bulged disks causing me back pain.

Post Reply New Topic

I have been having maild back pain, well someties its enough to make me cry. But that is only rarely.

Well Ive been trying to find out what is causing it. I got 1 x ray and 1 MRI of my lower back. The x ray showed nothing but the MRI said ....

"There is end field disc desiccation with loss of intervertebral disc height at L1-2 and L5-S1. There is straightening of the normal lordotic lumbar curvature."

At L1-2 there is a small circumferential disc bulge eccentric into the left far lateral region.

At L4-5 there is mild facet arthropathy. There is a small disc bulge without significant spinal canal or neural foraminal stenosis.

At L5-S1 there is a small circumferential disc bulge with a superimposed small central disc extrusion which mildly indents the ventral thecal sac. There is mild facet arthropathy.



I'm not quite sure what it all means, but at least i can get started on fixing it!

Btw if any of you have any clue as to what this all means feel free to post.

Thanks!

Hi,

After a fortnight in hospital in May, and blacking-out from pain/exhaustion, the orthopod decided that maybe I wasn't attention-seeking and did an MRI (the initial x-ray hadn't shown anything hence their naive default position).

I was told I had a bulging disc and to go home. The ortho wasn't even sure which disc until he sent his registrar to look it up.

So can I say, Wow, you have a great doc. I should really request a copy of the radiologist's report.

Do you have any other symptoms? Have you sustained an injury in the past? Do you or did you have a job involving heavy lifting or repetitive twisting? Are you or have you been pregnant? Is it possible that you have: (a) osteoporosis; (b) arthritis; or (c) ankylosing spondylitis? Is there a family history of these, or other degenerative diseases? Also, people who are chronically overweight are prone to disc/back problems.

I'm not a medical expert (although somewhat a patient expert), and I certainly don't want to panic you, but it seems a bit unlikely that an otherwise healthy person would develop multiple slipped discs unless there is underlying joint/rheumatic disease. We have come to the conclusion that my disc bulge was due to severe muscle deconditioning on account of my chronic fatigue syndrome (I was unable to get out of bed for over 7 weeks, and when I finally did, the disc went).

I hope some of this helps. You really need to discuss it more with your doctor/specialist.

VJ.

I have no other symptomes other then pain in my back and neck. I have not had any injury's that would cause this.

I did however do alot of heavy lifting helping my parents at there job. This involved lifting big heavy boxes over and over.

My mom has osteoporosis and in the report it said I have
mild facet arthropathy which i looked up and it seemed to be a type of arthritis .

I used to be overweight and this could have caused it as well.


My whole family has back problems. My dad has had 3 surgery this year alone. My mother has 3 herniated discs, both sisters have bulges and back problems. And my brother's spine has some weird problem where his spine is to large or something.

I was the only one without any back problems, now i have them too.

I'm only 22 and I'm told this is rare for my age but I kinda expected it.

I will look into the possibility of it being from an underlying condition, thanks for informing me of that.

I heranited my L5S1 and had surgury in June. Recovery was very quick. I could walk around a little bit in about 2 days.

I was just informed that one of my discs has an extrusion. Apparently this is worse then herniation.

I am not to worried though because they said because I'm young i probably will not need surgery.

I am in a bit of pain though so I'm hopeful that will go away once i get some sort of treatment.

ripcity , did you find you were in less pain after the surgery? did it help?

now they told me i have scoliosis. I cant win can i.

I keep going in between freaking out about it all and then trying to distract myself. i would be ok if they would quit telling me whats wrong and just help me fix it.

I cant believe i never noticed my back was curved. It does explain why my rib cage keeps getting more uneven though. I'm just freaked out cause i looked it up and they said it can result in death if left untreated.

I don't want rods in my back and i really don't want to die.

Okay, so it must be pretty terrifying to say the least, and how you're feeling about all of this is a completely normal reaction, but try to keep the situation in perspective. First, it's good to have answers - knowledge is power and all that. Now you know what is causing your pain you don't have to go on worrying about the unknown; you can face the problem head-on.

Second, I'm not sure what you read, but on the NHS Direct site (UK) it says the following about scoliosis:

a) It affects 3-4 children in every 1000, though more common in girls;
b) In 90% of cases, treatment isn't required;
c) Of the remaining 10%, most are successfully treated with a back brace;
d) Additional alternative treatments include osteopathy, physical therapy and reflexology;
e) Only ~3 in every 1000 people with scoliosis require any kind of surgery;
f) Only in a very small minority does scoliosis become serious.

What I'm saying is: the odds are in your favour. I know it's hard not to panic, but try not to worry too much. Your doctor will discuss the best course of treatment with you and, at the end of the day, it will be your decision to make. Please also remember, if you aren't keen on his recommendation, you can always get a second opinion. I recently found out that the surgery I've been advised to undergo is not only completely unnecessary, but I'm also much too ill to have it. So just because one doctor might say you need something, doesn't mean they'll all agree. You need to do what feels right for you but be sure to keep yourself informed.

Hi there just came across your post, my 15 year old son had a simular problem with his lower back which was curving due to bad posture which became more visiable over time. when i brought him to his specialist he dx this as well as kphosis, which means his lower back is moreineards than normal, resulting with a protrudding stomach. The specalist refered him to Gret Ormond St Hospital London as he suspected he had hyper mobility disorder, & he was right, which means you are double jointed, more flexiable, very clumsy, bad co ordination & in some cases disolocate quiet easy.& was told he had poor core stability & that excersise was the best treatment, he also so suffers extreame fatigue as i do myself, due to the physical exchaustion due to the nature of people with hmd s posture , running, sitting walking ect. I found out also that people with hmd suffer more from anxiety & over stimulation due to there bad posture, so i do question the asperger label my son has & wonder if all his problems are due to this. Will have to see if there is an improvement when he starts his excersise programme.

I freaked out cause i read Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoliosis . It didn't explain it very well. I also freaked out cause i realized that is why my rib cage moved outward. and is now uneven.


the statistics you gave me from the NHS are comforting. I am 22 so it is unlikely my condition will get worse. Thanks for the post.

Are you taking anything for the pain?
I've had some recurring lower back pain and I haven't found a good way to deal with it, other than to wait it out for several weeks in significant discomfort. I had my back x-rayed several years ago around the time it first started to act up, but the medical powers that be didn't find anything. Unfortunately they didn't order any MRI's.

I take Advil because it is an anti inflammatory. I also lay on my back for a few hours or till the pain is gone.

Is there any way you could get an MRI? Traction may fix the problem if it is a bulge. I am considering that option but I'm waiting for the doctors ok first.

Well after a long wait i know what all my problems are and i can begin treating them.

the good news is i do NOT need surgery. I went into the doctors thinking i would. But i came out very happy to hear i can go another route.

I'm going to do traction and physical therapy. I'm so happy to be able to fix the problem so i don't have to worry any more.

And best of all no surgery!! ! I'm going to see the surgeon after I'm finished with physical therapy to see how it improved.

They did find a few more things. I have carpal tunnel but it is so mild i did not even notice it. And another bulge in my neck . I don't see the bulge as a big deal though because i assumed it would be something worse and its not. So all in all I'm gonna be ok.

thanks for posting and listening to me. I was quite scared for a little while but now I know whats up I know I'll be fine.

First i want to say i wish the best of luck to your son. I hope he improves from the treatment.

Secondly i will ask my surgeon if there could be an underlying cause for all this. I do have an awful lot of problems for someone of my age. I just assumed it was from lifting to much . But perhaps there is something more.

I'm not that flexible so i don't think it is hyper mobility disorder as i am not able to do pop out any joints . But i think your on to something when you say there might be an underlying cause.

I will look into that, thanks for the advice! and i wish your son a quick recovery.

Thank you & i wish you all the best as well. Please let us know how you get on .
All the best Jackie x

I do not need surgery, I'm getting traction , massage therapy and adjustments from a chiropractor.

and I'm starting physical therapy this week to strengthen my core muscles so i can avoid further injury.

The really good news is, aside from my carpal tunnel and scoliosis they can probably cure my back!! !

I couldn't believe it I'm so glad!! !

similar problems my son has, all the best x