I had been having pain/tingling in my left leg all the way to my foot so I seen the doctor and he did an mri and they diagnosed me with a bulging disc in my lower back and prescribed physical therapy. I havnt had my first appt yet but this morning I woke up and my left leg doesnt hurt but now my right leg hurts all the way to my foot. Does anyone know if this is normal with a bulging disc or could it be a sign that things are getting worse/better?
Posts Tagged Disc
I was in a car accident 2 months ago. I did not brace myself for the accident; I didn’t see it coming. I am in a tremendous amount of pain in both my arms, neck, shoulders, and hands. The pain is stabbing, sometimes pins/needles, and it hurts to hold/grip on object even as light as a glass of water or a magazine. On occasion I get lower back pain. I have never had any injuries prior to this accident and I am only 22 years old. I have been seeing a Chiropractor, massage therapist, doing physical therapy and seeing my MD. I had an MRI done which shows a bulging disc in C-5/C-6 area. Nothing seems to be making the pain go away; not even muscle relaxers. My MD says its just muscle strain, but my Chiropractor says its from the bulging disc. Personally, I don’t see how it could be muscle strain because I did not brace myself for the accident. Both doctor’s have seen the MRI report. I am going to see an Orthopedic Surgeon,but not for a couple of months. Is there any way to tell whether it is disc pain or muscle injury?
Ok here’s the deal, I’m 23 years old (I’ll be 24 this December) and I had an MRI about a month ago, found out that I have a herniated disc in my lower back. Here’s my problem, I’ve always had back pain but it’s just never been this severe and I use to always see the chiropractor. I’m just upset since this is my 3rd week off of work, the pain is still in my hips down into my left leg, sometimes my left toes and at night when I try to sleep the pain is just 10x more severe. I don’t want surgery this young in my life, physical therapy seems to make it hurt worse and I don’t really know any other at home remedies? Anyone else have this problem with some suggestions? I tried putting the vinegar into my bathwater to drawl the pain out but now I’m itching like crazy since I forgot I’m allergic to vinegar. Forgot to mention, I have a heating blanket I sleep on at night but even with it being on the lowest setting sometimes it still gets too hot. I tried the IcyHot and that only lasts for so long. Plus the doctor gave me percosets (oxycodine) and I don’t like taking them unless I just hurt that bad which is why I’m on here trying to find an alternative. Help, please? 
particularly hurts me in the nerve root behind my knee and sometimes the back of the leg hamstring. and butt nerve root. What can be done to ease the terrible pain? I’m taking Extra Strength Tylenol. I was going to physical therapy, but stopped and I still do the pt exercises at home, but they don’t really seem to help. Please make some suggestions about what may help ease the pain?
FRUSTRATED! 4yrs ago or so i visited an ortho that ran an mri and then handed me a referral told me he couldnt do anything for me… this was the largest ortho outfit in the city that handles the pro football players etc…. theyre all about marketing… why they wouldnt handle my disc injuries is beyond me.. im glad though because i couldnt understand the dudes broken english lol… anyway, i thought why is he sending me too pain mgt ie. pain pill mill…. they arent in any innovative in surgical techniques.. in fact, i had too obtain a printout from a pharmacist describing new meds like 15mg, 30mg oxycodone tabs that contain zero tylenol… the pain doc argued that i was wrong and that he was giving me 10mg tylenol loaded percocets 10x a day.. no way! he said they didnt make 15,30mg stuff.. anyway, im on 10 of the 15mg oxycodones a day and im tired of pills.. im tired of lyrika ( anti seizure med used for nerve pain) im tired anti inflammatories…. part of this is due too the fact that ive exhausted physical therapy, epidural injects, chiro care, and all im doing is graduating each year on pain meds to a stronger dose… ive been offered fentanyl,oxycontin, methadone, none of which i wish too endure… never! i dont know anymore if a pain pill clinic is for me? the top doc is an ortho surgeon and if you ask me, a man with a hammer will hit anything that looks like a nail… just like this dude,hes an awesome caring doc but hey, is surgery the answer? everyone ive met thats had back surgery, from laminectomies to minimally invasive laser disc jobs all are still eating pain meds and in pain….. how does a patient know what is best for treatment options? if i go too an ortho, he wants the knife… if i go too a pain clinic, they hand you oxycontin, if i go too a laser procedure joint, they will say laser me! is there really a way too heal and live a normal life after disc injuries? eating pain meds and visiting the doc for more rx’s is where im at… ive seen athletes come back and play pro football after disc injuries and i doubt they are living on oxycontin ea day… is their a solution of fix for disc injuries? surgery worries me, i know its just a 50/50 shot and they hope it works.. ive yet too see anyone say theyve had a successful procedure and quit pain meds… so do i accept that im on pain meds for the rest of my life and live with it?
i would like too get in a gym and exercise, aerobics, light weights? is this out of the question? working out/exercising and bodybuilding was daily thing for me.. i competed and now here i sit… woohooo! percocets! o boy! any atheletes out there?
About 2 months ago i injured my back due to heavy lifting. The doctor claims it was a prolapsed disc which pressed against the sciatic nerve running down my left leg.
I’m going to physical therapy for it, and they have me doing all sorts of excersises, but I’m afraid that they aren’t helping as much as they should. Somedays the pain is gone, but on others it is back as strong as ever. I’ve been on painkillers and muscle relaxants which I found I am allergic to, so I am currently not taking any medication for it.
Does anybody have any suggestions as to what I should do other than not straining the injured area? I’d like to avoid surgery. Thank you in advance.
I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and a bulging disc three months ago. I’ve had two sacroilic joint injections (didn’t help) and one facet joint injection in that time period. Also had three physical therapy sessions and one chiro session. They made the pain worse. I’m on regimen of two doses of percocet 10/325 a day and flexeril 3 times a day. My pain is still terrible. I told my PM doc this on my last visit. He gave me the second sj inection and kept my medicines the same. He also had me sign a pain contract. I’m still in pain to the point that I can’t stand it. Should I call him on Monday and tell him or wait until my next appointment (on April 29th)? I really don’t feel like I can make it until then. What can I say to him to make him understand the treatments aren’t working? I tried telling him on last visit and he told me we would try another shot on the April 29th visit and he didn’t listen. I don’t know what else to do. I don’t want to flat out ask him for stronger meds, but I’m at the end of my rope here. I don’t feel like I’m ever going to get better or get real relief. Any input on what I should do would be appreciated. Thanks.
I’m talking meds AND most importantly, ways to fix the problem altogether.
My doctor prescribed Diclofenac, Darvocet and Skelaxin as well as physical therapy to begin with. The physical therapy seemed to do wonders, however, after I stopped going the pain became even worse than before. I am now on Tramadol and Tylenol 3 and I’m wondering what to do next. The doctor just seems to think that I shouldn’t work as much as I do, but I have to. I have bills to pay!!!
So, what do doctors normally do (cause I think mine is a kook!) and what has worked for you in the past?
Long story short I have a herniated disc at C 5-6 and am in a lot of pain. I have had several trials of anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxers, OTC pain relievers and now percocet but am still in a lot of pain. I have recently started physical therapy and have seen a regular orthopedist, a neurologist and a spinal specialist. I had one epidural cortisone shot and they tried a second but they couldn’t get the placement of the needle right because the space was too small and as per the doctor I “moved”. I had no relief from the first shot which is why they attempted the second one. There is some nerve impingement which is primarily affecting my right arm/hand/shoulder. As my luck would have it I am right handed. The spinal specialist I saw on Friday suggested that surgery may be a very good option if the PT does not work. I of course am scared but at this point I want to do absolutely anything. I mentioned this to my mother who has now “consulted” with other family members who all say I should not do this, that this would be horribly painful and open me up to many other problems. That the rehab would be absolutely worse than how I feel now. I cannot even make a real decision about this until I switch to an insurance company that would cover the spinal speciatlist I saw on Friday. This insurance will not take effect until January 2009. He is one of the leading MD’s for spinal surgery in NYC and I felt like he gave me some hope that there is an option. I also feel confident in his abilities and that he was not sellilng me some line to open me up. At this point I am having a terrible time coping with the pain and I am feeling very hopeless and depressed. I have been in constant pain for nearly 3 months and I feel like I am losing my mind. Every aspect of my life has been affected and it is only getting worse. How can I deal with this? Do I have other options besides PT and possibly surgery? How long should I try PT before making a decision like this? Would surgery make me worse? At this point I don’t know what to do and I feel like I am at the end of my proverbial rope.
I am 17 years old and have had DDD since I was 15. I was in an accident that caused two herniated discs in L4 and L5. I the pain from DDD was horrible for months until I went to the doctor. I went to Physical Therapy and it made the pain better. Now after about three months the pain is coming back and is slowly getting worse. I can’t set or stand longer than 5 minutes and the only relief I get is when I lay down. Why do I have pain again? Will it be like this my whole life?
Thank you for answering! : ]