Lower back rehabilitation help.

[Wqasz]

Is there anyone on the forum that can give me advice on my recovery from a L5 bulging disc?

First off I am 36 years old. Last year I pulled my back playing basketball. I continued to work out until the pain was unbearable. After visiting the doctor he recommended an MRI and to see a non surgical specialist. I have seen a acupuncture person and that helped alleviate the pain but its not helping the area heal.

The results of my MRI show that the L5 is bulging. Not herniated but bulging. So after a discussion with the doctor he recommended a Steroid injection into the bulging area to help alleviate the bulging from pushing on my nerve.

I never wanted to get the shot but after almost 9 months of pain and no help from the oral steroid pack I concluded I didn’t have much choice.

First off my question is how long should I wait to workout after receiving the first injection. Should I not do certain things after the injection? Can I expect to gain any weight from the steroid injection? Any advice or personal experience would be helpful in my recovery. If you need any more information let me know.

Thank you

[Superman]

Is there anyone on the forum that can give me advice on my recovery from a L5 bulging disc?

First off I am 36 years old. Last year I pulled my back playing basketball. I continued to work out until the pain was unbearable. After visiting the doctor he recommended an MRI and to see a non surgical specialist. I have seen a acupuncture person and that helped alleviate the pain but its not helping the area heal.

The results of my MRI show that the L5 is bulging. Not herniated but bulging. So after a discussion with the doctor he recommended a Steroid injection into the bulging area to help alleviate the bulging from pushing on my nerve.

I never wanted to get the shot but after almost 9 months of pain and no help from the oral steroid pack I concluded I didn’t have much choice.

First off my question is how long should I wait to workout after receiving the first injection. Should I not do certain things after the injection? Can I expect to gain any weight from the steroid injection? Any advice or personal experience would be helpful in my recovery. If you need any more information let me know.

Thank you

What your about to do, seem like you have no choice. That's without an experience with more pain, for a longer time. Take the injection and feel it out from there.

[ali23]

rest, ice, heat, bath tub, chiro, ice, ice, ice, medication

[Jr. Yates]

rest, ice, heat, bath tub, chiro, ice, ice, ice, medication

[SPysHagg]

ice or heat?....

[drkaje]

Don't go to one of those witch doctors!!!!

Actually, the shot will reduce the pain and make some guy's Mercedes payment. It's not a long term soloution and at your age surgery isn't the best option either. I'd try the chiro, aggressive soft tissue massage (ART) with a rehab routine (I'm more a fan of McKenzie, but even the swiss ball stuff will work if you're not overweight.

PT is also a great option in a lot of cases providing it's someone with training/experience in sports injuries.

[super633]

I just had a bad accident at work. My MRI showed severe neural stenosis at  L3 L4 L5 and S1. It’s been a long painful 2 months.  I have been doing prednisone , but it doesn’t help. My neurosurgeon feels that surgery is still a ways away.  I just would like to hear from anyone how might of gone this way before. I hate to give up ! I hope to get back to the gym some day soon. Any impute would be helpful

[drkaje]

I just had a bad accident at work. My MRI showed severe neural stenosis at  L3 L4 L5 and S1. It’s been a long painful 2 months.  I have been doing prednisone , but it doesn’t help. My neurosurgeon feels that surgery is still a ways away.  I just would like to hear from anyone how might of gone this way before. I hate to give up ! I hope to get back to the gym some day soon. Any impute would be helpful

I'll probably get abused for this but..... chiropractic care will do very little for severe stenosis especially at multiple levels like that. Honestly, you'd be better off slowly strengthening your core and making a lot of life-style changes. Depending on your age surgery is probably a bad options as well. General advice is wait until you can't live with the pain or can barely walk before getting surgery. It probably reads extreme but surgery will change your life a lot and many cases, not for the better. I don't know enough about radioablation and some of the micro surgeries.

If your neuro wants to do a decompression (make some room for the nerve roots) instead of a laminectomy that might be fine but you'll still never regain full function/strength. There are a few less invasive options available from good pain management specialists, insist on a referral. Insist because doctors never want to admit they don't know something.

Why I read this before going to do legs, I'll never know. Now I'll be as nervous as a whore in church.