I was diagnosed yesterday with a prolapsed intervertebral disc, at lumbar 3 or 4 level.
Background: I'm a runner, and do some basketball and football. I have two small children. My significant pain began a week ago when I spent the night on my son's bedroom floor (he was having a nightmare; he's 2). When I woke up, I was really sore. However, I have also had regular back pain over the past year after hard games of basketball. Over the next day or so, I had a lot of pain in my back and down my upper left leg. Now, my pain is particularly bad in the mornings - it usually wakes me up quite early. It hurts a lot when I stand, but is much better when I am sitting. In the afternoon, if I've been sitting, the pain almost goes away - although it will return if I stand for a while.
Questions: What is the general course of a prolapsed disc? Am I looking at weeks, months, or longer in terms of difficulties? Does anyone have experience with getting back to exercise after a prolapsed disc - or is this out of the question? I'm just curious about the experience of others with this condition.
Thanks in advance for your responses.
HI YA
SORRY TO HERE ABOUT YOUR PROBLEM ,HOWEVER I CAN TELL IT WILL GET BETTER .I HAVE HAD A PROLAPSED DISC SINCE DEC 06 ,IVE NOT WORKED SINCE .MY PAIN IS CONTROLLED WITH MORPHINE RATHER THAN GO ON ALL DAY ABOUT MY STORY (other people on this site will give you other ideas) MY NUMBER ONE PIECE OF ADVISE I WOULD GIVE YOU IS TO TRY TO KEEP MOVING ,I CAN UNDERSTAND THIS IS NOT AS SIMPLE AS IT SOUNDS WHEN YOU ARE IN SO MUCH PAIN THAT IS WHY IT IS MOST INPORTANT YOU GET AS MUCH PAIN RELIEF AS YOU CAN I CAN NOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH I WILL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE WHAT I TAKE TO KEEP ME MOVING .ZOMORPH 180MG DAILY (slow release morphine),DICLOFENAC 3 A DAY ,PARACETMOL 8 A DAY .AND IF NEED I TAKE LIQUID MORPHINE (oramorph) ONCE YOU HAVE PAIN UNDER CONTROL YOU CAN THEN LOOK AT YOUR OPTIONS I.E MRI SCAN NERVE FREEZE ETC
KIND REGARDS
GARY
Hi
Judith here if you want to look at some of my postings from July on, I have been in pain for 3 months , have paid private for my MRI as was told it would take until Jan nexat year on NHS, I go to physio every week in the hospital I also have been prescribed Gabapentin for the 8 weeks or so which have helped the terrible spasms in the mornings, luck you , you can sit I can't I am best walking all the time. I am waiting for referal for steroid iinjections, but am not to sure about them, want to get others peolple's views. My scan showed thinning of the disks prolapse at L4 and 5 and also osteo arthritis of the lower spine, let me know how you are doing, what pain killers do you take, at the moment I seem to be able to control it a bit with CoCodamol and the Gabapentin.
Jude
Thanks for your replies!
Gary: I like the idea of staying active, although I have to say that the drug regimen you require to stay active makes me a little depressed! It's only been a week or so, but what I've found is that if I push myself a bit in the afternoon (when my pain seems to be at it's lowest level), I pay the next morning. Perhaps foolishly, I went running a few days ago, and I thought - hey, I'm o.k., I can run. However, that evening I started to suffer a bit, and then next morning I was really hurting. The doctor said I shouldn't run for awhile because (I think) of inflamation, and the possibility of making things worse.
Judith: I'm taking CoCodomal and Diclofenac (and anti-inflammatory, I think). I suppose they do something, although the cocodamal may make me a little drowsy. I haven't had the chance to talk with the Dr. to see what's next - I will see him again in a few weeks.
HI YA
ACTIVE 40 YEAROLD
I DID NOT MEAN TO CAUSE YOU ANY CONCERN ABOUT THE TABLETS I TAKE,BUT A PROLAPSED DISC IS A VERY PAINFUL PROBLEM AND EVERY BODYS PAIN WILL BE DIFFERANT AND THERE FORE WILL REQUIRE DIFFERANT STRENTHS OF PAIN CONTROL .IF THE THOUGHT OF TAKING SO MUCH YOU COULD TRY SOME THING I FOUND HELPED ME IN THE EARLY STAGES AS IT REDUCES THE SWELLING AROUND THE DISC AND THAT IS THE HOT AND COLD PAD.START WITH A HOT PAD (water bottle wrapped in a towel or a bean bag that goes in the microwave)AND APPLY TO THE AREA WHERE YOU FEEL THE PAIN IS AFTER 3-4 MINS CHANGE TO AN ICE PACK AGAIN FOR 3-4 MINS THEN THE HOT PACK BUT ALLWAYS END ON THE COLD PACK NEVER END ON THE HOT .TRY IT GIVE IT A GO IT HELPED ME .
REGARDS
GARY
hi all i totally agree with gary on this one with the wheat bag helped me no-end i sometimes put it in the freezer as my physio at the time said it may reduce the inflammation he was right may be worth giving it a go. gail ps i would wait to see if the doctor agrees with you being able to run etc he would know whats best