Herniated S1/L5 disc- anyone experienced this?

[brimic]

About a week ago, I took an odd step off an uneven surface and felt a jar in my lower back, been hobbling around with pain down the back of my right leg (plus weak calf muscle) since. Had an MRI last night, Dr called me this morning to tell me I have a herniated disc with a narrowing in the spinal column, then referred me to a spinal surgeon.

Anyone know anything about this- what to expect or what questions I should ask?

[Kingcreek]

depends on your age, severity, degree of degenerative changes etc. The herniated disc material can be reabsorbed by the body. they might recommend conservative approach with oral steroids and PT. if there is a significant neuro deficit or a worsening they might do epidural steroid injections or go straight to surgery (which is a lot better than it used to be).
I herniated a disc at age 26 and recovered without surgery over about 6 months.

[brimic]

I've been having some pain in my leg on and off for a few years now.. just ignored it. Did oral steroids 2 years ago, which helped a lot, now at the end of a new regimen that started last week, which seems to be helping only marginally.

Right now I'm 44 and I'm in relatively good health.

[Kingcreek]

referral to a spinal surgeon is standard but doesn't mean you're headed for surgery. at 44 years you might come out of it just fine with conservative care.
hopefully you are not a smoker. it gets little attention, but all smokers eventually have increased degenerative disc disease in the lower lumbar spine.

[Jim147]

I went down this road years ago. Nonstop Charlie horse in left calf and felt like a rail road spike was driven into my hip. Bounced docs and insurance for six years. Find a good laser surgeon.

[Hawkmoon]

Be sure to get a second opinion.

My spine was pretty badly injured in a car accident when I was 14. Surprisingly, the other driver's insurance (truck crossed the center line and hit my mother's car almost head-on) paid for chiropractic. It took six or eight months of treatments twice a week, but I avoided surgery. I was supposed to take it easy after that, but try telling that to a teenager. Through high school and college I played soccer (keeper), basketball, tennis, and track (high jumper). Once in awhile I'd do something stupid, but one or two trips to the bone cracker always fixed me up.

I know many people think chiropractic is quackery, but I'm a believer.

BTW, I'm 73 now.

[Monkeyleg]

I had a herniated disc (#5) in 2003 when I was 52. The doctor had me do physical therapy, which didn't help much. I still had a lot of pain. Sometimes it felt like someone poured gasoline on my right leg and lit it.

An epidural steroid did the trick. I haven't had any pain since, except for a week or so during my stay at a physical therapy rehab place last June, where I was in a really sagging bed.

[Kingcreek]

Be sure to get a second opinion.

My spine was pretty badly injured in a car accident when I was 14. Surprisingly, the other driver's insurance (truck crossed the center line and hit my mother's car almost head-on) paid for chiropractic. It took six or eight months of treatments twice a week, but I avoided surgery. I was supposed to take it easy after that, but try telling that to a teenager. Through high school and college I played soccer (keeper), basketball, tennis, and track (high jumper). Once in awhile I'd do something stupid, but one or two trips to the bone cracker always fixed me up.

I know many people think chiropractic is quackery, but I'm a believer.

BTW, I'm 73 now.

Chiropractic is not quackery but there are plenty of bad chiropractors to avoid. The medical director of the US Olympics is a DC (Bill Morrel). He is highly respected and an old college friend of mine. Some are great, some are doofuses.
I would suggest you avoid the old traditional manual techniques especially side lying lumbar rotation twisting because of concerns about disc integrity. You can find a referral using your local zip code at goimpulse.com for a DC using the latest technology, very safe and effective especially the really slick Impulse IQ instrument. There are over 50 published papers in respected journals also listed on that site somewhere. The treatment is done in a comfortable anatomically neutral position with no twisting or cracking or popping. It is approved for use in the VA clinics.

[brimic]

So chiropractic can work for this kind of stuff? I hadn't even thought about it, and will have to ask the specialist..
I've had a previous injury- crushed and autofused L3&L4 when I was a teen. Spine Doc told me over 25 years ago that I would need surgery by the time I hit 40, I have him beat so far, at least

[HeroHog]

While I have Very similar issues in the same area, I can't be of much help. I'm inoperable, direct injections don't help and a nerve block didn't work on the pain on me.

This is an OLD image. It's worse now and I'll be 60 at the end of the month and I'm very overweight.

[Hawkmoon]

I would suggest you avoid the old traditional manual techniques especially side lying lumbar rotation twisting because of concerns about disc integrity.

The "sideline maneuver." It's the only thing that helps when my back goes out. Any chiropractor who doesn't know it or doesn't use it is a charlatan in my book.

You can find a referral using your local zip code at goimpulse.com for a DC using the latest technology, very safe and effective especially the really slick Impulse IQ instrument. There are over 50 published papers in respected journals also listed on that site somewhere. The treatment is done in a comfortable anatomically neutral position with no twisting or cracking or popping. It is approved for use in the VA clinics.

The VA hospital I go to has a chiropractic clinic. They use the sideline maneuver. My view, as someone who has been seeing chiropractors for almost 60 years, is that if nothing cracks or pops, I haven't received a useful treatment.

[Kingcreek]

The "sideline maneuver." It's the only thing that helps when my back goes out. Any chiropractor who doesn't know it or doesn't use it is a charlatan in my book.

The VA hospital I go to has a chiropractic clinic. They use the sideline maneuver. My view, as someone who has been seeing chiropractors for almost 60 years, is that if nothing cracks or pops, I haven't received a useful treatment.

youre entitled to your opinion but believing something doesn't make it fact.

[Hawkmoon]

youre entitled to your opinion but believing something doesn't make it fact.

I thought I was very clear that I was offering my opinion.

[Jim147]

Ask if they will do a discography you will love it.

[Hawkmoon]

Ask if they will do a discography you will love it.

You are an evil man.

[Kingcreek]

[quote author=Hawkmoon link=topic=54342.msg1106185#msg1106185 date
 It's the only thing that helps when my back goes out. Any chiropractor who doesn't know it or doesn't use it is a charlatan in my book.
[/quote]
Charlatan if a practitioner isn't using 100+ year old methods? Forgive me me if I misunderstood.
For the record, I am not saying the old methods don't work, just that it might not be the best thing for the OP with a hot disc. And also for the record, I am a DC in practice for 35 years, currently adjunct faculty at a chiropractic college, with VA and local hospital allied health professional status. My father and his brother were chiropractors also.
I'm not trying to start a pissing match. Just trying to give the op some safe guidance.
I'm done now- carry on...

[Monkeyleg]

[quote author=Hawkmoon link=topic=54342.msg1106185#msg1106185 date
 It's the only thing that helps when my back goes out. Any chiropractor who doesn't know it or doesn't use it is a charlatan in my book.

Charlatan if a practitioner isn't using 100+ year old methods? Forgive me me if I misunderstood.
For the record, I am not saying the old methods don't work, just that it might not be the best thing for the OP with a hot disc. And also for the record, I am a DC in practice for 35 years, currently adjunct faculty at a chiropractic college, with VA and local hospital allied health professional status. My father and his brother were chiropractors also.
I'm not trying to start a pissing match. Just trying to give the op some safe guidance.
I'm done now- carry on...

Kingcreek wins.

[HeroHog]

Ask if they will do a discography you will love it.

BT;DT, OMG was THAT ever "Fun"...

[Jim147]

They yelled at me to stay still while my body was jumping off the table not under my control. I did threaten to kick someone's ass but not sure who it was. Might have been all of them.

[brimic]

Ask if they will do a discography you will love it.

Oh hell no. Just by reading the description of it, I might actually murder someone if they did that to me

[HeroHog]

I was "lucky." On the very first poke they hit "the sweet spot." As soon as they started pushing the plunger on the syringe, I hollered and they knew they had found the problem area.