Herniated disk & Sciatic Nerve Pain - Suggestions?

Question:

We have surgeon consult on Thursday but my hubby's pain will not ease up. The disk is pushing on his nerve bundles & it runs severe pain down his left leg. Any suggestions would be helpful. He is on pain meds, ice packs, heating pad, stretches, muscle relaxers..any other ideas....

Answers:
This can be awful. I was bedridden for over two months after a chair collapsed under me in a Paris hotel. I'm still waiting for an insurance settlement to cover my medical costs.

The leg pain is probably "referred pain". There's a lot on this to be found on the Internet.

Aside from the meds Diclofenac, Tramadol, Codeine, Paracetamol) I found a TENS machine helpful. I bought one on eBay for $50/£30 or so. (See the link below.)

Eventually I had an MRI taken and it revealed the source of the pain (damaged disk). After paying a lot of money, and having a useless spinal injection, it got better by itself.

DON'T let your surgeon recommend surgery. If you're in the USA, note that American back specialists are known for rushing to operate, fuse disks, etc. In other countries they look at that as profiteering because (as my surgeon/Professor said) if perfection is 0 and the worst pain/condition possible is 10, surgery is objectively only get you back to a 2. The chances of your getting to a 2 without surgery are excellent.

Other Answers:
chiropractor!!

seriously they can make things better without surgery. They push it all back into place.

It is possible to get relief without surgery.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/back-surgery/HQ00305

http://www.memorialbackinstitute.com/

I know his pain. I had to go to the emergency room at least once because my back locked up on me. I have an arthritic vertebra around L4 or L5, I found out. They gave me a cocktail of about 5 or 6 meds intravenously. They really doped me up and got me loose. By the time I came out of it at home, I had no more pain and could move well.

Other times I had to get physical therapy with a doctor's prescription. That took a long time. The trick is to get the proper doctor. The one who finally understood was not the surgeon, but an industrial medicine specialist. He got me the correct physical therapy.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sciatica/DS00516

There was a fellow I worked with who had his back operated on. He wound up having to wear a leg brace because he lost the control of his leg muscles in one leg after surgery. You never know how this kind of risky operation may turn out no matter how good the surgeon may or may not be.

I have found that I need to sleep with a pillow between my legs at night if on my side, a pillow under my bent legs when on my back. Sleeping on my stomach usually agravates my back.

http://www.spine-health.com/topics/conserv/overview/physical/physical01.html

http://www.healthguidance.org/articles/3625/1/Back-Exercise-Stretches-For-Back-Pain.html

http://www.backpain-resources-online.com/remedies.html

I hope that I didn't swamp you with too much info, but in this case I think you can never get too much info for this problem.

If you want to discuss further, you are welcome to contact me by e-mail.

Good luck to your husband. He WILL get better.

Chiropractors use this product and they get there patients on it!

I was one of them. I take it regularly

www.viabenefits.com

I have much experience in this area so please acccept my advice carefully. I am not supportive of any type of surgery without trying alternative healing methods.
My suggestion is:1. Find a chiropractor that you feel comfortable with. If you are not sure or comfortable with" "spinal minipulation" then ask if this profesional uses a "activator" Chiropractoric care is time consuming and not a quick fix. It usally takes several months to repair the problem but the outcome is well worth the time invested. Also,it can be costly, expecially if insurance does not cover this. Ask if this professinal has a payment plan.
2nd. Try acupuncture. It take several txs to stop the pain but it can be very effective. Ice is good alternated with heat on the "heated area of the spine. 15-20 minutes on with heat alternate between heat and ice.
Finallly if you need to see the surgeon ask for a MRI and follow the surgeons advice. If surgery is recommended get a 2nd opinion. You'll discover that most chiropractors are not in favor of surgery, but a "good" chiropropractor know when to refere you to a surgeon and won't hesitate to do so if the problem can't be corrected. If you don't know any chiropractors ask your friends or relatives. Finally, pain medications can be addictive and it does not solve the problem. Pain medication and muscle relaxors have a purpose and is helpful but it is not a cure. Educate yourself, read ask questions, get opinions from your friends and relatives. When you go to see the surgeon take all your questions with you. Best of luck to you both.

More Questions and Answers

The consumer health information on youqa.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.

Herniated disk & Sciatic Nerve Pain - Suggestions?

Health Resources