Do you think that epidural steroids inj. really help when you have two discs out in your lumbar area(back)?
550421
Hi!\nWhat really helps is keeping your weight down and your abdominal muscles up (you don't have to have a 6-pack, or a hard as rock tummy, just excercise it enough). I've discovered that if I control those two, the pain and crisis just go away. \nREALLY.\n\nGoodluck!
727980
OH MY GOD\n\nthose bring back possibly the worst short term pain memories of my life. I had the same problem. Two severe herniated discs. I went through a year of physical therapy, swimming, strong back muscles, no activity, lots of activity, braces, pills, basically anything you can think of. \n\nI went to the doctor at one point and said that I have two options. Surgery or epidural steroid injections. I took the ESI like anybody would and it was done in a rush after they got the doctor who performed this right before he left to go home. I dont know if this was normal but they only put 3 numbing needles. Then I easily went through the worst pain of my life. The needles into the epidural space are just immensly, undescribably painful. I was put in a wheelchair afterwards and then they said it will get better worse before it gets better. After 2 or 3 days it did get better to some extent, I could walk longer, stand longer, etc. In the end, the ESI did not work for me. They only served as an immense surge of pain. \n\n\nSince your husband already has 4 discs herniated, I would go for surgery. It is painless, quick, just so much better. I would much rather live a full life rather than a half life filled with steroid injections
716274
In terms of your disc herniation, it is doubtful that it will disqualify you. A large number of the human population has asymptomatic disc herniations confirmed by MRI studies on asymptomatic patients. Further MRI studies on cadavers, in which during life- had no complaints of back pain. It is estimated that some 30-40 % of the population have disc herniations. Furthermore there is absolutely no clinical correlation between size (mild/moderate/marked) of the herniation and severity of the patient's pain. \nRegarding your steroid. If at some point of time the pain becomes too great, whereupon all conservative treatment methods have failed. Sure, go with the steroid. A steroids main purpose is to inhibit inflammation- because inflammation results in pain. Inflammation is somewhat good in that its real purpose is to move "cells" to the area to help repair. If you INHIBIT this process, you in effect INHIBIT healing. (ice slows the process down some whilst decreasing pain). Steroids have also shown to result in periarticular osteoporosis ( slight bone loss at the point of injection). Spinal decompression makes sense as your first line of treatment. Think of your disc like a jelly doughnut. Some your jelly has leaked out. The jelly is irritating surrounding nervous tissue--> pain. Decompression causes a negative vaccuum in that disc to help it suck the jelly back in. If your chiro is good... he will then start you off with some stabilization exercises to help with the pain and future occurances of pain.
38492
I had a L5, S1 herniated disc.  I tried 6 months of physical therapy which helped to a point, but I was still in severe pain at times.  I went ahead and had the surgery and I'm so glad I did.  It took a while after the surgery for the pain to completely go away.  I'm told it took so long (about 9 months) for the pain to away because my sciatic nerve was so emflammed for so long.  Once the disk was removed from the nerve, the pain was eventually gone.  I feel so much better now (2 years later).  I only get minor aches from time to time (mainly in the morning or if it rains outside -- strange I know).  These pains are much more managable than the constant shooting pain I had with the herniated disc.  I definitely recommend the surgery for the long-term.
792267
I know these sorts of issues are scary, and when they're happening to your loved on they are.  However, doctors do hundreds of these surgeries every year and know what they're doing.  Personally, I work in surgery and have seen several of these done on the lumbar vertebrae.  Surgical inervention is the solution, I know alternative medicine sounds reat because it's non-invasive and there's no risk, but it is not the absolute fix that surgery is, it's not even close.
1163361
A lot of people had and they regret. The best treatment is walk and physiotherapy. The disc herniates due to several reasons, the most imprtant being the relaxed muscles which can not hold the disc in place. So please gradually start walking and ncreas the distance and duration and speed if you can.
999879
You don't want to settle anything until you are sure there will be no long term effects. This happenend to me and I ended up with degenerative disc disease on my vertabraes. Get it check out.Better safe than sorry....Good Luck
416612
A herniated disk is simply a disk that has lost it's joint fluid thus causing friction (bone on bone) with other disks. This condition tends to pinch on adjacent nerves causing sharp pains at times to spread from your back and onto the sides. There are new therapies that can help alleviate the pain associated with a herniated disk. Your physician will suggest whether any of these are recommended for you. Some of these include losing weight to avoid stressing on the disk, reducing strenuous activities or wearing back braces whenever necessary, Steroid injections to numb the affected area. Other solutions available now are more intrusive and require surgery to pump a cement to replace the joint and separate the disk creating a gap so that nerves are not pinched if that is the case.
487549
Perhaps the epidural was placed incorrectly.\nTalk over your concerns with your OB GYN.\nThey generally provide considerable relief when done properly.
264684
Medication is just not going to cut it for a ruptured disc. In fact...I don't even see how you can stand to be sitting at the computer! You are probably going to have to have surgery. Good Luck.......
720435
Sit ups are not good after disc surgery. Try pelvic tips or tummy crunches. When you do sit ups it puts a lot of strain on your back and that is not where you need to exercize. \nwhen in doubt call a local chiropractor and ask if they have any suggestions.
386220
I think you are talking about a spinal epidural injection with fluoroscopic guidance.  I have operated the fluoro unit in a surgical setting for these procedures.  It is fairly simple.  The anesthesiologist normally does these.  You will be given some great drugs, placed on your stomach, and the doctor will advance a needle into your epidural space of the spinal canal.  Usually they do this for the lower back (lumbar area).  With fluoroscopic guidance, we can watch on a TV screen, in real time, the needle advance, so we are sure the needle is going where it should go.  Let me see if I can find you any descriptions on the net that can do a better job!  Most people tolerate this very well, and experience no pain.  (Thank God for drugs!)\n\nhttp://www.independenceback.com/fluoro.html\n\nhttp://www.gcbj.com/content/091998JMMkap.LAY.pdf#search='epidural%20injections%20fluoroscopic'\n\nhttp://www.ncpainmanagement.com/EpiduralSteroidInjections.htm\n\nI have not heard of any fluoroscopic guided injections to any other areas for pain management.  I will ask around and update my answer if I get more information.  They say you can get a few months relief of back pain with this type of injection.  What part of your body is causing you pain?  That might help me in my search for answers!  Lets see....drawbacks?  Some people say that if you essentially numb the back with an epidural, you might over do it.  You might be more physical than you should be because you do not feel pain.  It really is a way to hide the pain, but it does not solve the problem.  Pain is our body's way of telling us to STOP THAT, THAT HURTS.  If you don't have that kind of warning, some think you can injury yourself further.  But, the doctors who are doing these injections say it gives your body time to heal, and delivers an anti-inflamatory medicine.  You might ask around for people who have actually had this procedure (the fluoroscopy part doesn't matter....the procedure does the same thing whether you have visual guidance or not).  Ask your friends if they have any friends who have done this.  OF course, the outcome will vary from person to person.  Have you asked your doctor all of this?
387770
Yes. Fortunately, your friend has been diagnosed before the discs have ruptured. The esi will hopefully help with the inflammation of the tissue and the disc will retreat back into the vertebrae thus relieving any pain. Problem is that its not extremely successful. Some people never have problems again, some have no improvement at all. Those who have some improvement should have another esi within two weeks. Now that the disc has been damaged though, your friend will need to be more cautious in the future to avoid repetative injury.
800504
I have sciatica pain too. Pain pills make me numb and I last longer in bed. That could be a good thing.
638361
Yes it can. Since it does not seem that it was treated, the damage to the disc was increased through continued movement and lifting (if you did any lifting). Left untreated it is possible that the disc degenerated over 2 years. 2 years is a long time to walk around with a ruptured disk in your lumbar region.
179019
It's not too bad at all. What feels a little funny is that you will be sitting up and bent forward all the way.\n\nYou will get some numbing medication and the rest will feel like a regular shot to you.\n\nThey will wait for the epidural to work first (about 15 mins and then give the cortisone).
279062
The medicine for cartilage and joints??? I jst bought something similar(Osteo Bi-Flex)at wal-mart, but it is also at CVS,Walgreens, etc. \nI think this is what you are talking about. If not, I apologize.\nif you are talking about the medicine that's similar to mine, I can say that this stuff has made a huge improvement on my husband's back. I didn't even tell him that this is what I added to his vitamins, and he hasn't been complaining for MONTHS. it's being said that Glucosamine doesn't work, but whatever it is mixed with seems to be doing the trick.\n$30/bottle though. EEKS. Better than surgery, I guess.