Diablo Ryu**
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Surgery was the only option for me also since it would just get worse and affect both legs with numbness and pain...glad i had the surgery.
Herniated Disk -- Do they ever Heal?
- Thread starter tjitsu
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Resurrecting this thread... any of you guys that have had surgery have any more updates?
I've been dealing with issues from C5/C6 herniation for almost 4 years now, suffered significant atrophy in my left arm (bicep, deltoid, forearm all shrunk down) and with grip strength. Still trained BJJ but had to be very careful and modify a lot of stuff.
Of late the atrophy and lack of return of muscle (even after working on it) has really troubled me, went to go see a spine surgeon yesterday. He's recommending a full artificial disc replacement. He says I will be able to get back to the gym/on the mat 3 months after the surgery if my recovery and PT goes well.
Does anyone have any experience with this? I am always wary of surgeons who make big $$$ recommending surgery, since that is their M.O., but I have tried all other options (PT, 2x cortisone injections, acupuncture) and nothing has fully resolved my problem or prevented continued atrophy/degeneration of my muscles.
At this point I am very scared of possible long term/permanent nerve damage.
Any info would be much appreciated.
I've been dealing with issues from C5/C6 herniation for almost 4 years now, suffered significant atrophy in my left arm (bicep, deltoid, forearm all shrunk down) and with grip strength. Still trained BJJ but had to be very careful and modify a lot of stuff.
Of late the atrophy and lack of return of muscle (even after working on it) has really troubled me, went to go see a spine surgeon yesterday. He's recommending a full artificial disc replacement. He says I will be able to get back to the gym/on the mat 3 months after the surgery if my recovery and PT goes well.
Does anyone have any experience with this? I am always wary of surgeons who make big $$$ recommending surgery, since that is their M.O., but I have tried all other options (PT, 2x cortisone injections, acupuncture) and nothing has fully resolved my problem or prevented continued atrophy/degeneration of my muscles.
At this point I am very scared of possible long term/permanent nerve damage.
Any info would be much appreciated.
Prolotherapy has helped me tremendously. It basically starts a controlled inflammation process to the ligaments so that the body would start to repair itself. It is the only thing that has worked for me. You may want to google either prolotherapy or PRP. My neck feels about 99 percent after the prolo sessions
Diablo Ryu**
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Its been a lil over three months for me since surgery, I started lifting weights a month after, sooner than recommended but have been fine, no pain, i haven't tried grappling yet or running yet since I was told to wait...im taking things slow since I was told playing basketball and running would compress my spine so just take the time...I miss grappling but want to make sure im fine which I think I am but just scared of the pain I was suffering before. As for the neurosurgeons I had one of the best and my insurance covered it. I cant imagine how much it would cost out of pocket
Wow, thanks for that info. I'm actually seeing a doc on Monday that specializes in prolotherapy.
Thanks for the update... was your surgery cervical/lumbar/thoracic?
Did you look at neurosurgeons vs. orthopaedic surgeons specializing in spines? I've heard going to a neuro is preferable...
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Just to update for those with neck issues. My neck did get a lot better, though its not 100%. I still have issues and pain and tingling but not anything like before.
I am back to training though not with the regularity or intensity that I did before.
As far as pillows, a cheap memory foam one has helped me more than anything else. I bought a newer one which was too soft and have since gone back to the old one (its like orange colored foam).
Some people swear by buckwheat pillows but I haven't tried them yet. A good pillow, and sleeping in the proper position has helped more than everything else combined. Do NOT sleep on your stomach!
Diablo Ryu**
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Mine was L5 S1...I was in extreme pain, leg was numb I couldn't lift my leg or bend over...I didn't have to look for a dr. I went to my general practitioner, had the mri, they forwarded it to the neurosurgeon and had my meeting with him and that was that, mosy likely since I had insurance all the guess work was taken out of it. Its been a lil over three months and I feel good. They removed a huhe chunk thay was protruding that shouldve had both legs numb, sooner or later it wouldve been if not for the surgery.
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Just re-inured mine yesterday on very light deadlifts, maybe not quite enough warmup. It's always a little f-ed up, the best I can get is that it doesn't hurt too much to sleep or train. Cortisone shots never helped me much, but I'm worried that surgery might cause even more permanent damage or leave me unable to practice BJJ.
Thought on chiropractors? Worth anything or just hustlers?
Thought on chiropractors? Worth anything or just hustlers?
Diablo Ryu**
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Chiropractors can do more damage. Whats your injury?
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two herniated discs in my lower back, L5-S1 IIRC.
Chiropractic did nothing for me. The better ones just end up doing standard physical therapy anyway.
Cortisone helped me a ton (cervical disc herniation) but the pain/symptoms always returned, and now I have pretty severely atrophied muscles.
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I had the surgery. ..I recommend it...same discs
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Which surgery?
Diablo Ryu**
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The get your back fixed surgery! They cut out part of the discs to take the pressure off the nerves. Dont limit yourself.
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Depends. If you have one that focuses on muscle work, ART, and NOT!!!! adjustments then they can help a lot.
I personally will not ever have my back or neck 'adjusted.'
A lot of times muscle work around the area can do a lot more good than anything else. Foam rollers, lacrosse balls, massage, stretching, etc.
realize there are more than one surgeries out there to repair this issue. You should see a neuro surgeon and weigh the pros and cons of each treatment.
My pain is only during certain activities. It has worsen during the years and it limits somewhat how heavy of people I roll with. When I am against a 200lber I rarely try and huge throws.
But I have no problems with numbness. And after any surgery numbness can occur. And they can not always guarantee that the pain will leave. All they can do is improve function which may or may not be corrected.
this being said .. there are new techniques and things developed every year. They have minimally invasive laser surgery to correct minor issues that have very low low side effects.
IMHO for a back like mine if I can just ride it out till I am 50 science will have had advanced to the point where I can agree with the surgeon on a procedure.
My pain is only during certain activities. It has worsen during the years and it limits somewhat how heavy of people I roll with. When I am against a 200lber I rarely try and huge throws.
But I have no problems with numbness. And after any surgery numbness can occur. And they can not always guarantee that the pain will leave. All they can do is improve function which may or may not be corrected.
this being said .. there are new techniques and things developed every year. They have minimally invasive laser surgery to correct minor issues that have very low low side effects.
IMHO for a back like mine if I can just ride it out till I am 50 science will have had advanced to the point where I can agree with the surgeon on a procedure.
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I herniated my C6-C7 on Christmas eve so its been just over a month since the injury happened. About an hour or two after I noticed the first signs of pain the pain grew to the point of where it was almost unbearable. My right arm went completely numb and the muscles in my right arm, pec, and back were twitching all over the place. After the twitching went away I was left with close to zero strength in my tricep, forearm, lat and pec, all on the right side of my body. A trip to the hospital confirmed that it was a cervical herniated disc.
The first week I was in the most pain I've ever felt in my entire life. There was no way to escape the pain, it was scary. I went and got a facet injection about 5 days after the injury and it helped slightly with the severity of the pain.
The second week I started going to acupuncture. I was skeptical at first but I was willing to try anything to get the pain to go away, the last thing I was thinking about was training, my main concern at that point was for the intense pain to go away. After my first session I noticed that I was now able to sit in certain positions where the pain was very dull, where as before no position would relieve any of the pain. I went to acupuncture three days that week with slight improvements in pain and range of motion in my neck each time.
The third week I continued with acupuncture and now the pain was starting to get significantly better. At this point I was feeling good enough to try some cardio. I would do a few sets on the versa climber every day. At first I was worried that this would upset the herniation but surprisingly it actually relieved the pain. I ended up going to acupuncture another three times that week and did cardio 5 days that week.
The fourth week I started physical therapy. At this point my pain was very dull but my right pec, lat and tricep were still extremely weak and the fingers in my right hand were still very numb. I ended up going to physical therapy twice that week with slight improvement in my strength after each session. I also went to acupuncture once.
The fifth week (this week) I noticed a sudden significant improvement in my strength since my second physical therapy session. I even felt good enough to do some drills with my instructor. Two days later I avoided positions that would put pressure on my neck and ended up training a few rounds and felt fine. Another two days later (today) I ended up training pretty hard with close to no pain. I also ended up going to acupuncture once and physical therapy another two days this week.
As of now the fingers in my right hand are still numb and my strength is far from where it was before my injury but it is quickly improving each day. I also still feel dull pain shooting down my right arm but I barely even notice it anymore. I plan on training 3-4 days next week with continued phyical therapy and acupunture. After that Im planning on going back to training 6 days a week and I have no reason to believe that I wont be fine to compete at Pans and maybe even Boston Open if all goes well with my recovery. I know this is a wall of text but I took the time to write this hoping that some of you could take some of these steps to help with your recovery. This is such a shitty injury to have but don't let it turn you away from something you love to do. I wish anyone suffering from a disc herniation a speedy recovery and a quick return to the mats!
The first week I was in the most pain I've ever felt in my entire life. There was no way to escape the pain, it was scary. I went and got a facet injection about 5 days after the injury and it helped slightly with the severity of the pain.
The second week I started going to acupuncture. I was skeptical at first but I was willing to try anything to get the pain to go away, the last thing I was thinking about was training, my main concern at that point was for the intense pain to go away. After my first session I noticed that I was now able to sit in certain positions where the pain was very dull, where as before no position would relieve any of the pain. I went to acupuncture three days that week with slight improvements in pain and range of motion in my neck each time.
The third week I continued with acupuncture and now the pain was starting to get significantly better. At this point I was feeling good enough to try some cardio. I would do a few sets on the versa climber every day. At first I was worried that this would upset the herniation but surprisingly it actually relieved the pain. I ended up going to acupuncture another three times that week and did cardio 5 days that week.
The fourth week I started physical therapy. At this point my pain was very dull but my right pec, lat and tricep were still extremely weak and the fingers in my right hand were still very numb. I ended up going to physical therapy twice that week with slight improvement in my strength after each session. I also went to acupuncture once.
The fifth week (this week) I noticed a sudden significant improvement in my strength since my second physical therapy session. I even felt good enough to do some drills with my instructor. Two days later I avoided positions that would put pressure on my neck and ended up training a few rounds and felt fine. Another two days later (today) I ended up training pretty hard with close to no pain. I also ended up going to acupuncture once and physical therapy another two days this week.
As of now the fingers in my right hand are still numb and my strength is far from where it was before my injury but it is quickly improving each day. I also still feel dull pain shooting down my right arm but I barely even notice it anymore. I plan on training 3-4 days next week with continued phyical therapy and acupunture. After that Im planning on going back to training 6 days a week and I have no reason to believe that I wont be fine to compete at Pans and maybe even Boston Open if all goes well with my recovery. I know this is a wall of text but I took the time to write this hoping that some of you could take some of these steps to help with your recovery. This is such a shitty injury to have but don't let it turn you away from something you love to do. I wish anyone suffering from a disc herniation a speedy recovery and a quick return to the mats!
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I have 4 bulged discs but l5 and c6 are certainly the worst.
However, proper rest and injury awareness have been integral to recovery.
In the case of my l5, I was debilitated for 6 or so months and another 6 months of barely tolerable discomfort. I toughed it out and turned down surgical options after careful thought; spinal surgeries don't necessarily guarantee improvement.
Today I am "fine" - but I am extremely conscious of weight bearing and unnecessary bending.
My c6 broke me - severe fissure and crushed nerve; 3 months was the prescribed timeframe to ascertain a surgical necessity.... at about the 11th week I turned a corner and cancelled my surgery appointment.
That was about a year ago...I felt good for bjj at about 4 months post injury and at 6 I returned.
I feel great..but for a bucket tear in my meniscus a week ago and now recovering post op.
However, proper rest and injury awareness have been integral to recovery.
In the case of my l5, I was debilitated for 6 or so months and another 6 months of barely tolerable discomfort. I toughed it out and turned down surgical options after careful thought; spinal surgeries don't necessarily guarantee improvement.
Today I am "fine" - but I am extremely conscious of weight bearing and unnecessary bending.
My c6 broke me - severe fissure and crushed nerve; 3 months was the prescribed timeframe to ascertain a surgical necessity.... at about the 11th week I turned a corner and cancelled my surgery appointment.
That was about a year ago...I felt good for bjj at about 4 months post injury and at 6 I returned.
I feel great..but for a bucket tear in my meniscus a week ago and now recovering post op.
