An update.
Well I got the results back from my MRI. Some good new for a change. The doctor said that the MRI showed that I had a mild bulge between L5 and S1. He said it was minor in nature and that is was probably irritating a nerve which was causing the pain down my legs. The way he talked was that it wasnt really that big of a deal. I’m hoping he’s right.
He’s putting me on a PT program, enough Ibuprofen to drop an elephant and some type of nerve medication that I forget the name of. He says he’s hopeful that I can get back to combat sports and lifting. Hope he knows what he’s talking about.
I’ve had this pain for almost a year now, I really hope hes right about how mild it is.
There are many maneuvers mackenzie method depending on where the lesion. maybe you’re using the wrong one for your case
I’m having a pain on the right side of the lower back and a strained left gluteus. When sitting for several minutes, I start to have discomfort in both knees, the patellar tendon. I am being treated with the McKenzie method and the results are confusos.Al make extensions, the flexion is more painful if I bend to the right side, front flex improvement. Right now I’m doing 10 extensions with overpressure every 30 minutes throughout the day. The idea is to do 3 consecutive days to see if it modifies the pain.
Well I had my first day of physical therapy today. The PT had me doing mackenzie strectches both standing and lying down. She told me she’s pretty confident that with me being young, she can get me back in good shape. I sure hope she’s right. She thinks its not gonna take that long. I sure hope she’s right.
Levelhead, I have no experience with PT’s, I’d be interested in hearing your opinion.
Thanks
Without knowing your specific MRI results (size of bulge, direction, etc) and being able to physically evaluate you, it’s hard to give a solid opinion on your situation. Based off of your physicians comments and the comments of your PT, I’d say you are on the right path. Being in your early 20’s will definitely help with your recovery. I have worked with people with mild disc bulges (5mm or less) who have done great with the therapy/conservative approach and have gotten back to full function. It just takes time to allow the disc to scar over and heal.
One other word of advice that I will give is to not compare your recovery timeline to those of professional, elite athletes. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve had people coming back from ACL repairs stating they will be back to everything in 4-5 months because (insert pro athlete’s name) came back in that time.
I am not saying that you are doing that, but with you being a combat athlete and with the recent return to competition of Thiago Silva and the return to training for Shane Carwin (both who came back from disc injuries), I could see it being easy to compare situations with them.
You have to realize as professional athletes, they were already at a peak level of condition/strength which puts them at a big advantage for recovery. Not to mention they have the money to pay for therapy out of pocket and probably got way more than insurance would normally cover.
Anyways, rant over. To recap - stick with what your doc/PT are telling you. Be diligent with your work, but patient with your results. Best of luck with it all!
Thanks for your time Levelhead, I appreciate it.
Yea, I will keep what you said in mind. I definitely dont wont to rush anything. I’m gonna try to get the MRI and post it a up in a few weeks when I go back. The way the dock talked, the bulge was not very big. Still my PT said that because I’m having pain and numbness/tingling in both legs and feet, that it shows that the bulge has gotten bigger. She talks like she believe’s I’ll be back to squatting and deadlifting in no time. I certainly want to believe her, ofcourse she knows more then me, but I can help thinking that these things take a long time dont they? I’m chomping at the bits to get back to training and lifting. lol
What has been your experience with the average time it takes to heal and get back to normal? I mean, I have been injured for almost a year now.
It is incredibly difficult to give a timeline to return to full function with disc bulges. Even if I had access to your records and was able to physically evaluate you, I would still be hesitant to give specific timelines as each person responds very differently to disc bulges.
Yes, you have been injured for almost a year now, but how long have you actually gotten good, correct treatment? The fact that you went so long without corrective therapy may actually lengthen recovery time. The longer a pathology lingers, the more improper muscle recruitment patterns become a natural part of a person’s body.
Speaking of treatment, did the doctor give you epidural steroidal injections? Or just oral medication?
As I stated in my last posting, just be patient. Be diligent with your rehab and follow what your PT instructs you with. Don’t rush things, especially with a disc bulge, as you can increase the size of the bulge if it isn’t healed/scarred down and the surround muscles/tissues may not be ready for the increased load.
He’s only gave me oral steroids as of now. He’s also put me on some nerve meds called nurantanin? or something like that.
lol thanks, I will try, it is very hard to do.
Well, been doing the PT exercises for a couple weeks now. Mckenzie back stretches and core strengthening (planks and quadruped alternate arm and leg), as well as using resistance band for pulling and things like that.
It seems like my back feels a little better after I do them and the PT presses down and massages my back. The pain and burning in my leg lessens for a bit, but comes back as soon as I set down, or pretty much do anything else. The pain in my calves (both) has gotten alot worse. I’m having alot of pain in my upper back as well, which I guess could be inflamation.
Rough times.
If it hasn’t already been discussed, ask your doctor about his feelings on you getting and epidural steroidal injection. He may or may not feel it is beneficial for your specific case, but I have seen good results with ESIs and disc related injuries.
I talked to him about it awhile ago and he told me if I was still in pain a few weeks into therapy, that we would try the steroid injections.
I guess I’m gonna give it another week before I go back. For the record, the PT does relieve my pain and make me feel abit better for a short time.