• Welcome to the Yamaha FZ1 Forums. Member registration disables ads and allows you to post and share. Register Here.

Has Anyone Dealt With a Bulging Disc or Sciatica?

thepopularjock

thepopularjock

Wizard
Joined
May 20, 2010
Messages
2,142
Age
55
Location
Texas
Visit site
I seem to have both!!!
I have NO IDEA what happened. I finished my workout Sunday night and went right to bed. I woke up about 5 hours later and it felt like someone stuck a knife in my back. It hurt bad enough to get out of bed. My body usually heals after a few days but this seemed to travel into my hip. Now it feels like someone stuck a knife in my left hip (pain level is high) and my left leg is going through a weird variety of feelings. Numbness, tingling, burning, dull aching, etc. I mean this is some weird stuff. It's like someone put my feelings on "Random" and my leg is going through all the choices. I literally cannot get comfortable. I'm constantly twisting and turning and shifting trying to find some relief but there is no comfortable position.
So I go to the doctor and lets just say that when SOME doctors find out that you don't have insurance......they are less than motivated to help out. All I could get out of the doctor is I needed an MRI. Well I can't afford that.
My GF is an RN and she immediately said "Sciatica". We went into Google and saw that it's common for a bulging disc to lead into Sciatica (As the vertebrae bulges it applies pressure to then nerve in L4 or L5 or somewhere along there). I'm NO doctor and I don't even claim to be smart..........I just know my back and hip hurt like an SOB!!!!!!!
Do any of you guys have any experience with this? I can't afford an MRI so I am treating it as a bulging disc. NSAID Pain Reliever (Works WAY BETTER than Norco - I was surprised) and alternating HOT/ COLD (Heating pad then cold pack). I honestly don't know what else to do.
Anyone have any ideas?
 
Last edited:
I have been dealing with an l4- l5 disc herniation since 2004. I have had surgery that was successful early but the disc re-herniated, I have permanent nerve damage in my right leg and foot from the constant pressure on my sciatic nerve. If you can find a way, get an mri so you know exactly what injury you have. You do not want to ignore the problem as it may create other issues for you without treatment.

I have been managing mine with cortisone epidurals every 6-12 month with exercise and the treatments you are currently doing. I have tried every treatment you can think of including acupuncture and inversion treatments. The shots offer me the most relief for the pain you are experiencing. If your injury is not as sever as mine the shots may reduce the swelling enough that you will not have any further problems with continued core exercises and stretching. If you have any other questions you can shoot me a pm I would be glad to answer your question. Sorry to hear about your troubles I know it sucks to hurt that bad all the time.
 
I have been dealing with an l4- l5 disc herniation since 1998.
No surgery. I use a chiropractor for adjustments and get very good relief.

I am not confident in any surgical techniques at the moment. I hear more people say they wished they never had it than I do people that get it.

Learn to sleep on your back. laying on your stomach is very bad for a back condition. even though you find comfort you will be locked up when you go to get up.

You need to get a MRI to determine the severity of your injury. You may be able to get a "Discectomy" (sp) THis will remove the pertrution on the disk that is hitting the nerve.
Good luck.
Homeopath: moist heat in the morning Motrin all day and Ice at Night.

Tip from me: DONT OVER REST!! Letting back pain keep you down is not good. I say get moving as much as you can even through the discomfort. You will losen up a bit. Sitting back or laying down through it will only prolong the pain and discomfort.

Im sorry to say if this is the first time youve been through this, I fear you have just got a taste of how your life will be going forward. IT SUX to live this way!!!! I cant tell you that!! Good Luck my brother,
Dave.
 
Oh Lord! I certainly didn't want to see the "S" word this morning. I've struggled with Sciatica now for over 20 years. I have herniations in S1, S2, L4, and L5. First bout of Sciatica had me bed ridden for over 8 weeks, literally crying like a baby. It had to be THE MOST excruciating pain I have ever endured in my lifetime, surpassing three bouts of kidney stones and one heart attack! I still have absolutely no feeling in the front of my right leg, from the top of my hip , down to the top of my knee. You could drive a nail in the front of my right leg and I wouldn't feel a thing. It sucks, but it's better than having that hot knife stuck in the back of my leg for sure. The first episode have me in the chiropractor every morning for 5 weeks. The pain would subside but by the time I was driven back home it was back again from sitting in the car. My only comfort was from either laying on my stomach, or standing up. By the 7th week I started with the Vicodin and muscle relaxers, followed by a series of cortizone injections, (which hurt as much as the sciatica). It wasn't until my first Epidural, that the pain finally left and I was back to some sort of normality. I've had two more Epidurals since then being that I respond really well to them, and the fact that I was killing myself with too many Cortizone injections. You can only have so much of those before it's detrimental to your health. So now it's been about 4 years since I've had any sciatica and I'm hoping it never comes back! I have learned the proper way to get in and out of the car, picking stuff up by using your knees, and just knowing the warning signs which you immediately stop what your doing and rest your back. I'm sorry you gotta go through this cause I wouldn't wish that kind of pain on anyone.

One funny note, if there could be one..... By week 4 I actually called a "Telephone Evangelist" who for 10 bucks, prayed for my Sciatica to go away! Yes, I was at my wits end! Needless to say it didn't work so keep your money! Get to the Chiropractor and let him work on it now since it's fairly new. Make sure they do the heat therapy to cause that really loosened the muscle up. You basically need to get the inflammation down so that the nerve can slip out from your disc and relieve the pressure. Good luck buddy. Get well soon.
 
Chiropractor and a home inversion table (ebay $125). Get regular exercise to strengthen muscles, but know your limits.

It is also good to avoid alcohol, salt and other things that cause inflammation. Advil works good too.
 
I have what was described as a 'slipped disc'; bulging disc is probably the same thing. I have been getting random bouts of numbness down my right arm and a stiff, painful neck for a few years now. I was slightly concerned but chalked it up to a bad sleep or whatnot - pulled muscles. It would often go away after taking it easy for a few days. I decided late last year to have it looked at after my doctor-girlfriend diagnosed it after only seeing me suffer once. I went in, described the symptoms and he pegged it straight away as my T5/T6 discs. He had me do a bunch of tests with him in the office and this confirmed it.

I was basically told that there's no treatment for it until it gets really serious. It's a very invasive surgery and I'm better off simply building strength and watching for warning signs. My last flare up was months ago while I was running. The warning signs were there but I was too ignorant to understand them. I mistook them as cramps but now I know what to look for so I can stop whatever I'm doing before it causes a slip. He told me to avoid high-impact sports like Ju-Jitsu so I'll stick with what I'm doing now. I still run, cycle and do calisthenics and I'll leave it like that

It's funny, the first thing I asked when he diagnosed me was 'will this interfere with motorcycling in the future?'. Silly... :)
 
Last edited:
I had surgery for damaged disc. Had it again 6 weeks later. After several years of pain I found an orthopedist who recommended physical therapy. I had therapy for a couple of months and have not had any trouble for 20 years. A good personal trainer can recommend on-going specific exercises that keep the problem at bay. I don't think I would even consider surgery for myself.
 
I had exactly what you described. It was clear as day on an MRI. Dr cut out the bulging disc and I never felt better. You need an MRI. Let obamacare pay. Without an MRI you will not know what is wrong. You'll tire of the pain and do it anyway, so go get it done now.
 
thepopularjock said:
I seem to have both!!!
I have NO IDEA what happened. I finished my workout Sunday night and went right to bed. I woke up about 5 hours later and it felt like someone stuck a knife in my back. It hurt bad enough to get out of bed. My body usually heals after a few days but this seemed to travel into my hip. Now it feels like someone stuck a knife in my left hip (pain level is high) and my left leg is going through a weird variety of feelings. Numbness, tingling, burning, dull aching, etc. I mean this is some weird stuff. It's like someone put my feelings on "Random" and my leg is going through all the choices. I literally cannot get comfortable. I'm constantly twisting and turning and shifting trying to find some relief but there is no comfortable position.
So I go to the doctor and lets just say that when SOME doctors find out that you don't have insurance......they are less than motivated to help out. All I could get out of the doctor is I needed an MRI. Well I can't afford that.
My GF is an RN and she immediately said "Sciatica". We went into Google and saw that it's common for a bulging disc to lead into Sciatica (As the nerve bulges and applies pressure to then nerve in L4 or L5 or somewhere along there). I'm NO doctor and I don't even claim to be smart..........I just know my back and hip hurt like an SOB!!!!!!!
Do any of you guys have any experience with this? I can't afford an MRI so I am treating it as a bulging disc. NSAID Pain Reliever (Works WAY BETTER than Norco - I was surprised) and alternating HOT/ COLD (Heating pad then cold pack). I honestly don't know what else to do.
Anyone have any ideas?
Click to expand...

Hi, I am a doctor and hopefully I can help. Bulging disc can occur from any activity that is part of lifting weight and your body is in any type of forward or lateral bend. Basically think of the disc as a jelly donut. If you push hard on one corner of the jelly donut it then the jelly will bulge out and if it ruptures then shoot out the opposite corner. The problem that when this happens in the back it can change the space for the nerves that are exiting the spine and the irritation leads to what is called in this case lumbar radiculopathy (sciatica).

The only other thing that may contribute to your current pain is that if you are getting pain just below the little dimples in your back. If you find the right spot this is called the sacroiliac joint. The sacroiliac joint is the place where the pelvis/hip bone (ileum) is a attached to the base of the spine (sacrum). The sciatic nerve crosses this region and if you again are lifting and just move in wrong way it can go out of alignment, when you sleep at night there may be an increased shift in the position and lead to more inflammation of the sciatic nerve.

For the MRI you can call around to different imaging centers to ask for their best cash price. I have a facility I work with here in Phoenix that will do $300 cash MRI's for my patients.

For treatment I can run down several options from my preferred to least likely to help.
1. Spinal decompression - many chiropractors will have an computer controlled traction machine that will basically stretch out the vertebra and disc space. It basically helps draw the disc bulge back in and make more space for the nerves to move. This can cost around $500-$1500 for a full treatment series. The cheap alternative is to get an Inversion Table, basically hanging upside down will use gravity to decompress the spine. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Bestselling-Inversion-Tables/lm/R1D6U0RLD89FIH]Amazon.com: Bestselling Inversion Tables[/ame]

2. Sacroiliac injection - Sometimes an injection or two of steroid will reduce the inflammation and the sciatic pain will go away.

3. Chiropractic adjustment - really depends on the chiropractor, a good one will definitely help, a bad one will make it worse.

4. Acupuncture - I have about a 50-75% success rate with utilizing acupuncture.

5. NSAID - Aleve or Ibuprofen, Aleve is a little better in my opinion. You have to be careful with these as it can cuase some stomach irritation that worse case scenario leads to an ulcer.

I would encourage you to get the MRI because of the amount of neurological symptoms you're getting off the bat, it may be a ruptured disc which it might not necessarily be bad to have a surgery to repair it. Without the MRI it's impossible to say what is going on, but again you have mentioned a lot of symptoms off the bat that would be worth the further investigation with an MRI.
 
Dustin said:
I have what was described as a 'slipped disc'; bulging disc is probably the same thing. I have been getting random bouts of numbness down my right arm and a stiff, painful neck for a few years now. I was slightly concerned but chalked it up to a bad sleep or whatnot - pulled muscles. It would often go away after taking it easy for a few days. I decided late last year to have it looked at after my doctor-girlfriend diagnosed it after only seeing me suffer once. I went in, described the symptoms and he pegged it straight away as my T5/T6 discs. He had me do a bunch of tests with him in the office and this confirmed it.

I was basically told that there's no treatment for it until it gets really serious. It's a very invasive surgery and I'm better off simply building strength and watching for warning signs. My last flare up was months ago while I was running. The warning signs were there but I was too ignorant to understand them. I mistook them as cramps but now I know what to look for so I can stop whatever I'm doing before it causes a slip. He told me to avoid high-impact sports like Ju-Jitsu so I'll stick with what I'm doing now. I still run, cycle and do calisthenics and I'll leave it like that

It's funny, the first thing I asked when he diagnosed me was 'will this interfere with motorcycling in the future?'. Silly... :)
Click to expand...

The spinal decompression will help. Follow up with physical therapy to strengthen the supporting muscles and you should feel a ton better
 
DieselFZ1 said:
Let obamacare pay.
Click to expand...

Yeah, well, Obamacare isn't implemented yet. Taxes are being collected but systems aren't in place, so your normal health care system is where you need to start.

Agree that MRI is the first thing to do, and then a good doctor will figure out what is best. REVIEW all options, they often want to do the most invasive treatment. GET A SECOND OPINION. My wife had disc problem and initial doctor wanted to do spinal fusion, her GP told her to get a second opinion and the doctor said a far less invasive procedure would most likely work. She had operation as an out patient and felt 95% better immediately. Backs are tricky .... look at all the options.
 
Thank you guys for all of your answers. I really appreciate the people who took time to help me.
I seem to be headed in the right direction with rehabing this thing. I have stayed on the Naproxen but that time is running out. I won't be able to take them much longer. I have found a few stretches that seem to give me a lot of relief. I can actually walk with a limp instead of practically hopping on one leg. :D

I understand the jelly donut analogy and that makes a lot of sense. I don't think my donut has burst. :D My back is responding best to HOT/ COLD the best. That has been a life saver. That and a few stretches. My back doesn't "Feel" like something has burst. I hope I am correct. IDK?

I agree with you guys about the MRI but my GF quoted a price of 2K at the hospital. I will call around tomorrow to see if I can get a better price. If I can find anywhere under $500 I'm all over it. LOL I would normally say ROAD TRIP to AZ but I can barely ride back and forth to work.

Unfortunately work is another thing that compounds the problem. I sit at a computer with a few monitors all night long. I have started getting up about once an hour and stretching. I also run the heating pad and use our packing cold packs on my back. I cannot overstate just how much the HOT/COLD has helped. I'm a long way from being out of the woods but I'm not in agony every minute of the day..........Things are looking up :D

I appreciate you guys taking the time to write your experiences. It makes me feel better hearing about others going through the same thing and overcoming. I have to say - I was worried. Now I have a better outlook.
Thanks again.
 
thepopularjock said:
I understand the jelly donut analogy and that makes a lot of sense. I don't think my donut has burst. :D My back is responding best to HOT/ COLD the best. That has been a life saver. That and a few stretches. My back doesn't "Feel" like something has burst. I hope I am correct. IDK?

I agree with you guys about the MRI but my GF quoted a price of 2K at the hospital. I will call around tomorrow to see if I can get a better price. If I can find anywhere under $500 I'm all over it. LOL I would normally say ROAD TRIP to AZ but I can barely ride back and forth to work.
Click to expand...

You wouldn't be feeling better as quickly as you are with just hot/cold and naproxen in this short amount of time if the disk ruptured. So, probably a good thing.

I would still get the MRI. Call around and ask for cash based prices. Typical insurance cost that gets quoted is $2000-$3000. But, at least in AZ they can offer their services at a cash dicount from between $300 - $600. I don't normally push for the MRI in a lot of situations if there is just pain involved, but when you get nerve symptoms pain/numbness/burning/shooting then I think it's worth it. In a worse case scenario you could lose function of the leg and it's just better to get the imaging and know.

As for the stretches the one stretch that would be painful now but very helpful down the road if you are sitting a lot is any lunge type stretches. Actually yoga and particular the warrior poses are probably of the most benefit. What happens when you are sitting is a muscle group called the iliopsoas tract becomes tightened/shortened. The psoas portion in particular runs from your lower back through your pelvis and attaches on your leg and helps raise your knee up toward your belly. When the muscle is shortened and you go to stand it pulls down and compresses the lumbar spine and restricts the movement of the sacroiliac joint.

View attachment 12899View attachment 12900

Good luck and if you have any more questions or need any help just PM me.
 
Ssky0078 said:
Hi, I am a doctor and hopefully I can help. Bulging disc can occur from any activity that is part of lifting weight and your body is in any type of forward or lateral bend. Basically think of the disc as a jelly donut. If you push hard on one corner of the jelly donut it then the jelly will bulge out and if it ruptures then shoot out the opposite corner. The problem that when this happens in the back it can change the space for the nerves that are exiting the spine and the irritation leads to what is called in this case lumbar radiculopathy (sciatica).

The only other thing that may contribute to your current pain is that if you are getting pain just below the little dimples in your back. If you find the right spot this is called the sacroiliac joint. The sacroiliac joint is the place where the pelvis/hip bone (ileum) is a attached to the base of the spine (sacrum). The sciatic nerve crosses this region and if you again are lifting and just move in wrong way it can go out of alignment, when you sleep at night there may be an increased shift in the position and lead to more inflammation of the sciatic nerve.

For the MRI you can call around to different imaging centers to ask for their best cash price. I have a facility I work with here in Phoenix that will do $300 cash MRI's for my patients.

For treatment I can run down several options from my preferred to least likely to help.
1. Spinal decompression - many chiropractors will have an computer controlled traction machine that will basically stretch out the vertebra and disc space. It basically helps draw the disc bulge back in and make more space for the nerves to move. This can cost around $500-$1500 for a full treatment series. The cheap alternative is to get an Inversion Table, basically hanging upside down will use gravity to decompress the spine. Amazon.com: Bestselling Inversion Tables

2. Sacroiliac injection - Sometimes an injection or two of steroid will reduce the inflammation and the sciatic pain will go away.

3. Chiropractic adjustment - really depends on the chiropractor, a good one will definitely help, a bad one will make it worse.

4. Acupuncture - I have about a 50-75% success rate with utilizing acupuncture.

5. NSAID - Aleve or Ibuprofen, Aleve is a little better in my opinion. You have to be careful with these as it can cuase some stomach irritation that worse case scenario leads to an ulcer.

I would encourage you to get the MRI because of the amount of neurological symptoms you're getting off the bat, it may be a ruptured disc which it might not necessarily be bad to have a surgery to repair it. Without the MRI it's impossible to say what is going on, but again you have mentioned a lot of symptoms off the bat that would be worth the further investigation with an MRI.
Click to expand...



Spinal Decompression.

Just on the surface this makes the most sense. If my jelly donut is bulging - it makes sense to stretch my spine to relieve the pressure. This stretching has been nothing short of amazing!!!! I felt IMMEDIATE relief in my hip. LOL Now the leg still has some numbness but no where near what it was before my post. I also ordered a Teeter Hang Up because I had such great relief from the stretching. I hope that old man on TV is right. If it's as good as he says - I will post up and tell you guys about it.


Chiropractic adjustment

I have an appointment tomorrow. We actually have a great chiropractor. I trust him and I would listen to what he says. LOL Bet you a dollar he says I need an MRI :D



NSAID - Aleve

I took ibuprofen for a few days. NSAIDs take at least 4 days to achieve their intended purpose. Ibuprofen helped a little but our pharmacist handed me some Alieve and WOW!!! 4 days was closer to 4 minutes. :bowdown: It has been a great help but like I said - NSAIDs are short term only. They can jack you up if you take them too long.


Sleeping

I have come to dread sleeping. I can't get more than 4 hours a night and when I wake up my back is screaming. I am constantly trying new positions to get comfortable but I am a turner in my sleep and no matter how I go to sleep - that is NOT haw I wake up. :doh2: The best position is sleeping on my right side with a pillow between my legs.


Sacroiliac injection

I am the night manager of a pharmacy so I know I can get whatever drug at cost. Hopefully the doc will let me work something out if I pay my bill up front in cash.


Acupuncture

Not available to me at this time. If I can find a good place - I will give it a go


I appreciate your comments and explinations. I have been down on doctors for a few years now after several of them have blown me off when I didn't have insurance. Keep in mind - I PAID FOR MY VISIT - I OWED THEM 0 but they were down right evasive of even telling me what was wrong.
So I appreciate a doctor who will take the time to explain things and give advice. Thank you for taking the time.
 
as most of modern working men, I too suffer from chronic lower back pain due to hernia L4-L5. Too much sport (Judo-Moutainbiking) has compounded this to happen, combined with seating office desk work.

As said already, take regular walks even when it hurts. Cold/warm treatment has helped me too and muscular exercises to strengthen your abdomen.

After several years I've found a so called pain clinic who now perform sedative injections on the facets of the vertrebrae (to numb the nerves which transmits the pain) and radiofrequency therapy. This keeps me "off" the pain, ie bearable for a good year..Obviously I pay extreme attention on how I lift heavy stuff, take regular walks over to my colleagues instead of picking up phone or send and email...
 
Peter1968 said:
I have been dealing with an l4- l5 disc herniation since 2004. I have had surgery that was successful early but the disc re-herniated, I have permanent nerve damage in my right leg and foot from the constant pressure on my sciatic nerve. If you can find a way, get an mri so you know exactly what injury you have. You do not want to ignore the problem as it may create other issues for you without treatment.

I have been managing mine with cortisone epidurals every 6-12 month with exercise and the treatments you are currently doing. I have tried every treatment you can think of including acupuncture and inversion treatments. The shots offer me the most relief for the pain you are experiencing. If your injury is not as sever as mine the shots may reduce the swelling enough that you will not have any further problems with continued core exercises and stretching. If you have any other questions you can shoot me a pm I would be glad to answer your question. Sorry to hear about your troubles I know it sucks to hurt that bad all the time.
Click to expand...

Lived with this worsening all my life - started with the cortizone shots a few years ago - then it finally got worse and I had surgery. My problem was a few bone spurs coming too close together due to degenerative disk problems, and hitting the nerves in my left hip. removing the spurs was miraculous.

During the time, chiropractic did nothing for me, but advanced massage therapy did wonders! (deep tissue, and decompression).

I've just fallen down the stairs this morning on my RIGHT side hip, and hope I didn't F everything up - I feel like I used to feel when my back would 'go out' on me (every day pretty much). Hopefully this is just temporary, but it reminds me of how most of my life was for the last 7-8 years.

you can only take so much medicine....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top