Bulging Disc

[cbrunny]

I have one in my lower back as diagnosed by my highly competent Chiropractor. Going to see GP today too, and they'll likely order x-rays.

Anyone ever had this? any advice on how to help relieve some pain and discomfort?

 

[lk2500]

Hit up physical therapy so they can show you the stretches you need to do and how to do them properly. Then do them religiously. Also study up on proper posture so you don't keep aggravating the disc - physical therapist will go over that with you as well.

I am assuming you have nerve pain running down your leg?

There was a lengthy thread here a year or two ago about somebody with a herniated disc, you might want to try searching for it. Let me know if you have any other specific questions - I went through a torn disc a few years ago.

 

[TheVrolok]

So what did the GP say?

 

[cbrunny]

So what did the GP say?

Not much really. Physio, treat the pain. No imaging unless it gets worse. They didn't say anything about stopping exercise or the like. I think my case is fairly minor though.

I don't have a shooting pain down my leg - when I run I feel a stabbing pain behind my knee (er, well I did when I ran last, which was a week ago). No pain when I swim or bike though which is good. My lower back area is still experiencing discomfort but it isn't really pain anymore. The Advil is helping and I'm doing the stretches and exercises multiple times a day. As far as I can tell the recovery is going well. It is definitely less each day, albeit very small increments.

My Chiro says this injury should be symptom free in a few weeks in my case but wont be fully healed for 6-12 months. I guess something about the disk's nerve endings are only around the outside, not so much on the inside. So the outside heals relatively quickly but it takes a while for the inside to heal due to lower blood flow, but you just cant feel it due to a lack of nerve endings. So I guess that's good?

Heat helps relax everything and promotes blood flow which feels great and has a lasting effect I've noticed.

 

[lk2500]

Sounds like you are on the right track. The trick is not to let up on the core work and stretching once you begin to feel better, the disc can slide right back if you don't.

 

[eits]

Silly to order x-rays for something you can't see on x-ray LOL

It's actually silly to order imaging at all if you already know what's wrong via symptomatology and exam findings. It's not going to change the course of treatment, which will most likely be distraction, neutralizing pelvic tilt, improving deep core strength and lumbopelvic stability, glute strengthening, and thoracic mobility.

Stretches are generally to either kill time, show the patient that they're not as bad as they think they are, or because the person recommending them doesn't realize that static stretching does nothing.

 

[Pantlegz]

Stretches are generally to either kill time, show the patient that they're not as bad as they think they are, or because the person recommending them doesn't realize that static stretching does nothing.

That's funny, I've gained considerably hamstring flexibility with static stretches in a couple months after trying to improve it with Yoga for about a year because I followed advice like that. I'm sure doing both things play into each other but the blanket statement that static stretching does nothing is misleading.

 

[deadlyapp]

Silly to order x-rays for something you can't see on x-ray LOL

It's actually silly to order imaging at all if you already know what's wrong via symptomatology and exam findings. It's not going to change the course of treatment, which will most likely be distraction, neutralizing pelvic tilt, improving deep core strength and lumbopelvic stability, glute strengthening, and thoracic mobility.

Stretches are generally to either kill time, show the patient that they're not as bad as they think they are, or because the person recommending them doesn't realize that static stretching does nothing.

It's pretty widely known now that static stretching doesn't really stretching the muscle to any appreciable amount but arguably does a lot psychologically. To say static stretching does absolutely nothing is silly.

 

[eits]

Static stretching, generally speaking, does nothing to actually help improve quality of movement and flexibility long-term. It does help for the short-term, but the muscles will slowly start going back to the way they were. So, overall, at the end of the day, it does nothing.

As for doing static stretches for yoga, it is more likely that that you're contracting muscles eccentrically which is aiding in muscle lengthening rather than the actual static stretch.