Herniated Disc... advice would help.

[Temperance]

Hi guys!
So I’ve been experiencing progressively worsening pain in my back since late August/ early September. It was coming in waves for a long time but in the past few weeks it’s constant. I had a bunch of tests run and my GPs office kept telling me my scans were “normal”. I went to the ER, practically begging for someone to help me on Thursday because my pain was practically off the charts it was so bad. I was told by the ER doctor that the results of my MRI were NOT normal and she wasn’t too impressed with my doctors office for saying they were.

Long story short, I have a herniated disc in my back (between my L4 and L5) and pain meds and anti inflammation meds aren’t cutting it. I can’t use cannabis of any form because it messes with my head too much.

Does anyone who has had a herniated disc know of any natural ways to help me get some relief? I will be doing physio now that I know what’s going on but I’m at the end of my rope here.

[Celyn]

Sorry to hear that you have a herniated disc! It sounds very painful for you but it's good that you will be getting physiotherapy in the future.

I've not had a herniated disc, so I can't help much (sorry!) but I've read that gentle exercise can help with the pain. If possible, you might want to visit your GP to see if they can prescribe medication that helps. Alternatively, osteopathy might also help. For more information on symptoms and treating a herniated disc, feel free to check out this (UK based website).

Hope others can provide more advice and that the pain eases for you!

[Storyteller.]

I haven't had a herniated disc before, but I have spent the past year dealing with a bulging disc (which was made a lot worse by an initial misdiagnosis by my GP) so hopefully I can offer some suggestions.

First, exhaust all other options before opting for injections or surgery. There are unfortunately plenty of doctors out there who will recommend more extreme options as some kind of easy fix when in the vast majority of cases it's possible to heal from an injury like this without surgical intervention. If your doctor is really pushing for injections or surgery you're well within your rights to get a second opinion. Your physio should be able to recommend some exercises that will help, which will likely include a lot of low-impact activity like gentle walks, swimming, careful stretches, etc; as you start to heal you can gradually increase the duration and intensity of these, with your physio's guidance.

Unfortunately, there isn't really a way to go through the recovery process without some measure of pain. If your pain meds aren't doing anything then you should definitely talk to your doctor about it and see if they can prescribe something stronger or at least different, but with a serious injury like this it's impossible to avoid pain altogether. The thing to remember is that being in pain doesn't mean it's getting worse, and I found some comfort in being able to recognise whether I was in pain because I'd done something to worsen the injury or whether it was just because I was doing something new/challenging. Above all, listen to your body, and base your pain management on that. Some people find heat or ice helpful, and you might find some relief in having a warm bath (be careful with that, though; I found that I had to reach a certain level of healing before having a bath was actually beneficial). There are also some pain relief creams that you can put on the area as a temporary measure, but I'd recommend talking those through with your GP if you're taking medications as well as there can be some reactions there.

Try not to stay still for too long. When you're in that much pain (and believe me, I've been there) it can be tempting to stay in bed all day because moving is unbearable, but that can actually make things a lot worse and slow down the healing process. It's important to do the stretches and exercise your physio recommends so you can begin to regain some functionality in your spine, but be aware of any warning signs that might mean you'd need further medical attention (e.g. weakness in your legs). It will likely be hard at first but it will get easier the further into recovery you get, so sticking with it is vital. It's also usually better to do things in short, frequent bouts rather than trying to do everything at once. When I was recovering I would stretch several times a day for a couple of minutes each time, which was enough to ease the pain without pushing my body beyond its limits. Try to avoid sitting down or lifting heavy objects as well, for obvious reasons.

There are also certain positions you can try when lying down/sleeping. You could try sleeping on your back with a pillow under your knees or on your side with a pillow between your knees to take some of the pressure off your back. Longer term, you could look into lumbar supports for when you need to sit down, as they can help keep your spine in the right alignment and reduce the chance of future injury. These won't provide instant relief, but I would also recommend looking into magnesium or turmeric supplements, which can (among other things) aid in bone strength and help ease inflammation. Also try to avoid anything that could make the condition worse, such as drinking or smoking. Give your body the time it needs to heal properly.

Ultimately it likely is going to be a painful process, but recovery is definitely possible and it can help to remind yourself that you won't always be in this amount of pain. Everything I said above is just my input based on my own experience and the people I've spoken to because of it, but I'm not a medical professional and you should definitely talk to your doctor and/or physio before making any decisions or altering your recovery routine. Those are all just some bits of advice I picked up while I was healing, and hopefully they can give you a bit of a starting point - as well as some assurance that being in this much pain doesn't mean you're not going to get better. It sucks now but it's possible to recover, and I really hope your recovery goes as smoothly and quickly as possible.

[gjoiiks]

Sorry to hear that you have a herniated disc! It sounds very painful for you but it's good that you will be getting physiotherapy in the future.

[Ernest432]

It'd be helping if you also share the reason which you think hurt your back. Being an athlete I've seen many weight lifters facing issues with back pain. The whole workout routine is much effected due to prolonged back pain. I've experienced that poor posture and weak muscles can cause the pain in back. For correcting the posture these exercises https://www.lifehack.org/681026/exer...mprove-posture can be much helpful. While these should be done with proper guidance of the doctor. Wearing weight lifting belt often helps in supporting the back if the back muscles are not enough strong. See its more benefits here https://www.aqfsports.com/blogs/news...ng-belts-guide .

[RebLinn]

There is a special therapeutic gymnastics to restore the natural shape of the intervertebral disc. You should ask your GP about this. It is not the fastest process, but it is better and cheaper than surgery or permanent pain relief.