it, so check that out too.

I agree with the Pilates comments, strengthen your Para spinal muscles so there isn’t so much pressure on the discs.

Also if you smoke quit and make sure you get adequate vitamin C to strengthen the tissue.

[libodem]

8. I've had a back problem, too

I ruined my L5-S1 disc at work in 2002. I had a discectomy and it did make my back feel better. The doc trimmed the disc off of the nerve root and it stopped some of the 'I've been shot in the back with a blazing red bullet' feeling. I did okay for about a year, had to have my neck fused C3-4-5-6-7, but my back was holding. Then I was having that whipped-puppy feeling every night when I got off work, after standing on my feet for eight and a half hours every shift. But I hadn't re-injured myself. Well, long story short, the L5-S1 disc space just collapsed in on it's self. I just had it fused on 5-7-07 after a year of tests, PT, and drugs. I saw the x-rays yesterday. A rod on each side, 4 screws at each end, and a cage in the disc space. It's been a month and I am still really sore and I have sciatica on the left side that comes and goes. I'll start PT pretty soon. I don't think I would have gotten better without the operation but it was NO picnic. I have a friend who is doing the IDD therapy, which is non-invasive. It's some type of heat and motion. This is a little story. A guy I knew, from a little drinking establishment, told me this story. He had excruciating, debilitating, back pain. He would fall down, if he could get himself off of the bed. He demonstrated the crippled walk, which looked like limping before the lame. He walked about like what I was doing. He said he had constant heart burn and took tons of sodium-bicarb. Then he told me of his miraculous cure. Hold on to your seats, DU'ers, this is going to be good. He got divorced. End of story. He said he no longer ailed from acid reflux and his back pain went away. I loved this story. It proved to me all the theories about how back pain can be in your head and that if many patients wait one year the back pain will go away on it's own. That is back pain caused by stress. This was a big hard working kind of guy. Not the type to be immobilized by back pain. I relate this because I was always kinda insulted the back pain cures it's self line. Although, I really did need surgery, there are some cases which will resolve, with less drastic measures. Hope yours is amenable to therapy, time and stress reduction. edit. spelling

[lizerdbits]

9. Turns out I have 2 degenerating/bulging discs

around L4 and L5- the same 2 my dad had bulging about 20 years ago. The orthopedic guy did an X ray of me standing up (my previous ones were lying down) and it was really surprising to see. All the other discs were nice and thick but the last 2 were pretty thin and he said those should be the thickest ones. I'm getting an MRI on Monday morning so he can get a better look and we can discuss treatment options. I'm thankful for advanced technology and treatment because when my dad had his problems they didn't have MRIs so when PT didn't help and he could hardly walk they just did his first surgery and fused 2 of his discs. I told him it must be genetic and it's all his fault. :P I'd like to go for PT since it's not debilitating at this point.

That story about the divorce was hilarious! I thought mine was stress which is why I waited so long. Working a lot of OT, then started hating job, still working OT while job hunting and hating job. Then I get a job where I'm happier and don't have all that OT so I can go back to my regular exercise but it doesn't go away. I was hoping I'd be like that guy and it would get better. At least I have insurance and I can still move normally other than having to brace myself on my knee if I bend over.

[ThomCat]

12. My pain doc says that most bulging disks are

L4/L5. That's where mine are. Apparently that's the most stressed area of the spine. :shrug:

[lizerdbits]

13. Darn, I was having so much fun

telling my dad he gave me faulty genes. (As if you can control what genes you give your kids.)

I wish you the best with your pain but I've seen your other posts on it in the lounge and feminism forums. :( :hug:

[ThomCat]

14. I wish you the best as well.

:hug:

May we both get some relief from our pain. :)

[ncrainbowgrrl]

16. I have a bulging disk c4-5, and herniated c5-6

Painkillers didn't work well enough... and send my migraines out of control... (medication overuse headaches)

After my 2nd accident, I got a TENS unit. The stimulation, coupled with PT have changed my world. Granted, I have electrodes sticking to my neck, and it may look strange... and wires going down my back to the unit... but I can get through a whole day without pain... And if the pain was already there, it can be drastically lessened by a good session with the TENS unit. I've gotten great relief. Of course, everyone's mileage may vary... the PT doubted that it would work that well... but i was persistant in asking about it... and finally to get me off his back, he got my doc to Rx one, and he helped me learn how to use it correctly.

I had gone through painkillers ranging from percocet to tramadol to months on relafen and lidocaine patches. The percocet worked, but who wants to be on that... ditto tramadol...and the nsaids messed with other conditions. I felt like i was out of options- so i figured i had nothing to lose after hearing about TENS unit therapy.... also, someone in my dept at work had used one for another condition, and had gotten excellent results... and stayed off pain meds. That sealed the deal for me...

Of course, I wish there was a permanent solution, but right now, I'm happy with what I have.

As with everything, your mileage may vary!