Hello all, I am new to the board, On May 23rd i hurt myself at work, I am a Police officer and while checking bisiness doors i tripped over something and needless screwed my back up, On May 26 i went to the hospital and got an MRI...Here are the findings word for word. Small central Disc protrusion with an associated small annular fissure at the L4/5. There is no significant forminal or spinal canal compromise, However, The annular fissure may be symptomatic. My symptoms are severe burning pain down the back of both of my legs along with shooting sharp pains down the buttox and into the right leg. I also have a burning /sharp pain in my lower back.......I go to the Neuro surgeon tomorrow, Can anyone in laymans terms give me the low-down on the MRI results and also what i can expect at the Neuro tomorrow. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Paul and welcome to the board.

Sometimes it is the small things that cause us the greatest damage. I am not good at reading MRI reports but Justoneofus is great at it and am sure she will post soon.

I am sorry about the back pain and can relate.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Any other comments???? I am going crazy here:)

Well Paul ,
Im sure you know that 95% of these disc herniations clear themselves up within 6-12 weeks. You have a great chance of getting better with doing nothing.
If the pain continues for months and months then you need to get in there and decide on a surgery .
I had a l4-l5 herniation just like you . I did everything from accupuncture to 2 epidural shots , physical therapy and nothing got rid of the pain except for a surgical procedure called a discectomy (which I got on May 22).
Whatever the case don't worry , just do whatever it takes to get rid of the pain!
GOOD LUCK

Seems to me to be a small herniation (where the jam flows out of the donut), but since it (the jam) isn't touching the spinal canal (where there's nerve roots) or narrowing the foramina (where the nerves exit), that there's probably no nerve impingement. The annular fissure is I think a small tear of the disc itself. This can release chemicals which irritate the nerves, and can also affect much smaller nerve endings within the disc itself...I'm not sure what can be done for the tear...but as saversano said, the disc herniation could heal itself naturally, and fairly quickly.

There will be others out there who can ansewer this better than me, they'll respond soon I'm sure.
Jinks

Hi,

I am not a doctor but have some experience. The annular fis. may be causing much of your pain. It contains chemicals. If there is a small tear or fissure, the fluid can leak out and severely irritate the nerves. Herniations can cause pain even if the MRI shows that they do not appear to compromise the nerves. I often think that MRI test should be taken while the patient is standing of sitting. That would reveal the time when the most pressure is on the lumbar area.
The neuro will probably want to try an injection or take the "wait and see". Perhaps you should ask for something for the pain. I know a cop can't go around on narcs (I know, :)). but something to help you off duty or perhaps ultram (don't know if it will help).
Good luck.
Been there, done that, still doing it.

Hello all, I am new to the board, On May 23rd i hurt myself at work, I am a Police officer and while checking bisiness doors i tripped over something and needless screwed my back up, On May 26 i went to the hospital and got an MRI...Here are the findings word for word. Small central Disc protrusion with an associated small annular fissure at the L4/5. There is no significant forminal or spinal canal compromise, However, The annular fissure may be symptomatic. My symptoms are severe burning pain down the back of both of my legs along with shooting sharp pains down the buttox and into the right leg. I also have a burning /sharp pain in my lower back.......I go to the Neuro surgeon tomorrow, Can anyone in laymans terms give me the low-down on the MRI results and also what i can expect at the Neuro tomorrow. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Paul and Welcome to the board.

Sorry to hear you have been hurt, especially when it comes to your back. You can take a wait and see approach for a short period, but if your Doc recomends surgery...Do it!...The longer a nerve is compressed the more long lasting or permanent damage you will have..Also a higher risk of scar tissue after surgery the longer the area is traumatized.. I am living proof of that..I had an extreme L5/S1 herniation (1 below yours) and I have severe nerve compression for 5 months..I was in a wheelchair with screaming R leg pain..It just happened..no injury or anything..I could not shower, Had to be sponge bathed, could not sit on a toliet..Could not walk..Pain was unbearable even on drugs..By the time I got in to see a surgeon in this area It was five months..I had a Lumbar Hemi-Laminectomy. I got relief from the severe pain, but I still hurt and still take pain meds..I cannot walk fast or drive..I have numbness and weakness in R leg and I cannot run, jump, step up etc My life has changed dramatically because of this and I am 5 months post surgery....So if they say surgery please consider it and if they say no surgery is needed get a s4econd opinion to be sure..A life is worth it..Best of luck to you..K

Has anyone here had what i have above??If so how did it turn out???

Turns out I got a discectomy .. i was scared to death before hand but it looks like it turned out ok .

Hi, the annular tear (small tear in the disc) can leak out fluid from inside the disc and irritate the nerves and it can cause a seething burning feeling. Hopefully the symptoms should lessen over some time and that burning will go away, since it doesnt seem like you have anything compressing the nerves. I had a torn disc last year and boyyy did I feel that and before I had any imaging done, I could pinpoint exactly where in my spine it was coming from. That pain actually made me vomit and felt like it radiated into my whole lower body (abdomen, back, thighs, etc....).

4hours and counting before i go to the neuro, I hope he can do something about this burning in the back of my legs and the lower back pain.

Try not to worry so much Paul . It's probably just a disk rubbing against your nerve.
No matter what happens you will live through this without a doubt ..