Posts: 697
Joined: 1/19/2018
Location: Crofton, MD USA
Wondering if any of you guys have had to deal with a bulging disc.Its been almost 4 months of going to the chiropractor and pt multiple times a week with no real progress. Im 23 so this is really frustrating not being anything I like to do. Any thoughts?
Posts: 5800
Joined: 1/31/2018
Location: Mansfield, OH USA
Can you do front squads and deadlifts to correct your posture? Ive read that kyphosis causes that.
Posts: 174
Joined: 10/21/2015
Location: Holly, MI USA
I had one a couple years ago. Mine was pushing on a nerve hard so it was crazy pain. I had the disc replaced with a fake one. No fusion or cage. Been 100% happy and no loss of motion. I tried PT and Chiro but there wasn't any helping mine. They say the shots can help for months at a time but I skipped it and just had mine fixed. Good luck
Posts: 612
Joined: 4/1/2008
Location: Kamloops, CAN
I had a bad one a few years back, constant pain in left calf from nerve pressure. After a lot of chiro treatments mine was solved with less than 10 minutes on an inversion table. I bought a device used online that was called an Invertrac, but I'm sure any table would work. Check local classifieds or craigslist. Hope this helps.
Posts: 3593
Joined: 4/3/2013
Location: Benton, LA USA
Try an inversion table at home. It works for me. I have had the same problem for years and the shots do give some short term relieve but the Inversion table works best for me.
Paw Paw
Posts: 2098
Joined: 7/31/2010
Location: Merritt Island, FL USA
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I've had this a few times and simply time to heal was the fix. I do also use an inversion table. I went through therapy and traction helped short term. Consider getting a TENS unit to deal with the pain as it takes months to heal. The TENS unit doesn't help heal, it just masks the pain for a bit.
I was getting ready to go for shots until I started to improve...
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Posts: 205
Joined: 4/24/2017
Location: MD, USA
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Check Dr Koloski out.
He has a spinal decompression table. Not many chiro's have it since its so expensive. He raves about its effectiveness with clients for back issues.
Super nice guy too.
https://kinncare.com/
Posts: 306
Joined: 4/1/2008
Location: CA, USA
As soon as you can do some ab work, I would get moving on that. I ruptured my L5-S1 and the thing that helped me the most was having a very strong core. I have gotten away from keeping up with my core and I'm currently suffering the consequences. I had an inversion table but it didn't do much for me at all. Strong abs, on the other hand, made a world of difference.
Oh, and on a side note, my surgeon told me that it's more common for folks in their 20's and early 30's to develop disc issues versus guys in their 50's and above. He said by the time your get to your 50's the disc actually becomes tougher and more like gristle.
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Posts: 697
Joined: 1/19/2018
Location: Crofton, MD USA
Thanks for the advice. I’ve have been strengthening my core but my back doesn’t feel right. My lats on my left side feels locked/ tense
Posts: 692
Joined: 12/10/2008
Location: Tomahawk, WI USA
Does it look anything like this?
Sorry...Having had L4-L5 and L5-S1 herniated disc surgery (Laminectomy) I know it's no joke! I spent 4 months in Chiro with no relief, inversion table with no relief, PT with no relief and finally had the Laminectomy surgery. Unfortunately, waiting that long with the amount of nerve pressure I had, resulted in permanent loss of the muscle group in my right leg that allows you to get up on your toes. So I can no longer jog/run (without looking like a total gimp and creating hip pain due to my messed up gate). My recommendation is to take a surgeons advice seriously. I was 40 when it happened. Now 19 years later... I sure wish I had listened to my surgeon early on when he warned me about this possibility. I probably would not have lost the leg muscle use for all of these years. Good luck, and hope you find success with which ever path you choose.
Posts: 9351
Joined: 7/6/2015
Location: So Cal, CA USA
I dealt with it for about a year and a half. It was a work injury and workmans comp tried dragging it as long as possible. Took almost a full year to finally get approval for surgery. Mine was L4-L5. Did PT, chiro and even the epidural injection, all of which did nothing for me. Finally got the surgery approval for a Laminectomy and Microdiscectomy. Had surgery July of 2015 and was back riding by January. Glad I did the surgery for sure. I was 24 at the time. 3 years later I am still good to go. Just do whatever the doctor tells you
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Posts: 6742
Joined: 11/30/2013
Location: Portland/Los Angeles, CA USA
I have some mild bulging disc, I’ve been seeing a sports massage therapist here in LA that is night and day better. It hurts like hell as his elbows massage the disc area, but they get back in line and feel better within a few days.
I suggest seeing a sports specific doctor/surgeon in your area if you can. They will understand what you do and what you want to continue doing.
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Location: Saint Paul, MN USA
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Joined: 6/20/2016
Location: southern, CA USA
Posts: 166
Joined: 10/28/2016
Location: Santa Barbara, CA USA
I am 36 and have been dealing with herniated discs (L3/L4 and L4/L5) for about 4 years. Since mid January this year I have been dealing with sciatica pain that I cannot do anything to get it to lessen. I am having a discectomy on June 6 as the L4/L5 herniation is directly causing the sciatica pain.
Like said above, I have tried everything and nothing has really worked. Prior to the sciatica pain I could get the back pain to subside, but my back would go out at least once or twice a year to where I could not really even walk for at least a week. So it was always in the back of my mind. I am actually looking forward to having the surgery and not being in pain all the time!! I was told I will be off the bike for at least 3 months.
Posts: 6603
Joined: 10/11/2008
Location: Portland, OR USA
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I had L3-L4, L4-L5 and L5-S1 bulged and ruptured discs. After the doctors had me on PT, epidural injections and a massive dosage of Opana and OC pain pills for a couple / few years, I finally went for the surgery and it's the best thing I've ever done. After a couple months to detox off all the meds, I was finally back to normal.
My advice would be the surgery.. You literally walk out of the hospital the same day.
Posts: 2448
Joined: 5/25/2014
Location: San Diego, CA USA
I did and what worked for me was getting more regular with a yoga practice.
Within about a month, the shooting pains down my arms diminished and in
a couple more months, they were all gone.
Yoga is absolutely part of my routine these days. Nothing fanatical- I go about three
times a week and it has been hugely beneficial.
Posts: 697
Joined: 1/19/2018
Location: Crofton, MD USA
Thank you guys! I have no leg pain or anything but I have a bad gut feeling that I need something more. I’ve even tried acupuncture. I’ve heard mix things about surgery so that makes me nervous but I feel like I’m spinning my wheels in the mud doing pt& chiropractic. Honestly this is worse than any injury I’ve had from a dirt bike. Can barely sit for 30min
Posts: 268
Joined: 3/26/2017
Location: San Clemente, CA USA
I'm in the same boat. I'm surprised how many people on here have had such good success with the surgery. I'd love to hear more success stories especially people who ride. I've been trying to avoid it for the last 18 months but my back took a turn for the worst a week ago and now I'm considering my options again.
Posts: 178
Joined: 5/23/2015
Location: IA, USA
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.
Posts: 697
Joined: 1/19/2018
Location: Crofton, MD USA
I have a protruding disc to be exact between l4 l5 I’ve tried traction and inversion table. Almost made it feel worse. I appreciate all this feed back
Posts: 268
Joined: 3/26/2017
Location: San Clemente, CA USA
I've never tried an inversion table and was literally just looking into getting one after reading some of the initial replies, and then the last two replies said it made things worse.
One thing I've learned is that almost everyone you speak to has a different theory about how to cure it. It seems like different things work for different people.
Posts: 7025
Joined: 9/18/2007
Location: York, SC USA
My primary Physician said I probably had a slipped disc and I dealt with back pain for 3 years till I went into a back specialist. Did a X Ray and he said my back looked better than his and sent me to therapy. The 1st thing the therapist did was check me out head to toes. Only thing he found was my big toe lacked flexibility. That had changed how I walked and had hurt my knee and it all made me walk slightly twisted and made my back hurt. I went to therapy there for 3 weeks and got no relief.
I started going to a Thai massage therapy where they do the massage with their knees and elbows. She cured the pain by working on my back and my big toe getting more movement in it.
It took a lot of work but it sure was better than the thought of needed surgery that was expecting.
Posts: 9351
Joined: 7/6/2015
Location: So Cal, CA USA
Kyle_McNab wrote:Thank you guys! I have no leg pain or anything but I have a bad gut feeling that I need something more. I’ve even tried ...more
This is exactly how I was. Have they done an xray and MRI yet?
I heard good and bad things about surgery, mostly good. So I pushed for surgery and I'm so glad I did. Only issue I have now is hard impacts while sitting down, like a deep square edged hole, I'll get a quick jolt up my back then it goes away. If I keep my core strong though, that doesn't happen. I've just been tired and lazy lately haha
2017 RMZ450
2005 YZ250-sold :,(
1998 YZ250
2005 KX250F
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Posts: 1566
Joined: 4/1/2014
Location: PA, USA
I'm currently dealing with one in my upper back (going to a doctor next week for it.) My right arm goes numb daily and sometimes my toes get the numb feeling. turning my head to the right is excruciating. Hoping I get some answers... Was doing heavy squats and on my way back up I felt it. Dropped the bar in the squat rack and felt like a fool. Laid in bed the whole next day.
Posts: 697
Joined: 1/19/2018
Location: Crofton, MD USA
Kyle_McNab wrote:Thank you guys! I have no leg pain or anything but I have a bad gut feeling that I need something more. I’ve even tried ...more
mattyhamz2 wrote:This is exactly how I was. Have they done an xray and MRI yet?
I heard good and bad things about surgery, mostly good. So I ...more
Yes I got mri and X-ray in March . Did you have the same l4 l5? I’m doing pt it’s definitely strengthening my core but i don’t feel like my back is improving at all. Really don’t wanna do surgery but I don’t think pt and the chiropractor are gonna get me to where I need to be. Decisions...
Posts: 9351
Joined: 7/6/2015
Location: So Cal, CA USA
Edited Date/Time:
Kyle_McNab wrote:Thank you guys! I have no leg pain or anything but I have a bad gut feeling that I need something more. I’ve even tried ...more
mattyhamz2 wrote:This is exactly how I was. Have they done an xray and MRI yet?
I heard good and bad things about surgery, mostly good. So I ...moreKyle_McNab wrote:Yes I got mri and X-ray in March . Did you have the same l4 l5? I’m doing pt it’s definitely strengthening my core but i don’t ...more
Yup, L4-L5 for me too. Seriously, do the surgery if you can. It's worth it. First couple days was rough, but after that got so much better each day.
2017 RMZ450
2005 YZ250-sold :,(
1998 YZ250
2005 KX250F
80% of the time it works every time
IG @2HRacing
Thanks to : Factory Effex, N2Dirt, Acerbis, DT1, Fasthouse, Matix, FMF, ASV, 100% & Mika Metals
Posts: 506
Joined: 11/2/2011
Location: Denton, TX USA
Posts: 268
Joined: 3/26/2017
Location: San Clemente, CA USA
mattyhamz2 wrote:Yup, L4-L5 for me too. Seriously, do the surgery if you can. It's worth it. First couple days was rough, but after that got so ...more
So you had the disc between L4-L5 replaced? You mind me asking your age and how often you ride? How long ago did you have it done?
Posts: 9351
Joined: 7/6/2015
Location: So Cal, CA USA
Edited Date/Time:
Kyle_McNab wrote:Yes I got mri and X-ray in March . Did you have the same l4 l5? I’m doing pt it’s definitely strengthening my core but i don’t ...more
mattyhamz2 wrote:Yup, L4-L5 for me too. Seriously, do the surgery if you can. It's worth it. First couple days was rough, but after that got so ...more
I was 24 when I had surgery in 2015. The disc wasn't replaced. They performed a Laminectomy and Microdiscectomy. So they removed a chunk of the disk that was pushing on my spine and then ground down part of the vertebra
I was riding at least once or twice a month before I originally got injured. Now with two kids and all, I get to ride once every 2-4 months
2017 RMZ450
2005 YZ250-sold :,(
1998 YZ250
2005 KX250F
80% of the time it works every time
IG @2HRacing
Thanks to : Factory Effex, N2Dirt, Acerbis, DT1, Fasthouse, Matix, FMF, ASV, 100% & Mika Metals
