left paracentral disc herniation L5-S1

75% of the population has a herniated disc.. Your just an unlucky bastard who feels it. Grow a pair and do some Mckenzie Extensions.

Here's a well educated black man to teach you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBOp-ugJbTQ

Just got the MRI result wrote:

Help

I would say try the corticosteriod injections, and if that doesn't work, go straight to surgery. The injections did work for me, although it took several months before all the pain was gone.

Re: McKenzie, someone just recommended this book, which I think has do to with your stretch

http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Your-Own-Back/dp/B000QIHV30

Thoughts on this article? I've been in PT for 3 weeks, my condition has gotten much worse, though I wouldn't say it is because of PT

http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/herniated-disc/treatment-options-a-lumbar-herniated-disk

had surgery on L4-L5 in 2005 and ran my first marathon 1 year later (still my PR)

BostonBound wrote:

had surgery on L4-L5 in 2005 and ran my first marathon 1 year later (still my PR)

From what my initial research, it seems that surgery for herniated discs is a lot less risky than other types of back surgery

I agree. It's a pretty common procedure. Sometimes it's an outpatient procedure if all goes well. I stayed overnight for observation. My scar is only an inch long, it's rather noninvasive. Some people will come on here and tell you not go have the surgery no matter what. They're probably just against the idea of surgery in general. It's ALWAYS less risky to try PT. I tried it for a year without any success though.

Thanks BostonBound, funny I was preparing for my first marathon too, hope I can follow in your footsteps.

Just got the MRI result wrote:

Help

You have 3 months to live.

GET SURGERY! I had discs herniating inward and they started to sever my sciatic nerve--painful! I got L5-S1 surgery in late July 2007, started running 15 minutes 6 weeks later (no x-training, just walking), ran xc with my team. Injections=time wasted. Make sure you trust your doctor though/get second opinions.

CHIROPRACTOR

Current research shows fairly similar outcomes for disc healing for both surgical and conservative interventions at the one year to eighteen month mark (one article as an example:

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/356/22/2245

).

There are some very significant downsides of disc/back surgeries from what I've seen clinically that no one has mentioned here(I am a practicing physiotherapist with a lot of disc injuries in my caseload). The first and most common problem you can run into is that the surgery can lead to scar tethering of the nerve root (pretty much permanent lower-grade leg/sciatica pain that can't be remedied with surgery). The second (albeit rare) problem is a nasty case of what surgeons like to call "failed back syndrome" (Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failed_back_syndrome

). The latter is absolutely horrific to treat and near unbearable to live with. It rarely remediates with therapy and will likely end up in a surgical fusion of the spine.

I'm not trying to say that the surgery is a inherently a bad thing. I've had plenty of patients who have had good results with a microdiscectomy and to my knowledge no ongoing problems. That being said, I've also had to treat the bad side of surgical outcomes (my own stepmother being one of them) and know how debilitating a bad surgery can be. Were it myself, I would put a good 6-8 months into therapy before I even started to look at the surgical option. Also might wanna check into the credentials of your physio as there are a good number of very poor therapists about.

Also as a sidenote, repeated cortisone injections tend to weaken soft tissue in the body. I wouldn't try that option more than once.

Thanks WetCoaster

I sufferred a L5/S1 herniation on 11/03/2009. I couldn't walk for a week and was crawling around my house for a week. I started PT after the third week and SLOWLY started feeling better. I saw 4 doctors during this time and 3 out of the 4 recommended against surgery. The last doctor I saw is a runner who himself has suffered herniated disks in the low back.

Recommendation- take it very slow! do not do anything that will hurt yourself. the first six weeks is very important. Let the scar tissue settle and start walking as soon as possible. Light stretching is important, my herniation affected the sciatic nerve with pain all the way to my big toe. Stretch the piriformis muscle daily and slowly get back into things.

I'm running VERY lightly again and feel a lot better. I know I could do more, but I'm taking slow---I don't feel like crawling around the house again!

Try alternative methods of relief, PT, shots, chiro. before even considering surgery!

I couldn't walk and was completely hunched over, so I had a microdiscectomy Dec 21st

Been feeling a bit tight in the back and leg but PT is helping. Jogged a mile for the first this week. Quads hurt. I guess they haven't been used in a while.

Anyway to make this interesting can some more folks who had a microdiscectomy tell me how they got back to running and everything was fine? Thanks.