running after a herniated disc

I've had three herniations in my L5 disc in the past two years and I am running normally. (I'm 60.) I think that mine were moderate herniations, and although I read everything I can get my hands on and had Chirogeek (google him) pass judgment on my MRI, I'm beginning to think that there's a continuum between a bulging disc and a herniated disc. But yes: some extrusion into the foraminal canal. Pressure on the nerve. Foot drop. Sciatica. You name it.

The best thing I did was keep a day by day chronology of my progress, each time. The first time I had no idea that what I was suffering from WAS a herniated disc.

But here's the thing: I lost 5 1/2 weeks from running the first time, 7 weeks the second time, and 4 1/2 weeks the third time. In each case, I had a full recovery. I was able to resume running at the end of that period, and eventually work back into normal training, pain-free. I raced after each occurrence. So there IS hope.

I developed several best practices as a result of my experience. I'm copying and pasting them below.

1) Reducing inflammation is key early on, but it isn't the whole story. Still, in the first two cases, two rounds of Prednisone were required: 4 days early on, then 9 days after symptoms returned. In the third episode, I did 9 days of Prednisone first, but I used 30 mg/20 mg/10 mg a few days later when things started to hurt again—and it made all the difference. I also used an ice pack as needed for the first two or three weeks. (Be careful about putting ice pack directly on skin; I got burned—which itched!)

2) McKenzie extensions are absolutely crucial. But don't start them too early; give inflammation a chance to go down. Just get up on elbows a few times a day, early on. Nothing more than that. (I.e., don't press up hard.)

3) No chiro or LMT until I'm able to return to running! Their interventions didn't help and may have exacerbated the problem.

4) Keep seeking information. ChiroGeek's help came at the right time—although my problem was, in fact, beginning to clear up at that point.

5) Moderate diet and continue to weigh-in daily, to avoid weight gain. Cutting out, or cutting down on, meat and eating more vegan/vegetarian was a help.

6) Daily power-walking—a three-mile walk ranging from 17-minute pace down to 14-minute pace—was a good regimen. It kept my head screwed on straight and helped maintain weight. It was also a very good register of my actual improvement. It filled the gap between the point at which I was substantially out of pain and the point at which I could actually return to running.

7) I made a mistake, second time around, by biking too early and then by trying to return to running too early. In each case, I tried the activity a day or two after completing a regiment of Prednisone. I was probably still under the influence of the drug and so wasn't able effectively to monitor my actual response to the activity.

Looking back, I'd say that Prednisone, early, is key. Gotta hit that inflammatory cycle and beat it down. The power walking was also key--but not too early. You have to work into it slowly, after two or three weeks. At first I could barely walk fifty yards. I'd turn around and hobble home. (I got a cane. That was needed early on.) Eventually I was able to walk a mile, then two. A three-mile power walk at 14:00 - 17:00 pace, arms chest high and moving, really helped fill the gap between lessening pain and the moment when I was finally OK to resume slow jogging. As for that moment: don't push it! You need to be able to walk briskly for 45 minutes with NO pain, for a solid week, at the tail end of the speedwalking phase, before you can even consider slow jogging.

McKenzie extensions: google it. Find Robin McKenzie's free downloadable "Heal Your Own Back," or whatever it's called. Invaluable. McKenzie extensions are crucial. But you have to ease into them slowly.

I found that a good diagnostic was standing straight as a rod, arms dangling at my side, and then tilting my whole upper body slowly towards the side where the disc pain had been. (My pain was always on the R side.) When the disc is not yet healed, you'll feel a sort of tingling ZAP! when you do that. A noticeable twingy-ness. That slowly goes away as you heal. It would be a bad idea to begin running again until that is pretty much completely gone.

There absolutely IS life after a herniated disc--or at least there has been in my case. And I dealt with some pretty bad pain--the sort of pain that I'd peg at 6 or 7 on a ten point scale. At 6, I was eyeing the hydrocodone but not actually reaching for it. At 7, I said "F. it" and took drugs. I got past that point pretty quickly, but was happy to have the drugs as a backstop.

Prednisone, my friend. A 9 day course.

I missed the London marathon in 2017 with a herniated disc and sciatica early in the year. Took 2-3 months off with a back brace, painkillers and some nerve medication. Returned to training, built up and ran another marathon at the end of that year, and have since PR’d twice in marathons in 2018, running pain-free, more miles and better than ever. Can definitely be done.

Here's Douglas Gillard's website: chirogeek.

https://www.chirogeek.com/

I had him read my first MRI. He was great....helped me understand what I was looking at.

He also told me that I should probably never run again.

I didn't listen to him. And I'm fine. I ran 13 yesterday in just over 2 hours. No pain.

One more thing: STAY AWAY FROM CHIRO AND LMT, at least until you're 100% healed. And be very, very wary of the SI (sacro-iliac) crunch. Don't let a chiro do it. Ever. You're done with that.

Otherwise, chiropracty is fine, once you're ok.

Thank you Kudzu runner. That's a lot of great information.! I see the hope - Wow, racing again!! Just finished first pack of Prednisone and feeling better (pain from level 9 to 4 the most). Just flaired up today but was probably did too much yesterday.

Thanks dogme! Happy for you. the fact that you could do another marathon gives me hope that I can continue my meager 4-5 miles. I raced in college and competed afterwards for decades. Running is not what caused this. Patience now I guess is everything

Happy to help. About Prednisone: one discovery I made was that the normal 5-day course wasn't enough. I felt much better at the end of it, and then, over the next three to five days, the pain came back on to the point where I was bent over and hobbling again. I'd go back and get another 5-day course.

The second or third time I blew out a disc, I had them start me on a 9-day course ASAP. When that was done, I was much better--and, for the most part, the healing continued. But occasionally another bump of drugs was required.

Mobic is a good supplement at that point. 7.5 or even 15 mg. Aleve helps, but it's not as strong as the other two.

Make no decisions about anything for at least two days after the last of the Prednisone. Don't exercise, either. Give the pain a chance to show its nasty little face again. It will.

BTW, I'm serious about the utility of speed walking. It did nothing for my cardio--I still lost fitness--but it kept muscle tone intact. Once I began jogging and then running again, I had no quad soreness. Sustained fast walking has its places. It was terrific rehab for a runner with a busted disc. Gave me a very good sense of how healing was proceeding.

You can't rush healing. Powerwalking with a Garmin let me push the pace. I found it hard to dip below 14:00 pace average for a three-mile walk. I didn't adopt real racewalking technique, just raised my arms to chest height and motored along. But two or three weeks of that helped fill the gap.

Read The Great Pain Deception by Steve Ozanich.

running back wrote:

Looking for feedback on runners who got a herniated lumbar disc and went back to running? Were you able to run again, as far? Did it aggravate your back ? So bummed out.

1) Yes, I was able to run again.

2) No, it did not.

That was about two years ago. My biggest issue is sciatica which flares up maybe 2-3 times a year and lasts for about a week.

I appreciate everyone's great information. Its been 2. 5 months. A few more weeks of PT. My leg is getting much stronger and the pain is gone. Running (ie jogging) about 3 to 4 x week for 2 miles. Increasing this week. This was truly debilitating at first and I don't wish this on anyone. PT said I have been recovering faster than average. But then again, runners are a determined bunch!

I'll add my experience. I could not walk 3 steps. I could not stand more than 30-45 seconds. Laying on my back was almost as painful. I had no idea what was wrong. I went to a chiro and that a$$ hat was cracking my back. I'd like to punch him in the nose now. needless to say it didn't help. I was eating 3200 MG of advil a day just to be able to live with the pain. I went to real doctor and thru MRI got the diagnosis although the doctor told me before the MRI that he was 99.9% sure what it was. Went to a spinal surgeon and he thought my situation called for nearly emergent surgery. To the point that he made sure the surgery center knew that we had to get in the very next day. He said I was at risk of irreversible nerve damage.

I had a microlumbar discectomy. I woke up from surgery pain free. No activity outside of walking for 1 month. I was cleared to ride my bike and swim after a month. I took it easy on the bike while I felt out the situation but by the end of the 2nd month I was riding hard. I was cleared to return gradually to running after 3 months. I started running again in late September and am now back to my regular life of marathon training at 70+ miles per week. My back is holding up just fine so far.

As an aside, can I ask how you get doctors to prescribe you Prednisone for this kind of injury?

I live in the UK, and I can't get it prescribed for anything. Severe bouts of pneumonia and pleurisy alongside asthma - nope, took 3 doctors' visits to even get antibiotics. Certainly wouldn't have got it for 3 herniated discs L3,4 and 5, not that I bothered going to the doctor at all, it was straight to physio for me. When I've asked for it, doctors here tend to say that its very dangerous for your heart (I have no known heart problems). Would like to know if thats actually true or if its more about saving the NHS money.