ok... a WHILE back, like a long while... maybe a year ago i started getting a pain in my hip
it was just annoying, no big deal, so i just ignored it
after a few months i decided to go get it checked out. the doctor didnt know exactly what it was, thought it might be "sciatica" and gave me 800 mg IBProfens for a month
while on the IBPs the pain went away but when the bottle ran out, the pain came back
iw ent back again and did an xray, nothing... more IBPs
by this point my sciatic nerve (hence sciatica) was sore/painful down to the back of my knee
Went back again to the doc and was referred to a sports medicine doctor, got an MRI along with vicidin and prednisones
i hate takin pills of any kind, so i tried the vics for like 3 days and they didnt help so i havent touched them since

The MRI came back and i have a herniated disc in my back, which is either pinching or aggravating... or doing something to my sciatic nerve... by now the pain is down to the middle of my calf, and the doc wants me to do surgery

i dont want to do surgery so i opted for physical therapy, which doesnt really seem to be helping at this point, its becoming extremely painful to walk, which isnt good seein as how i go to a huge college and walk at least a mile per day. after about 3 minutes of walking, i can barely extend my leg straight and have to take hobble steps

my question is... have any of you or do any of you know anyone who has had a herniated disc and had to have surgery on it?
I'm just kinda wondering about the procedure, and more specifically the recovery time.
I'm in college now, on my parents insurance, but i graduate in december and who knows if ill be able to find a job at all, let alone one with benefits... the complication there is, i cant just not go to class for 2 months... so i didnt kno what the recovery was like... if i could walk afterwards with no problems, or if i'd be laid up for an amount of time.

sorry for the long post guys, anyone have any info?

 

I've handled, as a lawyer, a bunch of back cases. Here is what you need to be aware of. First, the fact that the pain is radiating symptoms all the way down to your calf and it is essentially unrelenting means that the pressure of the disc on your nerve is severe and advanced. You are risking permanent paralysis by not having it addressed. I'm not a doctor, but you sound like you are past the point where merely taking meds to have the inflamation go down will not be a solution for you. The symptoms you are feeling is nerve damage, which can be temporary or become permanent. You are cutting off the blood flow to the nerve at the point of the pinch/herniation.

Now, there are several ways that it can be addressed surgically. And the type of approach used depends on the mechanics of your particular injury. Sometimes the procedure will take up to a year to fully heal, sometimes you can be up the next day.

This is the most important part. There are all levels of talent and skill in surgeons. Spend your time researching the doctors available to you. Find the guy who went to the best schools, and preferably one who has held teaching positions. Find the best doctor in a tangentially related field and ask him for a referral. For example, neurologists don't do surgery, but they treat nerves. They refer surgical cases to surgeons. They are typically carefull who they refer to and they are in a position to know how the cases come out.

The state board of medical examiners usually have all their info on a doctor on line.

Get a feel for the doctor. You can usually tell the difference between a weirdo and a guy who's on the ball and has plenty of snap.

You want a guy who is board certified in his specialty. Orthopedic Surgery or Neurosurgery. They overlap. You want the best. A genius. Not the guy who just barely made it through or has a drug problem.

Do your homework.

 

I have had a bad back for over 20 years, my bother & sister also suffer from the same problem, so its a genetic thing in our family (More on that later). When it 1st happened I was diagnosed with a herniated disc, luckily, as my wife is an Occupational Therapist, I was able to get in to see a Physio pretty quick, she then referred me to a guy that practices in the private sector.
Ok, My back has & never will be a 100%, in April I went down to the park & just bending down to pick up a ball that my dog had dropped at my feet & POW searing hot pain right across my back. Took me about 10 minutes just to stand up straight (in fact it felt the same as when my back 1st went).
So I just started doing the exercises that my physio had given me to do (+ pain killers)
It did not get any better & after a couple of weeks of me doing my best Banana Man impersonations, I got Sciatica, so bad I could not sleep, walk & could not lift my leg high enough to get on the bike.
After 6 months of Physio & acupuncture, my back is now much, much, better. The Physio actually worked on the nerve itself in the 1st several sessions (that is actually jabbing their thumb into the nerve & holding it there till the pain goes) it helps free the nerve.
Getting to my brother & sister again. My brother opted for surgery, no pain, but he now walks like a Storm trooper, my sister just opted for pain medication & is an addict.
Not saying that an Op won't fix your problem or pain killers don't help, but their are better options to try 1st.
I know that it at the moment your desperate to rid your self of the pain, as its all invasive, especially when you can't eat, sleep or do any bloody thing about it.
Physio & Chiro take time to work, but they do work....
Good luck G3NEYS, believe me mate, you have my sympathies (& support)

 

Radiating pain is a watershed event. It is the indication that the situation is extremely serious.

Read up on the history of Chiropractic. If you do, you will never go to see one. The theory at the basis of it is completely false. Today, the best ones you can find are nothing more than physical therapists who can prescribe their own there own treatments. If real physical therapy can resolve your problem, it will do so 4 to 12 weeks, and no more, as that is how long it takes soft tissues to heal. A herniated disc is NOT a soft tissue problem. It won't go away. If it is impinging on a nerve to the extent of chronic radiating pain through most of your lower extremeties, it isn't going to take a break or reverse itself.

Lots of people with lots of different pain issues swear by chiropractors and physical therapy. In a whole lot of those cases, the soft tissue injury will heal up in time, with or without the treatment. If you are having the treatment, you will probably think the treatment cured you. There is also the placebo effect to consider.

There is a step by step diagnostic procedure that is required for your condition. Some people have herniated disks and don't even know it. Some people have minor symptoms. Unrelenting pain radiating to your calve is neither of those. It is in a whole different league. It can get much worse instantly as described above. If it goes untreated or improperly or inadequately treated, it may very likely become a permanent paralysis. Don't let the fear of treatment make your decision for you. You should only fear poor treatment. You can find someone to do anything to you for money. You need to find someone with enough integrity and training to do the right thing. You need to find out what that is, given a full diagnostic work up.

Don't try to be your own doctor. Get to the best team you can.

 

I've had trouble for a while now...... I've been debating treatment (putting it off)........ Its good to read this thread......

 

ok thank you.
yea im recognizing that it is gettin more urgent. i went to the physical therapist about a week and a half ago, and he said he would give it a maximum of three weeks for the physical therapy to show any improvement, and so far it hasnt. Its kind of scary seeing as how im really active, i ride, i play paintball, basketball, softball, numerous times per week. Im afraid the surgery will leave my back stiff and not able to do those things, but at the same time, at this rate i wont be able to do them anyway.

Im callin tomorrow to set up a consultation with the surgeon that a sports medicine doctor (who sent me for my MRI) referred me too, but i will also see what other surgeons are available in my area.

Thanks for the input, anything other info?
any one else had the surgery?

 

The stiff back thing is about a fusion. And the extent of that even depends on the location and number of levels fused. Usually just one. Most people don't need a fusion unless they have a major mechanical instability along with the pinched nerve. Usually, they can just go in and remove the protruding disc material and you'll feel like new. But it all depends on your particular condition. THE KEY IS TO FIND A GREAT, NOT JUST GOOD, DOCTOR.

 

how exactly do i know how good they are?
the one who im referred to is from here in indiana. He went to Indiana University and Butler University, he is a neuro surgeon who i guess has alot of experience w. herniated discs. Dr. Duncan of Central Indiana Orthopedics, i believe

 

I have had a herniated disc. It put me out of commission for about 3 weeks. Extremely painful, and chiropractic efforts nearly put me in the hospital. I'm not ashamed to say it was the worst pain I've ever had and actually brought me to tears, along with the embarrassment of having to lay face down in the back of a taxi to get home.
Without getting graphic, just try to imagine how your day would start if you were not able to sit... (Not as funny as you might think!)
On the bright side, a good bunch of people combined physio, cardio, exercise ball and walking regimens for me and I was just about back to normal, without surgery, in about 6 weeks. I still have occasional pain 4 years later, but then I'm not as young as I once was - now 47, and I don't exercise as much as I should.
For me, the best exercise was regular backwards stretching. Leaning over backwards as much as I could comfortably and holding 10 seconds. Repeat lots.

Hope that helps. My disc was about at the bottom of Lumbar.

 

I also have a low back condition. It has had me absolutely immobile twice. Literally in so much pain I couldn't adjust my position. The mere attempt at flexing muscle was excrutiating. But that was NOT radiating pain through almost the full length of an extremity. THAT IS DIFFERENT. They will go through the motions of "conservative treatment" which is physical therapy to make certain that you are not going to improve. They don't expect you to because they can see exactly what the problem is on the MRI. They just don't want to get accused of performing premature surgery.

RADIATING PAIN = BIG DEAL