Bad Back Blog - Herniated Disc

L4 L5 Herniated Disc, Leg & Back Pain.

I’m writing this in-case anyone else is going through this, wants to talk about types of therapies available, what works for them, what doesn’t. I guess it’s hard to find your way through the snake oil sales men, the orthopedic surgeons and the neurosurgeons.

Well, this is hard to write.

About 8 or 9 weeks ago I started getting a pains in my hips and lower back.

It progressed more into my hip and less from my back. I honestly thought I had something out in my hip.

I initially saw a chiropractor who gave some initial relief, but the second time I saw him I probably walked away slightly worse.

It was at this point I thought it’s time to move to a more traditional approach, so off to the GP.

They prescribed panadene forte (serious pain killers) and 1 5mg Valium at night, and 5 day/nights of bed rest. I can tell you work wasn’t too happy, but thank god for email and laptops.

The panadene kills the pain during the day and the valium relaxes the muscles at night which in theory should reduce the pressure on the disc and allow the body to heal the injury itself.

After 5 days and a serious no improvement status I went back to a different GP. This GP said the treatment of drugs was okay, but to also include an anti-inflammatory. This GP also suggested the opposite of bed rest and to get up and walk and move as much as possible without extreme pain… for those who have what I’m talking about, you’re either comfortable or in extreme pain.. she also suggested a physio.

I made a booking that day for the physio, and he put my on the tenz machine (electric impulse thingy) and strapped my back. He said he’d do traction (where they stretch your back and lets out for some pain relief) but I was too acute to do it that day, and to come back in a few days. He also recommended another anti-inflammatory because the one I was on was giving me severe stomach cramps.

Returning to the doctor to get the prescription for the new anti-inflamatories, I got to see a new GP… this one said he wouldn’t prescribe the new drug, and that I should see a specialist.

The specialist had a waiting list of about 6 weeks, but the GP rang them personally and got me in the following day, I’ve since been rushed in for an MRI as the CT scan didn’t give enough detail to diagnose where the actual pain was coming from.

The specialist also prescribed prenislone (which is typically an asthma steroid) but has the effect of shrinking the size of the discs, which should reduce the size of a reptured/herniated disc and relive the pressure.

Prednislone is not a long term drug, I think you’re meant to get on it full-strength for 5 days then start reducing the dose back down to zero.

I have had significant improvements from the prenislone and the pain killers, and even found myself back at work for a week. I’d say I was 80% back to normal, which although isn’t great it’s manageable.

However I think the new found movement and freedom has actually done me more damage. I started moving again, and you start to think things are on the improve.. which is great because the idea of epidural injections, back operations and fusion etc is not desierable.

I think the movement I had and the sitting I was doing have created more disc tissue to eject through the crack in the disc, and it’s seriously created me more problems.

Everyone has an opinion and I hope with this I can try to get to the bottom of it, and help others too as well.

So far in Australia I’ve found Gary Speck to be a leading authority as an orthopedic surgeon, who from what I can gather prefers not to do surgery as a first option but as a last option.

If anyone else can suggest neurosurgeons etc, physiotherapists etc please do… ideally in Melbourne, but I’ll take suggestions from all over.

Subscribe to Bad Back Blog by Email

Innovative back and joint pain products, including health tips, latest research and therapies. Discover smart solutions in ergonomics, supports, exercise, massage products and much more!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 13th, 2006 at 2:52 pm and is filed under More Herniated Discs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.