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Noel Philips
Mar 1, 2009 - 3:24AM
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How long does it take for a herniated disc to heal?
Hi Team. My first posting also. Interesting you have cold feet - which has prompted me to weigh in on this chat. Around June 2008 I started with the lumbar pain - feels like a knife in the back, right side above my hip - especially in afternoons (I think a change of job meant I lost my core strength and therefore hurt my back lifting and twisting - happened before but usually gets better - not this time). Been to lots of Chiro and Phyiso appointments to little avail. Xray concluded nothing serious but Chiro commented on a minor herniated disc in the lower lumber, plus curvature of spine due to muscular imbalances (but no exercises were offered to correct these MIs - just lots of back cracking appointments) I was also jogging at the time - sounds like that was a bad idea - I have stopped now. I am on the 'lose the back pain' system sincew Jan 30 - according to my assessment and Steve I have slight high hip right side, forward neck and shoulders and forward tipped pelvis. I have been doing the prescribed stretches twice a day for 4 weeks now and I would have to say I have had zero improvement thus far. I am not expecting changes immediately but would like to know how long is a usual case to feel somewhat better. (How long is a piece of string I hear you say!) I liked the comment about straight posture & I will be onto that as from now. I have been really prone to cold feet this last winter June to October 2008) - my wife thinks I'm wacky as I have never been this bad - wearing socks to bed all the time. Perhaps it is from the back injury - How do I increase circulation in this lumbar section. Today I started swimming. Did 12 x 50m laps - nearly killed me but I intend to continue - I reckon 'LTBPain system' stretches in the morning and swimming in the afternoon. What do you guys think regarding herniated disc recovery time? Thanks. Noel
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Mark R
Mar 4, 2009 - 3:44PM
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Re: How long does it take for a herniated disc to heal?
Noel,
Great question. I'm recovering from a herniation at l4-l5. Happened Jan. 15th of this year at 4 a.m.
I was on crutches for several weeks, then was able to get to spinal decompression therapy. Doing better now, but still can only stand for a short while or lie down.
Here is my take on your question:
No one has the answer for you. You definitely MUST take control of your recovery. Seek out information from as many sources as you can and ACTIVELY participate in your recovery. Sounds like you are, but this is so important.
I have heard that we reach plateaus in our recovery process. What is good at one stage may not be good at another stage. E.g., stretching may be good now, but running and lifting may not; that may change over time.
Also, make sure that your diet and health are as good as you can possibly make them. I'm taking extra glucoscemene and other supplements for disk hydration while I'm on spinal decompression. I'm staying hydrated with 64 ounces of water daily. I'm also on other supplements for general wellness.
I do still drink caffine - gotta have one vice.
I'm also going my core work as I can with minimal McKensay excercises, etc.
30 years ago I had surgery on l4-l5 and that took awhile to heal, but up until my herniation I've been very active. I fully plan to completely recover.
Hope that helps. Good luck on your recovery.
Regards,
Mark
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Beth Morton
Mar 5, 2009 - 6:36PM
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Re: How long does it take for a herniated disc to heal?
Hello,
It takes a lot longer than you want it to. It took mine 2 years. Exercise is the answer.
Beth
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Toni Frantz
Mar 21, 2009 - 7:37PM
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Re: How long does it take for a herniated disc to heal?
So you are saying that a herniated disk "will" heal?
How about multiple ones. I took out S1, L4 and L5 all at the same time. They herniated, and then they ruptured. The fluid ran out into the base pocket at the end of the spine, and then to add insult to injury one of the disks broke off and chopped off the nerve block, which has me dragging my right leg around with me. I've ordered this program, but don't see how I am going to use it since I cannot stand on my right leg for more than a few seconds without it going out on me. My nerve block on the MRI look like dangling spaghetti and all anyone wants to do is spinal fusion. The chiropractor and spinal decompression made things worse and now over the past few months I have lost all bladder control as all I do is leak constantly and cannot even "have" a bowel movement without using enemas, yet I still do not want to have the surgery. The last series of epidurals left me crawling on all 4 for more than 48 hrs, so why would I want to entertain surgery. What's your take on it all. Do you think I have a prayer of healing?
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awaq
Mar 21, 2009 - 8:52PM
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Re: How long does it take for a herniated disc to heal?
Even a conservative surgeon like Dr. Tindel considers loss of function in a limb a medical emergency.
Here is his book. It is easy to read:
http://www.nycenterforspinaldisorders.com/
"For a severe (traumatic fracture or dislocation) injury, it's almost always reconstructive surgery that's called for to put things back together and realign what's been knocked out of position"
Maybe you don't want a fusion but everything I have read says you need surgery to get the pressure off the nerve. If you have instability, the LAST thing you want to do is destabilizing things like traction, chiropractic, etc.
I wish you well.
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Toni Frantz
Mar 21, 2009 - 10:58PM
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Re: How long does it take for a herniated disc to heal?
Thanks so much awaq for your input. I swear the doctors that I have been dealing with act like they don't have ears. It seems like all they want to do is throw pills at me and send me packin. All of this happened this past July, although I had been dealing with lower back pain and what they "thought" was syatica since 2004. Up until everything herniated pain meds were keeping things manageable and for lengthy time periods, not even needed. My daughter is a single mother soldier and I have been helping her with the children. This time she deployed in May and my back totally gave it up in July. I have been trying to get her home ever since. Dealing with a 2 and 4 yr old has not been easy and "has" required heavy duty narcotics to just function, and then there's the added problem of me "not having" any medical insurance. The neurosurgeon who ran the MRI didn't even take the time to talk to me, he just had his staff call me and tell me I had to have surgery and they knew I had no insurance, so I should call them back when I had $10,000 and let them know what I wanted to do. I got a grant from the hospital for the MRI, but there were no programs for surgery. I finally got SSI approval just before Christmas, but up until then have been using my credit cards to see a doctor and fill my medications. My daughter returns next month and then we all get a new duty station in Colorado. This is going to mean finding new doctors (not that I'll miss the ones I have now) and trying to get set up with disability before I can even go after surgery. If and when I get that done, there will be the narcotic withdrawl to deal with too. I feel like since doctors are so quick to make you into a junkie, "they" should have to pay for your rehab. "This" doctor isn't even promoting surgery. He thinks I should stay on medication therapy. I however would like to keep my liver. He also implied that I had the onset of cauda equina syndrome,but is doing nothing about it. When I questioned him about it, he even denied saying it, but had forgotten that "he" wrote it on the back of one of my prescriptions, that I was quick to get a copy of. I now see "why" people are law suit happy. Once again thanks for the feedback. It's not been an easy situation for me, although there's a light at the end of the tunnel now.
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Mark R
Mar 22, 2009 - 7:11PM
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Re: How long does it take for a herniated disc to heal?
Toni,
I have heard that there are three situations to consider back surgery:
1. loss of bowel/bladder control
2. symptoms of neurological damage (foot drop, foot dragging)
3. muscle atrophy due to lying in bed too much
Good luck on your recovery and your new home in Colorado.
Mark
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awaq
Mar 22, 2009 - 8:31PM
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Re: How long does it take for a herniated disc to heal?
Toni, another quote from Dr. Tindel's book:
"If you have back pain, your chance of getting better with fusion is about the same as your chance of getting better with an effective, non-operative treatment program. That, in a nutshell, is the most important fact in this book....it's the fact that's most likely to do the largest number of back patents some good"
He also doesn't like endoscopic discectomy and neither does a very prominent doc in NYC that I met with, FWIW:
"an endoscope doesn't give me the view, the access, or the maneuverability that I get with a traditional microdiscectomy" (Which is maybe what would do you the most good). The advantage of endoscopic discectomy for a couple of smaller incisions does not seem to balance out the dangers involved."
