Anyone with a herniated disk? Advice on what to do.

[bikinpunk 10+ year member]

Long story short: I ride BMX and have had back troubles for over 3 years. I've known I have a herniated disk for about 6 months now and the specialist suggested I see either a chiropractor or get physical therapy. I've been dealing with this for a while now, but here lately I'm worried about it. My foot literally goes numb when I stand up for longer than 3 minutes, and my back is extremely sore most of the time. I usually take a couple ibuprofen before I do something active because I know it will hurt. The past couple days it's really been sitting heavy on my mind that if I don't get this resolved now, I won't be able to enjoy adult life.

This is where I need advice. I had heard on the radio about a new chiropractor opening up in the city where I work who has the machine that "stretches" your back apart. I was told by a previous chiropractor that this could help the disk "slip" back INTO place over time. However, at the time when I was told this there was nothing like that here. I'm considering giving this new method a shot, but I'm not sure. I really do need to get on the ball here whether I see him or go the more conventional chiropractic way.

Anyone with experience/results here, let me know. This is truly something I'm concerned about.

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[faulkton 5,000+ posts]

i wouldnt be one of the first to try it...

 

[60ndown 10+ year member]

find a good chiropractor, 3 years ago i messed my back up and my buddie had a bad back also, he did surgery, i used a chiropractor regularly, 3 years later (and 3 surgerys) he cant lift his foot or walk normally and my back is better than ever.

dont do surgery until you have tried everything else

 

[docutech 10+ year member]

They are doing this here in the Lou. It is advertised a lot especially on Sunday mornings. It is a feasible concept and people swear by it. I dont think it makes your disk "slip" back into place but rather take the strain off of the spinal column to create relief from the pain. It is a bit early for you to be getting back pains! Mabe you need to find a "non-impact" hobby? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Worth looking into.

 

[60ndown 10+ year member]

yea i wouldnt want to be the first to try the new machine.

 

[bikinpunk 10+ year member]

It's been diagnosed. I know what it is, I just don't know if I should go to therapy or chiropractor. I was hoping someone's had some experience just like mine who can give me their results. I workout 3 days a week and my abs are pretty strong. I know to stretch, but there's only so much that I can do myself. Trust me, surgery is my LAST option. The back doctor that I went to said not to even think about that at my age unless it becomes unbearable. It's not there now, but it could be which is why I'm seeking some help early instead of waiting until I'm in my 30s and can't play with my kids.

 

[HitManSE 10+ year member]

Ok, back issues. Been there done that.

Heres what ive found out, a chiropractor (a good one) can and usually is very helpful. You however should know what to expect.

Its not going to be an overnight fix. Would be nice, but no. It usually takes months, and visits 2-3 times a week. You are going to feel a bit "off" the days after adjustments. That much I can tell you. You'll just have to be patient with it and follow through. Eventually you'll be lined back up again.

As far a stretching machine goes, no. Its a machine. You have little to no control over it. It doesnt feel your pain, so it doesnt know when to stop. The only "machine" id recommend is one called the reverse hyper extension. It stretches your back real good, pulls the discs apart just enough to get fluid into them and its 100% controlled by you. That why you can stop when it becomes too much for you.

Is this a guaranteed fix? no. I dont know how well it will work for everyone, it is however the best one that I have found to work best for me after a few back incidents.

Good luck with it, back pain, hell any pain that has to do with your skeletal system can feel like your being stabbed the second you move 1mm in the wrong direction. I know how it goes all too well.

 

[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

hmmmm...foot numb=sciatic nerve is being pinched by the bulging disk. If you do nothing you could suffer permenant nerve damage. It's the disk between L4 and L5 vertebrae....been there, done that, had to have surgery. Best move of my life, its been 5 years and no adverse affects so far. I tried therapy and drug treatments plus chiropratic but nothing worked for ME. Go see a neurosurgeon....a good one will recommend therapy first and agree that surgery is the last alternative.

 

[bikinpunk 10+ year member]

Go see a neurosurgeon....a good one will recommend therapy first and agree that surgery is the last alternative.

That's actually who I went to see, and he said the same thing.

 

[SyKo13 5,000+ posts]

find a good chiropractor, 3 years ago i messed my back up and my buddie had a bad back also, he did surgery, i used a chiropractor regularly, 3 years later (and 3 surgerys) he cant lift his foot or walk normally and my back is better than ever.
dont do surgery until you have tried everything else

Dude, wtf does that say lol, did it happen to you or your friend

But basically what he said, try everything else before surgery

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

hmmmm...foot numb=sciatic nerve is being pinched by the bulging disk. If you do nothing you could suffer permenant nerve damage. It's the disk between L4 and L5 vertebrae....been there, done that, had to have surgery. Best move of my life, its been 5 years and no adverse affects so far. I tried therapy and drug treatments plus chiropratic but nothing worked for ME. Go see a neurosurgeon....a good one will recommend therapy first and agree that surgery is the last alternative.

agreed i went through a car accident where i ended up getting a buldging disc and it ended up only needing a chiropractor but still had a surgen check it. its still slightly messed up and may require surgery later on but i feel good enough to move around good now when i am fifty i might think differently though even the surgeon said that lol

 

[Pitchblack98 10+ year member]

I'm in the same situation. I completely tore the disk between L4 and L5 and ruptured the disk between L5 and S1 at the same time about a year and a half ago. I've been seeing a spinal specialist since then. He told me the only way to fix the torn disk is surgery to remove the rest of the disk and fuse the vertebre. He advised me to deal with it for as long as I can before deciding on surgery. I tried chiropractors, but that made my back hurt worse. I've been doing physical therapy and exercising 5 days a week. That has made the most improvement in the pain. It still aches all the time, but since my back muscles are stronger they can support the damaged area better. I also go 3 times a year for an epidural steriod injection to control swelling and pain. They aren't pleasent, but they help out a great deal. Go see a spinal specialist and they will get you on the right track. Chiropractors work for some people and not others. I would just be sure it's safe for you to see one before you do.

I lose feeling in my legs if I move wrong or twist too much at my hips. Sometimes my legs will hurt like I just got done running a marathon.

 

[60ndown 10+ year member]

also rest is very important, if your working out hard and skateing and faling your not going to heal very quickly, if at all?

 

[Pitchblack98 10+ year member]

Yeah I guess I should of mentioned that also... I did physical therapy for about 4 months or so before I started going to the gym.

 

[bri487 5,000+ posts]

physical therapy definitly before you try anything else. i had it for a long time. i broke off parts of the bottom of my spine in a racing accident and also really jacked my shoulder, broke the growth plate and some other stuff around it. helped a ton. 5 years later i still have to stretch every morning and a few times a day to keep it loose, but rarely does it really hurt or bother me throughout the day. if i was still in therapy and still as active as i was instead of sitting in a classroom all day, it would be 100% better.