DOCTORS BUT OTHER AS WELL....Herniated Discs ....... Other options or Surgery?

I have 2 bulging discs, so I feel for you. I have tried everything from chiropractors, acupuncture, holistic chiropractor (homeopathic), physical therapy, as well as prescription pain medications such as percocet. My last attempt was a thoracic epidermal and a spinal epidermal. I have had 5 injections, and have found temporary relief (about 3-6 months). It does not take all the pain away, but it does make the pain tolerable. It is not cheap, but if you have insurance it should cost you somewhere around $600/shot. Aside from that, surgery may be your only other option. If you have the dedication and time, you may get relief from proper physical therapy. Everybody reacts differently to all the treatments above, so try them all before facing a knife. Best of luck!

P.S. I just remembered to mention I use Lidoderm patches on my back. It is a Lidocaine pain reliever on a 4 x 6" one-sided stick pad, and works for 12 hours on that local area, so I have to use 2 (1 for each area). It too will give you some relief, so see if your doctor will prescribe that to you.

I know exactly how you feel because I have the same problem. It is a pain that no one can understand unless they've had it themselves. Mine started out gradually and now it hurts all the time. Sometimes it feels like the bones in my spine are grinding together and I actually feel nauseated when that happens. I am going now to a Neurosurgeon and will be having surgery in a few weeks. I was told that was the only thing that would help me. One thing you can try to do is to stay as active as possible. Walk a little everyday. Of course don't try to play tennis,bowl, or anything like that. Another thing that has really helped me is I've quit carrying anything over 20 lbs. I used to try to carry all my groceries in at one time. Now I take my time and carry only one or two bags at a time and I've even bought a rolling cart to carry them into the house. I know it sounds lame but it has helped. I bought a mattress that was a little firmer than my old one and it does help to sleep with a pillow tucked under your knees. It seems to keep the strain off your lower back. As far as other options other than surgery you can ask your doctor about physical therapy but if your back has been hurting for a long time and is getting worse this may not be an option. Don't go to a chiropractor! I'm sure they are beneficial for some back problems but a good chiropractor will not touch you if you have herniated discs. Spinal surgery isn't as severe as it used to be. They can actually do it with a laproscope now and the recovery time is much shorter. Usually a week or less! Of course it depends on how many discs are involved. I have 4 discs that have herniated and now have a bone spur that is pressing on my spinal nerve. If you do not get this fixed you can get permanent nerve damage in your leg. Especially if the disc is pressing on the sciatic or spinal nerves. Good luck. I know how you feel and I hope you feel better very soon.

After, discectomy&fusion @c-5 c-6(to correct herniations),I was told ,"I fixed you , I don't believe that you're in any pain" by the surgeon. I suffered from severe pain&still do. I then went to a neuro surgeon who told me that i had a non union of fusions & would need further surgery. This was in 2005.Now, i'm reading that people have so much better success if, they DO NOT have this surgery. The study stated that rest and time helped herniations much more than going under the knife. I also trusted this Dr. enough to follow his advice & have a myleo gram (spinal tap). It went bad. The pain was agonizing and I needed a blood patch procedure, afterwards to stop my spinal fluid from leaking.I suffer from severe lumbar spinal pain , now ON TOP OF the pain from the failed operation.I hope that my experience will keep you from any unnecessary suffering. Please be careful choosing treatments.

I had the same problem. You have to definately change your sleeping habits (make sure your calfs are propped up and perpindicular to the floor), try a feather pillow under your head too!I myself had surgery. Im a single mother and didnt want to be zoned out all the time on pain killers. Right after my surgery they had me hooked up to a morephine drip and I didnt even need it! I felt fabulous, like I hadnt since I was a kid. Its been almost 4 yrs since my surgery and I will admit there are times when my back hurts but its nothing compared to what I endured for 10 yrs. I just take it easy for a couple of days and I feel alot better. Thats the key though, if you work a hard tough job I would think about something that puts less strain on your lower back.

I've had 3 major spinal operations over the last 15 years, and it likely won't be the last given my condition. The short answer is to deal with alternative therapies until you're at a point where surgery is the last option.Rather than rewrite what I've told people for many years here, I'll put the link to my long answer on WikiAnswers, that will tell you exactly what you need to know.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_success_rate...

If you want some tips on how to deal with herniations, feel free to use my address at the top of my WikiAnswers Supervisor bio page.

I have 2 herniated discs and I also have other numerous back problems also. My doctors say surgery isn't an option for me right now so I take pain pills for moderate to severe pain. I don't like to take pills either but my pain is so great it had decreased my quality of lifr severely. I'm sorry I can't give you a better informed answer.

I have three budged disc in my back. It hurts every day. You will get used to it. I got pregnant so they stopped my pain meds. All I do is a heat pack and baths and I see a chiropractor. But whatever you do, you do not want to do surgrey. That can cause so many more problems in life. Good luck man and sorry to hear about that. While im pregnant I have to wear a brace everyday so i don't hurt my back worse.

So have you been worked up by a spine surgeon? I would investigate surgeons who are doing endoscopic decompress ions if surgery has been advised.

Maybe a Chiropractor can help?