3 herniated discs!

MASIAH

MASIAH

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I have 3 herniated discs in my cervical spine, all on top of one another. 2 are pushing to the left slightly, and one is bulging to the right pretty bad. Enough to give me right arm weakness! The neurologist told me to try about 8 weeks of physical therapy. If that does not work, she recommends surgery. My question is, do you guys think physical therapy will help, I have never had p.t. before. I really don't want surgery! Thanks in advance! :D


Masiah!
 
MASIAH said:
I have 3 herniated discs in my cervical spine, all on top of one another. 2 are pushing to the left slightly, and one is bulging to the right pretty bad. Enough to give me right arm weakness! The neurologist told me to try about 8 weeks of physical therapy. If that does not work, she recommends surgery. My question is, do you guys think physical therapy will help, I have never had p.t. before. I really don't want surgery! Thanks in advance! :D


Masiah!
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At the risk of sounding like a broken record...

YES, physical therapy works. I'll start by saying I'm a devoted pessimist and like yourself, I thought PT was a bunch of crap.

I fractured a lumbar vertebrae snowboarding in 1997. The impact destroyed the muscle tissue in my lower back. As a result, i had a nasty limp for the better part of a month. Two years later, I tore my rotator cuff in a freestyle wrestling match. I didn't get much medical treatment for either. The military, in their infinite wisdom, gave me motrin in both cases.

I had lingering pain in my back and shoulder up until 2005. When I got tired of feeling like crap, I got refered to a PT. He showed me several exercises and stretches that any normal person without an injury should have no trouble doing. These exercises almost made me pass out from the pain the first time I tried them. That little bastard lit me up. Three months later, my back and my shoulder were feeling great.

PT sucks. It takes time and it hurts, but it is very worth it especially if it helps you avoid back surgery. Hope this helps. You have my sympathy. Back pain blows.
 
im currently in PT for my herniated discs in my lower back.
the PT seems to be helping me along in my daily routine but i cant workout anymore like i used to.
i would suggest going to an athletic type facility that works on football and sports type injuries for best results. All i can do is stretch for now...nobody wants to go under the knife
 
Physical training will definitely do a lot more than anything else you might come up with, so really it's your best and only choice if you want to get healthy.
 
Hey Masiah I spoke to this guy at work today.. he said he could hardly even walk because of his bad back and then he went and saw a physio therapist and now hes walking fine without pain.

How'd u do ur bak ?
 
I really appreciate all your help guys. I think I have been hit in the head a lot sparring plus getting my neck pulled during jiu jitsu. Who knows, I just want to get better man! Thanks for all your help!


Masiah!
 
Would a Chiropractor be good for Herniated discs? Anyone know?
 
You 're pobably gonna do some exercises to help change the chemistry and fluid distibution of the disks in your neck (i.e. help alleviate the impingement/pressure off of the cervical nerves)

Then you're probably gonna do some isometrics for your neck then some arm strethening. Oh yeah...let me not forget traction.......I love traction =). Ultrasound. Maybe some TENS (electric stimulation-if you have some pain)

These will work if your HNP is mild to moderate........severe/sequestered HNPs are gonna need a discectomy. You'll know after about 6 wks of therapy.

Just out of curiousity do you have any neurological symptoms besides the weakness. Pain, numbness, or tingling down the arm? If you do what is the distribution?
 
Oh yeah...pick your PTs wisely......make sure they have a lot of experience dealing with this kind of condition.

Don't go to places that are just patient mills. Places where one therapist sees over 4 patients an hour. If you find places that specialize in spinal conditions go for it and make sure they take their time with you. Its also nicer if you find someone that has manual therapy experience. He doesn't have to be certified but he should be comfortable placing his/her hands on you and feel like they know what they're doing.
 
I would definately reccomend seeing the PT. That is your best bet.
 
Most likely doing some PT combined with your body's tendency to heal itself [to some degree] over time will help and you shouldn't need surgery. Cases vary, but you'll probably be fine.
 
After 2 years of PT, steroid shots in the spine, and everything else I ended up having to have surgery to fix my blown out disk BTW I'm only 25 and in very good shape so it wasn't just because I'm old. If you try the PT and that doesnt help the surgery is scary but it really does help the pain go away.
 
something about this thread always cracks me up. i think its the thought of some guy sitting in front of his computer with a bent neck in extreme pain trying to get help on the internet. just waiting patiently in extreme pain. lol
 
OpethDrums said:
something about this thread always cracks me up. i think its the thought of some guy sitting in front of his computer with a bent neck in extreme pain trying to get help on the internet. just waiting patiently in extreme pain. lol
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I don't know man....I've seen some pretty bad neck cases. It's scary shit. Evrytime I hurt my neck rolling...I'm always wodering did i blow a disk? will my arm get weak? will I get numbness and tingling tommorow? Will my hands turn into useless claws? Will I be able to work? and the scariest thought: "Shit will I have to quit Jiu Jitsu forever?"
 
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