Anyone fixed a herniated disc without surgery?

[Chief Big Toe]

had my discectomy back in 89, if I had it to do over again.... perhaps, but not sure there is no true way of getting around surgery as the disk is bulged out ,, no way to push it back in.. only IMO good luck ya..

[tex4k]

I did physical therapy, time, and paying very close attention to posture for a long time fixed me up. You've got to find out what it is that's causing the hernia to maintain and not repair. For me it was spending many hours in a Ford truck with no lumbar support.

[Cajun Blake]

make sure you find a reputable doctor that you trust. To avoid surgery, conservative treatment options include LESI (lumbar epidural steroid injections), RFA (radio-frequency ablation) where the burn the nerves, and possibly a SCS (spinal cord stimulator) on a trial or permanent basis. The aforementioned are often times recommended by a physiatrist or pain management doctor. If these don't work then surgery would be the last resort.

[JTeLarkin08]

I guess I should add this was a injury due to lifting a heavy part. I felt it happen. This wasn’t so much due to just normal use/wear and tear.


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[Outback]

I had a neck issue a year or so back that caused severe upper arm pain. Went to a surgeon who recommended surgery, then went to a pain management doctor who gave me some drugs that made me loopy (and didn't like that approach at all) then tried a chiropractor who recommended therapy which I did for a while. Not really helped. Then I went to airrosti therapy (chiro specialty) for 3 visits. The therapy was painful and the therapies were challenging but I continued to do the therapies at the gym (just did them this morning in fact) and this made all the difference. Stretch and open the spine with good posture, strengthened core and stretching. After doing this daily for a few months, I was pain free.

[JTeLarkin08]

Well I went to the chiropractor and showed him the MRI report and he said he won’t even work on me. Lol basically said I’ll need surgery because of how severe the herniation is. If I get it done in late Jan I think I can be back by September archery season.


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[double bogey]

I have 2 hd's right at the belt line. Through the years I got by with ESI's and anti inflammatory drugs. The ESI's worked well if I followed dr's directions. I lost 35 lbs and started riding a mountain bike on local trails and have not had any issues in 6 yrs or so. I think the riding position and leg exercising really helps stretch out the lower back, but the weight loss probably helped just as much.

[Dusty Britches]

JT - as most have said, chiropractors are not a good choice on herinations. Texas Brain and Spine Institute looked at my first MRI and kept asking me the same questions over and over. I had already had 4 months of PT and went from barely able to walk to walking normal but still in pain. He finally said, "You don't understand - people with MRI's like that do not get out of bed. I don't know what you've been doing, but keep doing it." I pushed through a plateau with PT and never looked back, until about a year later.

I stood up from my chair and about fell with pain down both legs. I went back to TBSI with a new MRI within a week. Same doc said the herination had not changed in size but thought it had calcified. They did emergency surgery 2 days later. He had to scrape it off my nerve very carefully. He thought I would have permanent leg damage but I did not. After surgery I went through 3 months of PT and was good to go. I was shooting my bow 2 months after surgery.

TBSI has centers all over the state. Go to the one closest to you.

[nursejenn]

If you have not had an MRI go to an Ortho and get one.

Depending on the degree and severity of the herniation, you should stay away from a Chiro until you get an Ortho opinion. A Chiro who is giving you the standard manipulations to you with a herniation would scare the crap out of me and very well could make it worse. I have seen it many times.

An Ortho will try the conservative measures listed above in other posts - in part because it very well could help resolve the symptoms and in part because he is required to do so by most insurance companies. Once all conservative measures fail, you very well may be a candidate for a laminectomy or more drastic procedures. All depends on the severity of the herniation.

As we say, you can treat and sometimes resolve the disc symptoms and pain, but the herniation will remain. You just try to get it to a point that it is no longer a source of daily pain.

Alter what you do and how you do it.

Drop the extra pounds and when you are able, start a daily routine of exercise and core building.

This is everything I wanted to say...

9mm?


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That is LARGE...

Well I went to the chiropractor and showed him the MRI report and he said he won’t even work on me. Lol basically said I’ll need surgery because of how severe the herniation is. If I get it done in late Jan I think I can be back by September archery season.


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My hubby had a large herniation at L5-S1 2 years ago. He had discectomy on July 10, 2017 and by the end of November he was shooting his bow again. You should be fine to do it at the beginning of the year. I would recommend my husbands surgeon hands down because he is of the the best surgeons with the best bedside manner that I’ve ever met... but he moved his practice to Boston a little over a year ago. [emoji53][emoji53][emoji53]

[DPElite]

Had a herniation in L4/L5 S1 6mm to be exact. Couldn’t walk at times and sitting for long periods of times made excruciating. After getting the mri to give me all the info I looked into doing a decompression bed. My chiropractor happened to have one of the top beds for this ( DRX9000 ).

https://excitemedical.com

After a couple 2-3 months of going twice a week there was a huge difference in pain. Walking and strengthening up the core and psoas muscles helps as well.
I would suggest starting here if I were in your shoes. Surgery is the last resort.

Good luck to y’all with this pain as I know what your dealing with.


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[JES]

9mm?


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Stop going to the chiropractor.

[JES]

Well I went to the chiropractor and showed him the MRI report and he said he won’t even work on me. Lol basically said I’ll need surgery because of how severe the herniation is. If I get it done in late Jan I think I can be back by September archery season.


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Good call.

I had my L5/S1 was basically so degenerated it wasn't doing anything but making my life miserable. I tried everything to prevent major surgery. In the end I had the joint fused and have been pain free from that ever since. I still have issues, mostly because I am sitting at a desk too much and not having the strength in my core like I need.

So, if you do the surgery route, once you are fully recovered from surgery focus on core strength, and that's not ab workouts, lots of glute exercises!

You have a long road to recovery no matter what route you take.

[Hughiam]

I have had 4 surgeries at L4-L5 including a fusion as well as a fusion at C2-C6. I tried everything, PT, steriod shots, etc. I bulged my first disk at 27 and they did a partial laminectomy. I was "ok" for many years but with lots of flair ups. My neck and back both started going south in 2013 I found an amazing Neurosurgeon who immediately diagnosed both, said I need surgery fast. He did my neck and found immediate relief. Due to lots of fighting with my insurance company, they would only do the left side of my L4L5. It has a high failure rate, but I had it done in 2014. It failed in 15 and they had to go back in and do both sides. In 16, my scar tissue and calcification screwed up the left side again and they went back in, pulled the hardware, ground away the bone and so far Im ok. Long story, but find a neurosurgeon not an ortho. good luck!

[Billy Shipp]

I had back surgery 7 or 8 years ago, it helped for a bit but the pain returned.
I started the Spinal Cord Stimulator 3 day trial on Thursday (4-14-22), zero back pain other than from the procedure itself....I think it will be just the ticket for my chronic back pain so I'm scheduling the permanent device implant ASAP.

[bermise]

From the few people I know with back issues, chiropractors caused more problems than they solved. Lose weight and strengthen core are better remedies.