Anybody make a 100% recovery from a L5-S1 nerve compression?

all the best man

Dear Fellow Sufferer!

Sorry to have called you by that name, but your problem sounded very similar to mine & yes, blended with a severe back pain!...I was an athlete, avid footballer (club level) and passionate about cricket.

I had an L5S1 dessication...nerve compression and barely had any sensation on my left leg, I couldn't even stand on my left leg. Lifting weight anything exceeding 5kgs was nearly impossible!

Since I was under 40, undergoing a knife was a tough decision & rather than opting for an operation, I chose to follow the old Indian traditional method. I started to oil (almond oil) massage my entire leg from thigh to ankle (One Way). To figure out the pain point, I used heat bag on my left buttock & changed it immediately to ice bag. I followed this rigorously for about two weeks.

As soon as I felt the nerve being free from muscle bulge swelling (you will feel it onto your toes), I was glad to know that I would never have to see an orthopaedic surgeon again!

I took rest for couple of more weeks till I found out that I was able to stand up and walk...oil massaging everyday (From Thigh To Ankle-ONE WAY). and after about a year or so, I am just like another normal person who is able to run and workout. Yes, I workout with 20kg plates now.

I have always followed a healthy diet & I advise you (if your body can accept)

Wake up at 0500

Drink 1litre water (before brushing teeth) for hydrating the body.

Brush teeth

One cup of Tea (with just two spoons of milk)

Two slices of bread pasted with butter/cheese

Go for a walk for warm up (USE LIGHT WEIGHT SHOES WITH SPONGY SOLE)

Sit with your legs crossed (like Sadhu doing Yoga)..No matter what: DO NOT BEND YOUR BACK TO STRETCH.

Breathe deeply so that blood circulation increases

Do a light work out for arms and upper body strength (AS YOU SIT IN YOGA POSITION)

After workout relax for sometime

Then have boiled peas+potato+brocolli with melted cheese (cheese helps built calcium faster)

Take lunch at 1330hrs

Tea at 1500 & 1630 hrs

Dinner at 2100hrs

I follow this strict regime daily; you may try it...however, I strongly advise you to take guidance from your physiotherapist...because each body has its own limitations and conditions.

What may be nectar to me, could be proven poison to you! But simple oil massage will have NO HARM.

Today I am 100% fit and fine....I hope that you too get recovered from the L5S1 nightmare.

Good luck to you

All: Those of you attempting to run with a drop foot condition, are you experiencing any hip pain due to your change in gait? Are you running on an elliptical or outdoors? Thanks in advance!

Concerned... wrote:

I have a herniated and bulging disk T11 and T12. .

Concerned...

I read your post with great interest since extensive Internet searches have confirmed T11/T12 impingements are very rare. One website indicated the condition is as rare as one in a million and is common among linebackers.

I have a 55% spinal cord impingement at T12/T13 (I have an extra set of ribs/vertebrae) resulting in drop foot (bilateral: 100% loss of dorsi-flexion on right and 50% loss of dorsi-flexion on the left), weakened lower extremities and muscle atrophy of right calf. My right anterior tibialis is not responsive.

My 'journey' started in 2008 after visiting a podiatrist due to foot pain and altered gait. Since then, I have had two surgeries, T12/T13 laminectomy and fusion and the L4/L5 laminectomy. I have lost 60-70 pounds and am still unable to improve my balance and leg strength to lift my weight from a sitting position. The L5 nerve distribution below my knee to the top of my right foot often interrupts my sleep with a compressed/compartmental sensation. Driving can also be uncomfortable. My right big tow and adjacent toe often feels numb. Lately, the L5 nerve (assumed) in the right gluteus maximus muscle feels inflamed.

The feedback on this thread is encouraging and I will focus on leg strength via bicycling, running and the other recommended exercises and stretches.

If you would like to correspond offline about our T11/T12 conditions, please feel free to email me at Misc Mktg Mail at Kunze dot com (no spaces). Please reference T11/T12 in the subject line.

Thank you,

David

I damaged both my L4/5 and S1 discs. Both bulged severely, bad sciatica, loss of height etc. Been 3 years of hell. Just had a 12 month MRI comparison and the l4/5 severe bulge has dramatically reduced to mild and the specialist believes it will make a full recovery. S1 has remained the same but no nerve issue. It depends on the size of the disc bulge, the larger, the better chance of the body realising it and sending macrophlages through a created blood vessels to the disc bulge to absorb it. I've also followed religiously an extensive physio plan.

Hi, I'm a 30 yr/male and I had L5/S1 decompression surgery on March 21st an today is May 11 so I haven't even hit the 2 month mark. Well, my recovery has been remarkable to say the least. As for running, listen, if you have had this issue as severely as I had...then you, or well, I will not ever be a runner again because I am NOT going to risk going through this again. I'd always heard about how taxing running is on the body but I disregarded it and ran at least 4 miles a good 250x min a year, while doing other workouts on most other days. Truly I probably took less than 2 weeks worth of days off per year for a decade. It was really like an addiction. Anyway, one day, one morning after having ran a strong 10k the day before I woke up unable to move without searing, shooting pains. It rocked me, it was unbelivable. Never have I had pain like that, and I've been banged up, being an extreme downhill longboarder where I've fallen on concrete at 30+mph...anyway digression. The sciatic pain is as you guys know a pain apart from any other. NERVE pain, ugh, I shudder...man, nerves are meant to go unnoticed. Anyway the point of this post is to inform that I've made a tremendously quick and full, thus far, recovery. Certain things that have sped up the process are very controversial, but anabolic steroids at around the 6 week mark and IGF 1- LRG have, well as reported by my "friend," have been an absolute boon to physically recovering from this terrific ordeal. My friend does not care about the legality or "side effects" from the use because he is smart and old enough to make decisions he deems best for his health, future, life. Anabolic means "to build up." This is obviously male oriented, but for women, HGH is just as effective, only very expensive. Men can get away with a testosterone + either Nandrolone Decanoate or Trenbolone. A 10-12 week "cycle" after the 5 week mark (min) will absolutely aid in the healing process and make all painkillers totally unnecessary. In fact one's natural test is destroyed by the opiate painkiller/bedridden combination. There is NOTHING immoral about healing using scientific methods. Its a shame that medicine is still behind the times and can't see how greatly effective anabolic steroids are for a myriad of medical conditions when used properly. Spine surgery is one such contition. I write this because I genuinely want to spread this word and offer anecdotal information because there is nothing worse than sciatic/low back, disc herniation pain. Cheers and much love and empathy

Hey there mr degenerative ..i m from india so pardon my english n be patient. i have read almost every story here and i find your story to be the most similar to mine. I am 33 now. I have this sciatic pain running thru my back of the left leg for 16 months now. I got my MRI n xrays done and indicate that i have l5s1 as wl as l3l4 herniation. I have been doing the same lie down pelvic exercises almost daily since then. But as i was advised by neuro doc and physiotherapist to discontinue working out with weights i started doing push ups , pull ups and squats with increased number of reps to keep fit and retain some hard earned strength. CORE excercises give me peace n relief but very shortlived. Someone i trust told me that running and swimming would help. But i m not able to run like i used to run before plus i feel pain after that. ITS HOLDING ME BACK .

I am encouraged knowing that u run competitively and have acheived 90% strength in ur affected leg. would like to know more about ur therapy. Would appreciate if u spare some time and call me. My contact is +919896002003

Hi,

I’ve had a severe Disc Herniation in August 2017 waking up one morning with severe pain in my back and left leg. It was so bad that I couldn’t even put my left foot down on the ground, so I couldn’t walk and couldn’t use my left leg at all. I was stuck in my bed for months getting up just to go to the toilet and wash myself. I’ve seen my doctor, had an MRI and also seen a Spine Surgeon. I had mixed medical opinions, my doctor wanted me to wait and see if the condition would resolve naturally while the Surgeon advised to have a Disc Surgery. With my doctor, I decided to wait...I was taking Tramadol to ease the pain, seeing both a Physiotherapist and a Chiropractor. 6 months after, I’m back to work. I have regained use of my leg although not yet as good as before the Herniation. 9 months after the Herniation, the leg pain is still there but is tolerable so I have stopped taking the pain meds. I’m still having Physiotherapy and seeing a Chiropractor and I am hopeful that I can make a full recovery without the need for a Surgery if I continue to make progress. It was a slow and long process but I will get there.

Hi , 10 months ago had the worst pain ever ending up in hospital on morpheme for 3 days to then be discharged with a huge bottle of heavy tablets. Unable to walk or sit, I endured three terrible months of pain, my feet on fire and swollen, had a DVT scan but proved negative, slept with a shoe on, my foot in a bucket of ice, deep freeze spray about 10times a night, about two hours sleep a night, drove me to tears! Eventually had an mri and found L5 and S1 nerve irritation, after around 1,000 tablets I made the decision to stop the tablets and was given a cortisone injection, unfortunately unsuccessful as only works in 50% of people, the hospital were not very helpful so I decided to start swimming, do Pilates and static bike, I am a competitive squash player and been unable to resume my loved sport, I am gradually getting better but it’s a long haul, be patient and keep mobile, plenty stretching and core building, I am currently trying the legal cod oil but I feel not effective, tried a couple of reputable chiropractors but not really any different, Somy gut feeling and advice is don’t let anyone treat you, train sensibly and methodically and it’s going to take time, nerve regeneration is about 1 inch a month, you have around 39 inches, depending on height, from your S1 to your toe, that’s 39 months and it stacks up with how I am recovering, hope this sheds some light on recovery, best of luck, Gino

.

The stiffness of the pillow largely depends on the preferred sleep position. For sleeping on your side, you need medium-hard (or even close to hard) products. In this position, the pillow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYFOYC-Bz10 will maintain the natural position of the spine. Soft is more suitable for those who sleep a lot on their stomachs. For sleep on the back, it is better to take a medium-hard model.

So I've been dealing with this reoccurring lower back pain for the better part of 12 years now. For the first 10 years it came an went but when it came moving any part of my body felt like my back was being tore in half and punched with a taser at the same time. Finally 2 years ago I had a dr order an MRI to find out l4l5s1s2 are compressed and l5s1 are tore. I get pain and tingling running down my left leg and horrible pain in my lower back. I've been getting 2 epidural injections a week -2 weeks apart every 4 -6 months. Physical therapy and aquatherapy had helped a lot in pushing how often I need the epidural injections. When i go run after a mile my arms and legs start tingling like crazy. I've been doing my core exercises and stretching and it seems every time i gain ground and so close to what seems to be a huge relief the pain comes back. It's a constant struggle. I cant ride a bike because being hunched over put me in bed with excruciating pain for 2 weeks. Wearing a brace to keep everything tight and in line helps while I wear it. Lots of bumps roller coasters full sprints doesn't help. I tried doing yoga and on the 7th day my body fought back in a bad way. They said the surgery should help stop the pain but would most likely restrict my movement by 30%.

It seems there are no good options when it comes to issues with the back. I haven't been able to hold a job because of my size and build everywhere I go they try to get me to do physical labor and lifting or even mopping has aggravated my back. I dont want to go on disability because that's no way to live and I'd have to get a lawyer because they say I'm too young to be disabled. Also this is mainly due to football and powerlifting in high school. A teenager shouldn't be allowed to bench 375 incline 345 squat 650 power clean 240 and leg press 2000. I've been doing a lot of research on how to fix this problem without surgery and it always comes back to strengthen the core and muscles pretty much to the point of have solid abs and never stop. Its incredibly hard to get to that point. I was able to do 1000 crunches for a month lost 25lbs and then was stuck in bed for 3 weeks barely being able to move.

Hi, Ana, I read your story and you said that you weren't able to move your leg at all whats that mean? you couldnt move your toes? you couldn't bend the knee? or something else please share if it's possible I'm experiencing the same thing .

thanks

I have same Problem suffering last 3 months, can I get your phone no or text me please 07436813079, I would like to talk about sitting posture

I guess mine is a little positive story, (thus far)... 40 y Male.

recovered pretty fast from L5-S1 disc injury with severe calf weakness...

Story:

lifted weights despite prolapse since a decade, occasional back pain, but managed.

But one day , the pain got super worse, had to use tramadol to manage. had huge buttock pain for days.

Pain subsided, but i guess the back wasnt strong yet, and i did heavy deadlifts and stuff on that day.

Bad idea, regret that day.

Night i felt fasciculations on calf, pain.

Woke up , felt right leg frozen . like calf centric.

didnt think much of it, as i could drag feet and get along, people watching must have felt odd, but injuries happen all time, and i dint think much of it.

after a week, of dragging a foot , i felt i should check out , and sure enough, i could do anything related to calf on right leg.

couldnt tip toe, couldnt bear load on single leg toe up, couldnt raise heel on single leg(hardest).

Worse when flexing muscle , coulndnt feel connect with calf as good as good side. (motor nuerons affected).

panicked, searched on net, and was depresssed. was staring at life long disabilty.

thoughts of never being able to run, limp indefinately, not being able to play soccer with lads, blah blah.

quit weights, for 4 days, did yoga, and let it heal.

but from any online forum, could make out, prognosis, once muscle weakness starts, was bleak.

got an MRI, L5-S1 severely cramped by disk extrusion on foramen side.

however, doctors and nueros felt that i shldnt go for surgery.

They felt i shld get back to normal life, walking etc asap.

Recovery:

Trusted them.

Got back to workout, didnt do anything which put load on spine.

did my own home version of inversion to take pressure off discs, lots of back strengthning. Search Youtube.

slowly , within weeks, and its real slow mind u, things did improve.

intially was like abe to walk tip toe on both legs, then able to stand on affected leg on toe, then like able to do boxing hops on both legs, then able to slowly lift mysef on single leg on toes(Hardest).

its 6 weeks now, and i would say ive got back 90 % of power, able to walk miles no issue, no limp.

no atropy on calf as of now.

can Sprint on toes a bit, but havent tried( Running exerts load of pressure on discs).

one way to test your progress is to lift yourself on affected leg alone on Toe alone.(heels off).

if you cant then maybe do on weighing machine with support from other leg. (will let u know how many pounds you can lift off)..

1. all in all , recovery depends on nerve injury type. If its just bruise to nerve, maybe you would recover 100% or atleat 95% soon. if its axonal damage, etc, then maybe more difficult.

2. Whatever you recover fast, like in weeks, is most important. If you are recovering fast, keep patience and dont mess up. If its not improving, and its getting worse , consider surgery etc.

3. If nerves dont get better in a year, then its pretty bleak, as motor nuerons start losing thier memory i guess..

Good luck.