L4-L5 herniated disc - Back Pain Update #3
Okay it’s 12 days out since my epidural injection.
I’d have to say I’ve probably got an improvement of around 20%.
I think something has moved in my back and the pain has shifted from my left ass cheek and left leg thigh to my left calf and ankle.
I’ve been told I have got some nerve damage as my left big toe has lost about 80% of it’s strength when you try to lift it up (but at the end of the day they tell me that doesn’t really matter).
The pain has gone from strongh sharp pains to dull pains that wave in and out of the calf and ankle.
I guess with the reduction in sharp pains I’ve managed to significantly reduce the amount of pain killers I’ve been taking.
Trust me the Panadene Forte has some serious cement like action… if you know what I mean.
I feel if the current course of improvement continues I’ll probably be back at work in 2 - 3 weeks, and I’ve been told that disc injuries generally take 6 - 7 weeks to get recovery, but in bad cases can take up to 24 weeks to get back to normal without invasive treatment.
I guess I’m feeling a lot more positive about it as I’m seeing some improvements, I’m able to bend a lot easier and move around a lot more.
Walking and standing is still very painful and I couldn’t go more than 50 meters without having to sit or lie down.
Anyhow the I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now.
I wanted to speed the recovery process with exercises etc, but after talking to the back specialist (Gary Speck who is one of Australia’s best back orthopedic surgeons and world renouned) I’ve been told any exercises during an acute phase of disc herniation are not advised. He recommends nothing but bed rest and trying to just get up and move around throughout the day.
He went so far to say that seeing a physio or chiro in his mind would have the following results:
25% chance of improvement, 25% chance of no improvement, 50% chance of doing more damage…. so I take that as do nothing.
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July 28th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Its been 6 years for me and 0 improvement. Work comp case in ca, so even though I have been suggested for 2 surgeries, they have not been approved. What scares me the most is the increasing numbness in my feet and nerve pain and now atrophy. I hope you fared better than me. I wonder who recovers from a ruptured disc as fast as you say? I have never met anyone who has! I am glad I found your blog, though.