Herniated discs in neck/lower back
- Thread starter DeeCee
- Start date
Before you try any surgery, get yourself a home traction device. I have a portable one for the lower lumbar. I wish I had this before I had my surgery. The device was prescribed for for for my post surgery therapy. I had the non-invasive partial discectomy outpatient surgery on the L5/S1 herniated disc. After my surgery somehow the disc herniated again per the MRI. All the radiating pain running down my legs came back. After using my traction device every day for a few weeks, the pain was gone and stayed gone. I maybe use the device twice a year now. My wife has chronic back pain from being a dental hygenist and she uses the device and the pain goes away. Prior to my surgery years ago I went to Dr. Beck. Within 2 seconds of looking at my MRI, he said my only option removing the disc and fusing the spine. I started researching and found a doctor that did the partial discectomy. No down time. With spinal fusing, lots of down time. Do your research. Doctors make a lot of money fusing your spine! Beware!
DeeCee
A horse of course!
Went to Dr Byrn today thx!
I am considering one of these: Back2Life - 12 Minute Back Pain Solution! I've heard a lot of good things. Anybody use one?
I am considering one of these: Back2Life - 12 Minute Back Pain Solution! I've heard a lot of good things. Anybody use one?
checkingthenews
C'mon...Smile!
go see a chiropractor!
Depends on if you want a good local doctor or a great "up the road" doctor
If you are looking for an excellent spine doctor (not all orthos are good with cervical spine disorders) try Dr. Steven Ludwig at UofMD spine program. He is fantastic and not at all quick to cut unless that is what is needed. I have had 3 cervical disc fusions (degenerative disc disease) and so far this time things seem to be stable. Last one about 3 years ago (which was with Dr. Ludwig) was very major involving a corepectomy(sp) with a cage inserted and plates to hold everything together. But I haven't had daily, major symptoms since then. Website below. Its quite a haul (office is in Timonium and surgeries are at U of MD Medical in Baltimore) but WELL worth it-at least to me.
They like you to have an MRI prior to visiting them and bring the films with you.
They are a sports medicine center and have done surgery on many professional atheletes...they do work on the Baltimore Ravens and I know in their office they have signed memorabilia from basketball players and Dorthy Hammil, LOL. But the point being is they keep up with all the latest minimally invasive procedures for better results and quicker healing time. Unless you look real close you can't even see the scars on the front of my neck (which is where they go in from).
University of Maryland Spine Program - University of Maryland Medicine
J
jp2854
Guest
Dr. Gelb is also good.
DeeCee
A horse of course!
I also have DDD in both Cerv and Lumbar spine from a nasty injury about 10 years ago. I Just had an MRI yesterday, and am going back to see Dr Byrn (GMOI) Friday. I'll see what he says, then go forward from there.
I have a cervical home traction unit, which isn't helping with this. I think I have nerve involvement that isn't going away even with the steriods. The nerve involvement is new with this injury.
I don't feel real comfortable seeing an ortho guy if the MRI shows the nerve damage that I think is there, based on my symptoms (numb shoulder upper arm and chest). I saw Dr Ducker last year, when I wasn't neurologic, and he told me then, that I will prolly be neuro at some point, based on the mri from last year so i guess it was only a matter of time. I just have to decide where to go to make sure I can regain what I've lost and do what i want to do physically. I'm so tired of walking on eggshells out of fear of the pain. Not to mention the weight gain from lack of regular excercise and meds. ARRG.
How does one get to a point they can excercise regularly again without pain??
I have a cervical home traction unit, which isn't helping with this. I think I have nerve involvement that isn't going away even with the steriods. The nerve involvement is new with this injury.
I don't feel real comfortable seeing an ortho guy if the MRI shows the nerve damage that I think is there, based on my symptoms (numb shoulder upper arm and chest). I saw Dr Ducker last year, when I wasn't neurologic, and he told me then, that I will prolly be neuro at some point, based on the mri from last year so i guess it was only a matter of time. I just have to decide where to go to make sure I can regain what I've lost and do what i want to do physically. I'm so tired of walking on eggshells out of fear of the pain. Not to mention the weight gain from lack of regular excercise and meds. ARRG.
How does one get to a point they can excercise regularly again without pain??
Me too...in the process of working out lumbar spine issues now. Going through the steriod shots and crap. If that doesn't work and it goes any further than that then I'll be back up at MD Spine.
I have personal experience with Dr Ducker's office...and I won't say it was at all good (and they gave me the same line about neurosurgery was the best route to go). First cervical surgery was with them. About 2 years later I was having similar symptoms (severe nerve pain and numbness down the arms and loss of articulation in fingers, pain in shoulder blades, etc.). Went back to them, they did MRI and some other flouroscope test and didn't call me back for 2 or 3 weeks. I started calling them and the Dr was too busy to talk to me so after several days of leaving messages he had his flunkie (associate) call me back. Guy named Chris, who told me that he read the films and didn’t see any problems at all. Wanted me to go back to PT. Was probably psychosomatic (i.e. all in my head). Went to my family Dr a few weeks later for an unrelated thing and when he looked in my chart he asked me what I was doing about my new herniated cervical disk. I was SHOCKED to say the least. He had the radiologist report and said it clearly states (and gave me a copy of it) that is was severely herniated (worse than the first one was) and I should be seeing a surgeon YESTERDAY about it. Oh and BTW did I know that it also showed a nodule on my thyroid. DR DUCKER’S OFFICE TOLD ME NONE OF THIS.
So I called them back, finally got the Dr on the phone. He proceeded to tell me that despite what the radiologists report said, HE read the films himself and didn’t see that there was anything wrong - it was all in my head - that when he did the first surgery it was successful and there was no problem now. Asked him about the nodule and he said he didn’t think it was of any concern.
That’s when I went to Dr. Ludwig (and Dr. Gelb is excellent as well as someone mentioned earlier). He had me in surgery within 2 weeks. And after surgery he was very honest with me and said that he found the disk below wasn’t in the greatest shape, but wasn’t bad enough to put me through the more complex surgery of multiple disk levels. After healing from that surgery he told me to pay attention (like I wouldn’t!!) to returning symptoms and to come right back in IF it happened. A couple years later started with those familiar symptoms. Called, he had me in within a week and in surgery within a couple weeks after that. Have had no major, daily symptoms since then (almost 3 years now). Of course will never be 100% - have some pain, have to be careful, but at least I don’t feel like I’d rather die then live with that pain. I can work out, just not heavy weights. Up until having surgery on my achilles tendon I was able to walk on the treadmill for miles without any problems. Getting back to that now!!
Guess what I am trying to say is be careful who you go to!!! There are two schools of thought on who is best suited to work on the spine - neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon. Orthopedic surgeons do ALL types of ortho work, neurosurgeons work on all sorts of neurological disorder surgeries. Dr.’s Ludwig and Gelb specialize only in the whole spine - neuro and ortho.
Good Luck!!
HI there.. I have an L5/S1 rupture on 1 side and bulge on the other side.. where'd u get ur traction device? Did insurance cover? They wanna fuse me too but have been lucky to have it put off so far.. the last flair up when it bulged the sciatica was so bad my leg just jumped on its own from muscle spasms - and I mean literally I was laying down and my whole leg was jumping and moving...
DeeCee
A horse of course!
I'm not in so much pain i can't function on a daily basis, but the pain is constant, and this new numbness is troubling. The amount of numbness lessened with the steriods last week, but i can feel it going down my arm again, so the steriods worked and have now worn off and the swelling is coming back gradually.
My exp with Ducker himself was not "unpleasant" just sort of off handed (IMO). I did see him interact with one patient while i was there, telling him to quit whining and go to PT like he had ordered...which i thought was kind of mean, so i won't go back to him.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write about your experience. It was very helpful. I'll pick up the results from the MRI myself, then make an apt at UMD myself since they specialize in both sides of it, rather than taking the time to go to back to the Ortho ofc.
DeeCee
A horse of course!
The ortho doc said for them, it was "difficult" to get insurance to pay for it (the neurologist wrote my script last year), so i'm thinking you may have to have nerve impingement of some sort for them to fork over the $? My ins never even squeaked about it, but the Physical Therapist had to order it and teach me how to use it.
Mine is the Saunder's Home Traction Device. My insurance paid for it but they cost about 400 depending which site you find it on. I went through Physical Therapy Equipment, Physical Therapy Supplies, Physical Therapy It has a lot of medical devices. You may need a prescription.
The first time I got in this thing, I could feel the radiating pain leave my legs as I applied the pressure. Almost the best feeling I ever felt.