Back problems?

[Stacy 0]

Anyone ever dealt with a herniated disc in the lower back? My lower back has been killing me since MOnday, shooting pains down the leg and into the hips. It's better with heat and ibuprofrin, but as soon as those effect wear off, watch out.

I work with several docs and they seem to think that is what is wrong. I don't have insurance until march 1, and they say these things generally heal themselves at my age. If I went to the doc they may prescribe a steroid or something but debateable.

Any suggestions or ideas? I made a good guess that skydiving wasn't the best idea, so I sat at the DZ and watched some humorous landings today. It was windy anyway.

[mnealtx 0]

Copycat!

The shooting pain down into the leg (like a hot knife being run down the hamstring muscle, right?) sounds like sciatica. There's a lot of different causes for it, sometimes a herniated disc, sometimes just moving wrong can do it.

I found a site with some exercises and stretches for different causes of sciatica... I'll find it and edit this post to add them.

Edit: found the site I was looking for... Clicky!

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[AggieDave 6]

Have any of the bonesaws taken x-rays or are you holding out until you get insurance.

A doc I talked to thought I had a herniated disk, then I got X-rays done and it was nothing more then my back being way out of alignment and very very severe muscle spasms. Very severe.

What fixed it was taking it easy, heat, muscle relaxers/pain meds and getting a couple of alignments done over the course of 10 days then a couple of more the following month (the muscles would spasm slightly after all of that and pull stuff out of alignment then cause the muscles to spasm a little more...viscious cycle). Now I'm 100% and ready to go.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[skybeergodd 0]

I have 2 herniated disks in my low back and I have the pain and numbness going down the leg also. It does get better with rest and excersizes, but it doesn't take much to put me right back at square one again. I went thru the cortisone injections in the back and they were great while the effects lasted. Over all I think the stretching and abd. strengthening excersizes have done more than anything.

[Stacy 0]

Xrays won't diagnose a disc. Have to do an MRI. No, i haven't done one. Without insurance that's ridiculous, especially for something that can't really be *cured*

I am fortunate to work with a bunch of docs who can tell me how to treat symptoms until I can get a test done.

My house smells like BenGay!

[AggieDave 6]

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Xrays won't diagnose a disc. Have to do an MRI

Damned if I know, I'm not a doc, I just know what I was told by a couple of docs and that the pain is gone now, so I believe them.

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I am fortunate to work with a bunch of docs who can tell me how to treat symptoms until I can get a test done.

Sure, they tell you what to do, but did they give you anything to reeeeaaaally help the symptoms?

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[wingnut 0]

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Without insurance that's ridiculous, especially for something that can't really be *cured*

what choo mean here????? i had a herniated disc/ protruding disc and they cured me... well, removed the herniated part...... still have nerve damage from it but the pain in my leg is gone...... only numbnes now remains... atleast i can sit down unlike how i couldn't before my surgery............. and mri will give em a real clear picture....... i had to beg my doc for one....

______________________________________
"i have no reader's digest version"

[gemini 0]

Summer before last I had a similar problem with numbness from below the knee to top of my foot. My skydiving MD sent me to Dr Doctor (no kidding that is his last name) who gave me something similar to an epidural. It was in injection of pain med directly on the nerve at the herniation, and then bathing the nerve with some type of steroid. Pain went away instantly and never came back. The theory is that the nerve is constantly inflamed because back movement and the herniation, but once the pain is gone the back and nerve can relax and shrink back to normal size. One month later the PT started and lasted 4 months. My back never felt better. If I would stretch and exercise regularly I could probably get rid of the dull pain I get sometimes when I am tired or do to many jumps on a weekend.

Blue skies,

Jim

[ltdiver 3]

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I found a site with some exercises and stretches for different causes of sciatica... I'll find it and edit this post to add them.

Edit: found the site I was looking for... Clicky!

Nice beginner set of exercises for sciatica. They actually -are- the correct ones for each listed diagnostic causes.

Stacy...make sure you get a correct diagnosis before starting any kind of physical exercises for your problem. Doing the wrong ones -can- increase the problem...sometimes irreversibly. A herniated disc can be advanced, or a sacroiliac joint rotation or slip increased.

As soon as possible get the correct diagnosis and then get to a physical therapist who is well versed in back ailments. I can be an easy fix, with a greater understanding on your part on -how- to fix it youself if it comes back. Physical Therapists....we LOVE to teach. :^)

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[mnealtx 0]

Wish they had an osteopath or chiropractor at the hospital here... I *DEFINITELY* need an adjustment!

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[skybytch 273]

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they say these things generally heal themselves at my age

That's what they told me too.

Some things that helped me deal with the pain I had pre-surgery include alternating ice and heat, naprosyn (Aleve) and stretching (specifically the muscles in the lower back and abdomen - know any physical therapists?).

I know your pain. Hope it gets better. Soon.