Bulging disc advice

KAB wrote:

Kyle, I would try everything you can as affordable as you can before surgery. I’m an ex triathlete who was once a desert racer then got...

Kyle,

I would try everything you can as affordable as you can before surgery. I’m an ex triathlete who was once a desert racer then got back into dirt bikes at 46 years old. I started to have a back issue. MRI showed bulged disc between L4 and L5. The chiropractor (who has a picture of him and Tiger Woods from a medical visit) I was going to suggested the MRI, saw it and said “you’re screwed” it will never heal you can only manage it. He suggested I stop running because he thought, based on other clients, that running was the culprit (he mentioned another Ironman who had 5 discs fused with surgery.) so I was disappointed. I then went to my “holistic” doctor for my 50th checkup (because I don’t agree with the normal you need a pill approach.). I’m not a big holistic believer but I’m not a “get on a pill” type of guy. So, the holistic doctor keeps probing me with questions on my physical, I finally tell him about my back and what my chiropractor said. He completely disagrees and says running isn’t an up and down motion. He says there has to be something else I’m doing causing the compression. I tell him about dirt bikes and he says that’s what it is way before running. So, I’m disappointed again. I then tell him about the chiropractor bad news about not healing. He disagrees and says there is this table machine called the DRX9000 or (something like that) that has healed many bulged discs, to the point where surgeons have kicked chiropractors out of their offices because of it. He says the downside is insurance doesn’t cover it and it’s a $5000 dollar commitment. He said it gets a bad rap because people quit half way through the treatment but those that complete it have incredible results.

I go back to my chiropractor who said I’m screwed and I tell him about this. He agrees with my holistic guy now saying he knows chiropractors who lost their A_ _ on that machine because insurance won’t cover it but it has had a lot of success. So, I researched it and wasn’t ready to commit to $5,000 in treatments based on reviews (. Although I know most of them quit half way through). So I reasearched more about this concept of stretching the spine and sucking the disc back into form. There was a natural healing website that had no interest in selling any machines. They recommended an inversion machine, a kneeling back machine, and one where you lay on it. I went with the kneeling machine for $300 because I would rather try that before $5,000. Well, the darn thing worked and healed my back. Anytime it starts to act up I go back in it and “bam” it works. It’s called the Nubax Trio. It even said the first 2 weeks it would get worse before it gets better. I didn’t believe any of this at first but it did work. I have no interest in the machine or what you do, just sharing an interesting story about doctors, opinions, and what worked for me.

m121c wrote:

I've got a protruded L5-S1 that put me out of riding, and any physical activity for that matter, for about 20 weeks. I had to go...

I've got a protruded L5-S1 that put me out of riding, and any physical activity for that matter, for about 20 weeks. I had to go through the Chiro, MRI, PT, Dr's routine they make everyone go through until they finally decided to just give me an epidural which changed everything.

Not sure how much you know about discs, but from what I learned from my full summer dealing with it is that 1.) Your disc will never "heal" or regenerate. 2.) Bulging is the first level of a damaged disc, for some stretching, strengthening, and posture adjustments can be made to relieve some if not all issues, second level is protrusion, this can be seen as a bulge, but internally the inner support walls of your disc are damaged allowing the inner gel like fluid to protrude through them into outer shells causing it push out like a deflated balloon (bulging disc is the same thing but without the inner walls being broken, think of a full balloon being pushed on), and the third level is full herniation 3) Disc injuries are unpredictable and anything from bending over to tie your shoes can trigger a damaged disc

Prior to my protruded disc, I had back issues in general (mild case of scoliosis), and PT/Inversion tables really helped my issues. However. with my damaged disc, the inversion table, chiropractor work, and PT made it ALOT worse without my injections. I actually bought a pretty nice inversion table for home use to see if it would help me and I used it maybe 5 times before I realized it's making it worse. I still have it, if you are interested in purchasing one, feel free to look into them and give me a message if interested, I will make you a deal just to get it out of my place.

Long story short, once I received my epidural, I could finally get to working on strengthening my back and addressing some of improper posture habits I had accumulated due to my back issues without that damaged disc causing a bunch of pain. Usually back injuries cause ATP (anterior pelvic tilt, strongly recommend looking into), which causes many problems in itself. To combat this, strengthening your core, making conscious efforts throughout the day on posture, and sleeping with a pillow under you hip area can help reduce ATP.

My general core/low back exercises usually involve back squats, dead lifts, planks (side, normal, and RKC), russian twists, and leg lifts. If I do anything with weights that is back related, even if light, use a support belt, it will help assist you and keep you from doing the exercise in bad form. If you think you possess ATP like traits, definitely do hip flexor stretches. If you have bulged disc, especially in the low-mid back region, DO NOT do any bending of the back exercise likes sit ups or crunches. These exercises in general promote a motion in the back that intentionally bulges your discs by pinching one side over the other due to the flexing of the spine, it will only make it worse.

I'm no expert by any means and I'm only talking from personal experiences, so take it with a grain of salt everyone is different and every back is different. From the experts I have seen, they all view back injuries differently, and they all have their own way of dealing with them, so my general knowledge is kind of a complied amount of information.

722 wrote:

Nerra. If you can. try to hang from your hips instead of your feet. It will isolate your low back. little to no head rush. see...

Nerra.

If you can. try to hang from your hips instead of your feet. It will isolate your low back. little to no head rush. see videos on youtube- yoga inversion/trapeze. i use my TRX in a reverse fashion. putting TRX handles on each end of a pull up bar. this creates a "U" shape. you then lay back into the "U". Once you are upside down hanging from hips, breath deep and slow. this will feel like a decompression session. this really works. the Siatic nerve pain is also completely gone.
I spent over 15K with a Chiropractor. he brought me back to 80-85%. which is what he said he could do. i'm now close to 100% by using said technique. i rarely have flare ups. I hope this helps. I was told by Kaiser that i needed surgery to fix bulging disks L4,L5. when i told Doc. i was going to see a chiropractor, he laughed and said he would see me when I was finished with the chiropractor. again I hope this helps you.

WarrenMX wrote:

Thanks 722, I'll look into trying that. The inversion table is a little harsh on the ankles and feet. Still trying different techniques to gain some...

Thanks 722, I'll look into trying that. The inversion table is a little harsh on the ankles and feet. Still trying different techniques to gain some comfort. Would also be nice to ditch the table, it takes up a lot of space.

How long do you hang for and how often? How long did it take you to really see the benefits from it?

722 wrote:

nerra, I had relief right away. I hang for 30-60 seconds. sometimes several minutes. just depends on my patience. 3-sessions each time. Do this at least...

nerra,

I had relief right away. I hang for 30-60 seconds. sometimes several minutes. just depends on my patience. 3-sessions each time. Do this at least two times a day at first. The breath work while hanging is vital to unlocking and sucking in the disc. when you watch the yoga youtube videos, you will see several movements one can do while hanging upside down.
i'm not a yoga type person. i'm more of a no pain no gain personality. however its best to not push yourself into any pain situations. your back is locked because its injured. the back will unlock when it is healed. try to be patient. Consider how much time and rest one will will take after a surgery. Good luck