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Health Question

T'Bonz

T'Bonz

Romulan Curmudgeon
Administrator
Yours truly was just diagnosed with a "slipped disc" at L5-S1. I'll be starting PT this week.

Any tips on best ways to minimize pain (besides pain pills, which I have)? Or tips on good websites explaining back issues? I have lots of knowledge about the cervical discs as I've dealt with that for many years, but I've never had regular back issues.

According to the doc, I was born with this, evidently. Glad it waited over 5 decades to make its presence known. :D
 
No real advice, sorry.

That's a bummer. You have just had no luck at all healthwise recently, have you?

I'm sure someplace like webmd or other reliable medical sites would have good advice, stretching exercizes, etc.

Hang in there.

:beer:
 
I have L5-S1 issues as well. I'm so sorry to hear you're joining this awful club.

When I did PT, some of the exercises they showed me helped a lot. Definitely do them on your own regularly. If you don't find any that help I can PM you some of what I do though it's nothing special. I've found that certain light yoga helps me a lot, even just doing something basic like child's pose. Doing that and breathing deeply really loosens up my back somehow. If you're not too flexible, get yoga blocks so that you can do the pose correctly without overextending yourself.

I'm not crazy athletic so everything I do is really simple, honest. I can explain anything to you in more depth.

Basic advice is to keep movement as much as possible. I'm not sure what your specific situation is like, so maybe that's not possible for you. But laying around generally makes it worse for me and exercising hurts in the short term but helps me in the long run. Definitely pay attention to how you sleep. Sleeping on your stomach is the worst thing you can do. If you sleep on your side, keep a pillow between your legs. If you sleep on your back, you might want to use a pillow under your upper legs. I'd suggest looking at the Mayo Clinic site because I think they had some good solid advice regarding back pain.

As far as PT goes, one thing that always temporarily alleviated pain was using a TENS unit. It doesn't last, but man is it nice to have a little relief from the pain.

Invest in a good chair and just try not to sit as much in general, because I think that does the most damage.

Okay, I'm going to stop here. But seriously, I wish you the best and feel free to PM me anytime.
 
Been there, done that. (first diagnosed with spinal problems 30 years ago)

Step #1: Don't ask people or sites on the web.
Your circumstances are YOURS and everyone else who has has a
twinge or other problem could screw you up bad by giving you advice
that doesn't work on YOUR problem.
 
Well, she could also take the advice that she likes back to the therapist for approval.
 
JustAFriend said:
Been there, done that. (first diagnosed with spinal problems 30 years ago)

Step #1: Don't ask people or sites on the web.
Your circumstances are YOURS and everyone else who has has a
twinge or other problem could screw you up bad by giving you advice
that doesn't work on YOUR problem.
Click to expand...

I think it's good to look around at different resources. A lot of things haven't worked for me, but I'm also not going to blindly try something crazy just because it worked for someone else. If you're sensible you can keep from injuring yourself even when trying out different things.
 
T'Bonz said:
Yours truly was just diagnosed with a "slipped disc" at L5-S1.
Click to expand...

Ouch.

I can't give any specific advice but I will wander off on a tangent to the topic: back pain is a bitch, and surprisingly difficult to diagnose. I know that if I ever got told I had non-specific back pain, I'd be getting private MRIs done regardless of whatever vague reassurance about it being non-specific was given to me, and checking them over myself! So in an odd way, it's actually good that you've had the investigations & have a specific cause identified, as help can be more targeted, though I can empathise that it doesn't quite feel that way right now. ;)

Good luck with the PT. Hope you feel better soon.
 
I've been around the block with spinal pain, even though my experience is with the cervical part, so this isn't all new to me.

The x-ray showed the slippage quite clearly and evidently, I've had it a long time, but it was mostly asymptomatic.

I'm rather irked to have this in addition to the other, but pretty much, I knew what to do, get myself to the doc pronto and start PT. I started it today.

I like MRIs to find out the exact location/problem, but in this case, it seemed straightforward so I didn't push for one. When it comes to the neck, I usually DO push for one as I want to know if it's another herniation (I've had several) and to know where. The knowledge of further deterioration (and where) helps me so that I can figure out what to do/avoid, etc.

It's weird having the pain so low. It hurts as badly as the neck, but although very annoying, it seems less because it's not right by my head, if that makes sense. Plus - I can find positions where it almost doesn't hurt. Can't do that with a neck disc herniation.

Thanks for the advice. Of course, I do nothing new without checking with the doctor (when in doubt) but I know others have been through this type of thing, and a wide knowledge base is often a good thing.

If you sleep on your side, keep a pillow between your legs.
Click to expand...

That was recommended today by the therapist and I'll try it. I sleep on my side, but sometimes end up on my back (in which case, when I'm aware of it, I flip back to the side as being on my back isn't comfortable.) I miss sleeping on my stomach, my preferred position, but years ago, the neck issues forced me to stop that.
 
Last edited:
Hubby, a pharmacist, advises trying whatever non-pain pill method works. Neural pain is horrible and addiction to the drugs strong enough to numb it is common, or will knock you loopy (my words, not his).
 
That's nice, except that the pain is so bad, that I am obliged to take a strong pain pill.

I'm very careful when it comes to usage though, meaning that whenever it begins to settle, I'll return to my pain pill of choice (Tylenol with codeine). Although Vicodin is doing the trick, I don't like the "stoned" feeling (If I want to get stoned, that's why we have alcohol.) and would prefer not to need something so strong.

I've have bad pain issues since my late teens. I learned early on how to properly use pain pills. I won't even bother with stuff that tends to be addictive. I tried Ultram once for my fibromyalgia bck in the day. It's not supposed to be addictive. I found out, when I neglected to take some with me on a trip, that for me, it WAS addictive.

They went into the trash.
 
There's only one prescription pill that really helps my back pain when it's horrible, but I haven't taken any in a long time because I'm like you. As far as OTC stuff goes, you obviously want to talk to your doctor but I've found that Advil is the only one that helps at all. I mostly try to use the other things I mentioned (yoga, exercise) to keep things at bay.

How was PT?
 
T'Bonz said:
I tried Ultram once for my fibromyalgia bck in the day. It's not supposed to be addictive. I found out, when I neglected to take some with me on a trip, that for me, it WAS addictive.

They went into the trash.
Click to expand...

OMG, I flinch just hearing about Ultram, I had such a bad experience with it.
 
One thing that I have found with me is the PT, specifically hanging and stretching to relieve the pressure on the herniated disk
 
FrontLine said:
One thing that I have found with me is the PT, specifically hanging and stretching to relieve the pressure on the herniated disk
Click to expand...

You mean traction to get the weight off? Worked great for my neck when I banged my head getting into a minivan. Hubby put his hands around and under my head and neck and lifted up a bit. Heavenly release!
 
^ No. Haven't been offered one.

* *

How was PT?
Click to expand...
So far, I've had 2 sessions. I get the back stretching and warm therapy, then the massage and cold and electrical stim stuff.

This morning was the worst pain yet. I wasn't surprised, as usually right after the first PT or two, I pay. Then things settle. At least that's how it worked with the neck herniations. I have the last PT for this week tomorrow.

When I'm on the pain pills, it's not bad at all. When not, whoowhee. I'm hoping that things will ease off so that I don't have to take them every four hours. But I can barely function without them.

We'll see what happens when I wake up tomorrow. I'm ready for it to leave now. :p (In reality, this will be part of my life for a few weeks, but a bit better every day, I hope.)
 
If you're suffering from neurological pain in your legs due to damage or pressure on your spinal cord, no amount of narcotics or traditional pain meds will alleviate this.

I started taking two drugs last year for this, and I don't know how I lived the last 8 years after breaking my back. I'm, well, happy now.

Ice, not heat.

Even though you know your physical therapist is a god damn nazi, she probably knows what she's doing.

Look into seeing a physiatrist.
 
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