herniated disc

D

Dutchy

0
So, it turns out I have indeed a herniated disc at the lowest part of my back.
The hospital gave me two injections to force the inflammation away and basically wished me good luck: 'now you hope the nerve pain doesn't come back, otherwise we need to operate and there is nothing really that you can do apart from avoiding stress on your lower back and avoiding intense exercise'.

As doctors here seem very medicine oriented Im still hoping to find some tips from others who deal with the same problem. What works? What doesn't work? 'Moderate exercise', I just hate it (sorry for the whining).
 
Your doc couldn't recommend a good physio or anything? You probably want to find a professional who can help you with your back, but you need to make it someone who knows what they are doing. Advice on a forum usually doesn't do in serious cases like this :(
 
Ok, I guess this is a good enough thread for my first post as I've built quite a reputation for helping people with back issues.

I approx. order of importance, I've found the following to be critical:

- Posture and body position awareness. It's not necessarily lifting heavy that hurts your back, it's using bad posture in everyday life that can really kill you. Lifting with a neutral spine (not roudning your back), sitting up straight, rotating at the hips, and not through the lower back. All VERY important.

- Start off trying to strengthen the lower back with static exercises such as planks. Stay away from anything that requires flexing at the midsection.

- Work on flexibility in the hips and legs. If your tight down there it will tend to push any required motion into your lower back.

- Walk. A LOT. Walking is perhaps the best therapy for lower back issues. Concentrate on slightly tensing the muscles of your midsection as you walk. The gentle, small motions required when walking will really promote healing.

This is a pretty simple explaination but it's all backed by research of some of the top people in the field (such as Stuart McGill).

You will ALWAYS have to deal with this condition. Herniated disks never truly heal. That's the bad news. The good news is that with proper care and exercise, it doesn't really have to effect your lifestyle or exercise habits (I have two herniated disks and I play sports and deadlift 400+lbs without pain).

If you'd like, I can post a link to an article I wrote on the subject.
 
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