Hi Everyone I Am New To This Site. Like Most Of You I Have A Bad Back. I Am Happy I Found This Site And I Sympathize With Everyone Here. But I Have A Problem About 3 Yrs Ago I Found Out That I Have A Herniated Disc L5-s1. I Am Thinking About A Micro-d But I Am Wondering Should I Get One. Now I Have Never Spoke To A Orthepedic Surgeon And My Back Isn't All That Bad, But I Do Have Leg And Buttocks Pain. I Don't Know I Guess I Have A High Tolerance For Pain. But This Has Ruined My Lifestyle. I Don't Play Sports Anymore Hardly Ever Workout Any More. I Am Very Limited And I'm Tired Of It. I Miss My Old Life, Now I Am Not Scared Of Surgery. I Am Wondering Will A Micro-d Help Me??? The Mri Say's The Following


Findings: The Examination Reveals Striaghtening Of The Normal Lumbar Lordosis.

There Is Loss Of Normal Signal Intensity From The L5-s1 Intervertebral Disc Proper And Some Disc Space Narrowing At L5-s1 Of Degenerative Disc Disease.

There Is A Central Herniated Disc At L5-s1 Which Does Not Lateralize Or Apperar To Significantly Compromise The Exiting Nerve Roots.

The Remainder Of The Intervertebral Disc Spaces And Vertebral Body Heights Appear Preserved. The Intervertbral Foraminia Are Patent Bilaterally. The Conus Medullaris And Visualized Portion Of The Sacrum To The Level Of S2 In Not Remarkable. Do Discrete Paraspinal Soft Tissue Mass Is Noted.

Impression:
Central Herniated Disc At L5-s1
Degenerative Disc Disease At L5-s1

P.s. Sorry About This Post Being So Long. Can Someone Please Explain All That To Me And Give Me Some Advice On What To Do??? Thankyou

I am not a Doc nor do I play one on TV. But I do have multilevel herniated discs with thecal sac impingement and spinal stenosis and sclerosis, so I am used to MRI's up to a point.

Seems like you have 1 Herniated disc that is not causing any problems with the nerve root. you also have DDD which is really not anything to worry about because that is something that comes with age.

I was told by my PMD to get a micro-d but the surgeon said "NO". What would the point be of you getting a Micro-D if your disc is not impinging on anything?

Your buttock pain sounds like sciatica which I can tell you from experience is a killer pain.

Good Luck!

Alan

Please see my post about Upright MRI. The MRI's taken while you lie down may not show your problem. Your report looks pretty simple, you're back is too straight (You are losing the normal curvature - which is important in distributing weight), and you have a herniated disc they do not think is bad enough to operate on.

Fix your posture now, don't lift heavy objects, try physical therapy, and be mindful of your problem in your daily life. Hopefully you will heal and it will not get worse. Herniations are the result of mechanical breakdown. Find the cause and give your body a chance to heal. Keep doing what you have done in the past and get worse.

To add to the previous posts, you may want to look into the buttock and leg pain. It sounds like you have a form of Sciatica, but the question is the source: 1) disc (such as pinched nerve - DDD and herniation are at right location for that nerve), or 2) piriformis muscle (runs from same location as you disc problem under the glutes to you hip on the side).

I would recommend seeing a specialist...I know some have issues with ortho surgeons, but if they are involved in sports-related injuries, FDA and other advanced studies, and have a neuro on staff, you should be in good shape. Just do your homework.

If the MRI doesn't show a disc impingement, then the only test I can think of is giving you an anesthetic shot in the piriformis. After 3-4 hours, you will know whether or not that is the cause. That's how mine was found.

Good luck in your efforts.

hello and if you have primarily lower back pain and if your thighs hurt , is it severe , is it acute or chronic, im not a doctor eithier but ive been dealing with this now for to years still in severe pain and on narotics to ease my pain. the nerve does not have to be pinched to cause your pain, if the disc is badly injured or degenerated than the disc can be the pain generator. the disc are like theshoks on your car and when its damaged it does not function the way it should therefore the pain. a large portion of the population have herniated disks, or buldging discs and dont even have any symptoms. i also had a pinched nerve for almost ayear and i was forced to work i was just taking alot of very heavy pain killers, but let me tell you even with the pain meds the leg pain made me drop to the ground many times it is extremley painful. if i were you like i told another member is to get a few different opinions from spine specialists such as an orthopedic or a neurosurgeon that perdominatly only work on the spine. see what these doctors say, they will make you try all non surgical procedures to see if you get relief before you can think about a surgery. this is the best process, i mean i wish that these non surgical procedures worked on me but unfortunetly 12 epidurals later and bed rest and intense physical therapy didnt work. then the surgeon from workers comp did the wrong operation for my problem and i am in chronic severe pain, the only thing that was fixed was the foot and calf pain before surgery. now i have deep pain and spasms in my lower back and thighs due to two ruptured discs that were never taken care of. i now am going in for a 3 level spinal fusion in january and believe it or not i cant wait for thats how much pain i am in and what its like physically and mentally.. just get opinions and exhaust all none surgical options unless your doctor says its an emergency. good luck and i hope this doesnt turn into a what seems like a lifetime of pain for you take care...

thankyou everybody for the great advice. hopefully everyone on this site will continue to give me feedback on what to do. I truly am sorry about everyones back pain on this forum. i wish we didn't have to go through this. i will probably go see a surgeon or neurosurgeon soon. I just have to do something, i'm only 26yrs old i have my whole life ahead of me i can't live like this. You guys are great people. I'm happy i came on this site.

Hi. I can definately sympathize with your situation. I am 27 and dealing with agonizing pain every day. Its horrible! Just thought you might feel comforted knowing you're not alone. I hope everything works out for you and you can get some relief. Good luck to you!