I told the dr to book me in for a MRI, came back with a L1/S5 bulge and extruded cartilage, then got referred to surgeon..........if I didnt know the extent of my injury.......
Just FYI:
This may be an example of why doctors should not arrange MRI without clinical signs of nerve compromise - firstly, there is no way of telling whether the L5/S1 bulge is new or old (and if it's old then it's completely unrelated), and secondly no competent surgeon would perform surgery for pain alone.
Even if you had good going pain in an L5/S1 distribution (which might suggest it's acute), without objective signs on examination the MRI, and then the surgeon visit, may have been unnecessary.
Of course, maybe your GP found signs when they examined you and everything done was completely appropriate, but it's increasingly common for patients to demand MRI scans when often many doctors don't understand how to interpret the results. This inevitably leads on to referrals to either surgeons or people like me (Neurology).
It's a big expense on our health system, so even if this doesn't apply to you I hope it helps someone else be investigated rationally.
At the end of the day, the natural history of acute disc prolapses is variable - some will recover really well (with follow up scans showing disc almost completely back where it should be), and some do worse or somewhere in between.
I think following the advice of your physio sounds sensible, and just avoid activities that exacerbate it.
Hope some of this helps.
Welcome to years of walking like a duck and periodic agony. Save yourself heaps of heartache and just get it fixed. Physio wont fix this. Would you go to a physio if you had a compound fracture? No youd go to a doctor.
This isn't just a sore back all these joker s have no understanding of the incredible discomfort you are in.
Wait patiently for physio to claim he knows better than doctor despite only having 1/3 of the education and charging 3 times what the thais do better with a tug thrown in.
I assume you didn't read my post above, where I explain there are only a very few specific circumstances where surgery is a useful thing.
In fact, MRI scans are NEVER useful in assessing for levels of pain, and the fact there is a bulging disc at L5/S1 does not mean his pain is any worse or any better than anyone else's.
It's just selection bias - people with severe back pain tend to get MRI scans because non-specialist doctors are worried. It is uncommon NOT to find a bulging disc over the age of 40 years; hence, almost every MRI for acute back pain will find a bulging disc but that is not the same thing as have an acute disc prolapse with neural injury that requires surgical repair.
The most important factor in heading towards seeing a surgeon is if there is evidence on trained examination of nerve injury at the appropriate level, which does not get better with a trial of conservative management +/- steroids (systemic, rather than locally injected, usually). There are always rare exceptions but my point is that most people with acute back pain don't even need an X-ray, let alone an MRI, because if the examination is normal it literally doesn't matter if you see a few small bulging discs or not, the treatment is the same.
As one of the people with (more than) 3 times the education of a physio, I'm hoping to help add a bit of perspective to this thread because even many GPs don't appreciate the nuance (that's not a criticism - it's impossible to know everything; that's why specialists exist).
Also I am Friday arvo tradesman drunk typing on a phone not retarded sorry about my grammar.
Sting is removed from my insults when I can't type a sentence correctly but you get the gist
Also I am Friday arvo tradesman drunk typing on a phone not retarded sorry about my grammar.
Sting is removed from my insults when I can't type a sentence correctly but you get the gist
You back lifting at the moment.
Nah into fitness or rather rooting. I'm trying for the fuckabkle look not the don't fuck me cause I pull 5 wheels ea side and have a grotesquely oversize arse and trunk coupled with shortness of breath and ttaps that touch my ears
So lifting but like homo lifting for more hetero action. Just realised thatd pretty ironic.
Getting a hernia didn't help things either. Now it's shoulder, back, kne e, hernia and elbow
What about you mate?
Do you agree tgen that a damaged disk is far likely to continue to bulge in the future further weakening surround disc with every instance (marked by nerve pain). That it will only rarely not become more debilitating with time.
I concede the impact can be lessened with time but you will never repair that bulge although us suppose you may get scar tissue(ii dint know all that much about what that tissue that hold the membrane fluid whatever it is dies post injury.
Theoretically if it is nice tight scsr tissue isn't surround disc tgen undr more load.
Strengthen surround muscle helps the disc maintain integrity but the damage is there itll come back and bite you right? Whether that's a year or at 90 it's done it's dash as a healthy little rubbery shock absorber we take for granted?
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