I have a Herniated Disk in my back at L4-L5 and I need advice?

I was in a terrible car accident that herniated a disk in my back at L4-L5. I have been through almost a year of physical therapy, several back injections and have to take prescription pain medication everyday due the chronic pain. I have been through pain management and have been told I need surgery but I'm just not sure what to do. I'm in constant pain everyday and this has affected my life immensely. I have had to leave two jobs in the last year becasue of this. I can hardly even do daily activies like clean the house or even have sex with my fiance. I'm at a stand still and I feel so trapped. Pretty much the doctors told me I can have surgery but then it still might not fixed the problem completely and I will still be in some degree of pain or I can just live with it how it is now. Well I cant live with it but I'm scared to have the surgery and then end up still in pain or worse. Does anyone else have an injury like this or know about some kind of alternative treatment?

I was in a terrible car wreck in 1989. I went through years of pain and meds and therapy. Finally I went to see a neurosurgeon in a bigger town. He sent me for a MRI I had a herniated ruptured disc and it was the size of a orange. They scheduled emergency surgery and I felt 100% after the second day all the pain was gone and I have had a new lease on life. I didn't have the surgery till1993 as like you I tried all alternatives. I would have had it done sooner if I would have known it would of been so pain free. I didn't even need pain meds by three days after surgery because the pain I was in before hand was so much worse. I hope sharing this has helped you and I wish you the best in whatever you choose.

Have you checked with a chiropractor?

My husband and my brother both have/had herniated and/or extruded discs at L-4 and L-5. (They seem to go together.)

My husband refused surgery or shots, started working his ab muscles to the extreme and still does to this day. He says he's glad he went this route because he still works full time and feels pretty good most days. That was 12 years ago though and he STILL does his ab exercises every day no matter what. The key is to keep off any extra weight, keep your stomach muscles toned and be smart about what you lift, etc.

My brother injured his back this last year and has had three shots, Lord knows how many pain medications, physical therapy, etc. and he is still in pain and off work.

Get a 2nd opinion, don't do anything (like surgery) that you aren't 100% committed to and check into alternative treatments. Accupressure, massage, supplements,etc.

Good luck.

I can tell you from personal experience exactly what you are going through. I had a herniated l-4/l-5 disk. I had not been diagnosed by a doctor, all I knew was I was in EXTREMELY bad pain. I couldn't even sit for long periods without squirming trying to get comfortable. I ended up going to a chiropractor. BIG MISTAKE!! He did not x-ray me. He just adjusted my back. In hopes that this would do me good, I just went on about my business. I woke up one morning in the middle of the bed in EXTREME pain. I went to get up, when I did..my legs (both of them) went numb from the knee down!

I went back to the chiropractor not knowing at the time how bad off I was. He adjusted me again. Later that night I began to have severe muscle weakness. I was beginning not to be able to walk. After many E.R visits etc I was finally recommended to a neurosurgeon. He said I needed EMERGENCY surgery. I couldn't walk. I was in a wheelchair by that point!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! GO TO A NEUROSURGEON!!! If you begin to feel muscle weakness, foot dragging, incontinence with urine etc you are in trouble...

I pray you will get better!!!

There's a chiropractor here in town that has a machine that bascially puts you in some sort of traction -- it's supposed to work miracles for herniated disks -- call chiropractors around town and ask what they can to do help you.

I strongly suggest physical therapy. I have retrolisthesis of L5-L6 -- which means the bone is popping out of my spine, backwards. It's painful -- physical therapy worked wonders for me . . . I came out of the chiropractor's office one day, and was so screwed up from his "adjustment" that I couldn't stand straight -- so, I saw a physical therapist -- and, now . . . it hardly limits my function -- and I have no pain, unless I do something wrong.

I am curious to know what you have done in physical therapy. If you have not done so, I recommend seeing a physical therapist who is trained in the McKenzie method. This is a highly effective treatment for those with disc derrangements. It is much more effective that flexion based exercises (pelvic tilts, knees to chest, etc.) or "stabilization" exercises as these exercises do nothing to change the postion of the herniation (or it potentially makes it worse). The best McKenzie therapists will be able to tell you within the first couple of visit whether you will benefit from physical therapy. If the disc is "irreducible," it has herniated beyond what can be treated in the conservative option.

Regarding the comments about VAX-D, I have yet to figure out how this is different than standard lumbar traction. It does have some limited success, but required treatment daily for 4-5 weeks. If your disc is reducible with exercise, you can be seen in PT 2x a week in about 1/2 an hour each session. Much less time consuming and much more cost-effective

Back.com-------seen it on yahoo.com, gives advice and contacts for help medical and physical. have had your problem since 1996 started in the 1970's and still it has bad days and few good ones!

Two of my patients have got spinal surgery in India.One was treated for spondylolistheis by spinal fusion and the other for herniated disc by discectomy.Both of them are very happy with the results.Their pain and other symptoms due to nerve compression have totally gone.

Spinal Surgery is very cheap in India.There is one company that is very famous in India that arranges spine surgery for foreigners in India.They are called the Forerunners Healthcare.I read a lot about them in the Newspapers and about their patient stories.I have also read that they arrange financing for american and canadian patients as spine surgery is not covered by insurance.They also have photos pasted of their International patients.You can checkout their website.

The cost savings are incredible.As a doctor i personally believe that your spine surgery can be easily handled in India as the quality of healthcare available here is simply best in the world.The surgeons are USA/UK trained and facilities are 5 star.both my patients had gone to India through the forerunners healthcare company.i strongly recommend you to talk to this company,checkout your options with surgery from them.

http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com

I work for a chiropractor. We get calls all of the time from people liek yourself, not wanting to get cut open but facing excruciating pain on a daily basis. Try a chiropractor. The bad rap they get is promulgated by insurance companies who dont make as much money when a doctor FIXES you rather than writes you a prescription or gives you surgery. Try a chiropractor, please.