Anyone out there with slipped dics/other back problems?

I have 2 bulging discs in my lower spine (L4/L5 and L5/S1) which sometimes make even getting out of bed unbearable. (Normally, I can function fine as long as I keep one foot elevated while standing for long periods of time.) They are bulging to the side, instead of forward or backward like normal, and pinch the peripheral nerves on the right side of my back. I also have arthritic bone spurs in my SI joint.

I find that when my back is giving me too much of a problem to walk or run, riding the exercise bike at the gym feels wonderful, and being more active makes it hurt less the next day.

ah, yes. i have something wrong but not exactly sure what....

i was originally told over 10 years ago by a chiro that i have arthritis in my spine (something he noticed upon viewing x-rays of my back). i went to see him because i was having neck pain. he did some adjustments, it hurt but after a few weeks i was better.

then i was totally fine for many years. in 2011 the neck pain came back & it was worse than ever. i went to see several rheumatologists, one told me it was fibromyalgia. the other told me that i have i have disc degeneration at C4 & C5. i did some physical therapy but was still having problems. ultimately i went to an ortho & he said that he suspected that the pain was not coming from my neck but from an old injury in my back/shoulder. i was getting horrible spasms by this point, so he tried a steroid injection to alleviate the spasms. this did not work at all. in fact it made things worse for about 2 weeks. On my return visit the ortho prescribed therapy. He said it was to be the same regardless of the diagnosis so he decided not to do any more testing & just ship me off to therapy. So i completed 2 rounds of it. i was still in a world of hurt after therapy...

it took a long time to recover, about 2 years. now i about 90-95% better. I am just VERY careful about lifting & other strenuous activities that can aggravate my neck/back. Fortunately running never seems to be a problem, in fact i feel much better standing walking or running as compared to sitting down which seems to make the pain start to come back. so i like to keep moving

hot yoga did wonders for my back. I groom dogs and for the first 3 years I worked at petsmart and it literally killed my back so when I left and went to a new shop it obviously still bothered me. I do a lot of stretching now and do hot yoga when it acts up and it seems to help me a lot

broke back about 2 years ago. doctors fused my spine together. otherwise i would not be walking.

i have serious problems doing exercise. any jarring will cause pain after done exercising.

i have not found anything i can do but waling and a few light weights.

use to do running and strength exercise everyday. miss it,

i lose weight by watching my diet. anything i can do.

i keep looking for things i could do and have found nothing.

good luck on your quest.

I have a lower back injury that frequently flares up in very painful spasms :sad: . I'm stubborn though and always determine to what I can physically in spite of it.

Yoga. Fixed my sciatica and other delightful lower back issues. Give it a go!

One word...surgery. I know a lot of people are against it, but if you find the right neuro-surgeon, get it done. He was very conservative and tried everything, including shots in my spine. He did the surgery 2 1/2 years ago and I am pain free and back to doing all my normal things.

This^^^^^^^^^^

I have had 2 surgeries. the first was my L5 which I broke in a motorcycle crash in 89 and left me in a wheelchair and bedridden for a longgggg time... The 2nd was I broke my neck at the C7 - T1 racing dirt bikes. They talked of possibly amputating my right nad due to the nerve damage. I hope you are not at that point, try everything they suggest, stretching always helps. But if you must find a Nuroe Surgeon that you can trust.... Good Luck to you.....

2 herniated discs in the lower back (L4/L5 and L5/S1), which first presented itself 7 years ago after a particularly ambitious trip to IKEA and subsequent furniture building.

Since then I experience a mild to moderate amount of back discomfort after sitting or standing for very long periods of time, and about once a year I'll have a pretty bad flare-up, which is usually brought on by aggressive weight lifting.

Here's what I've come to learn over the last few years:

1) On normal days when I have no back pain or maybe just mild discomfort, I try to keep a regular schedule of cardio and resistance training. I pay extra close attention to my form, particularly when lifting heavy weights, and make sure to give extra focus to strengthening my abs and posterior chain to give as much support to my spine as possible. I try to do some form of flexibility work (yoga, pilates, long stretching sessions, etc.) once or twice a week.

2) When I have mild to moderate back pain, I try to continue my workout schedule but dial back the weight I use for lifting by about 20%. I'll also do more swimming, elliptical and incline walking on the treadmill, since it doesn't jostle my spine as much. I might increase my flexibility work to 3-4 times a week during these periods, and I have a compression shirt to help my posture. When I'm sitting at work I have to get up and walk around often. Usually ibuprofin is strong enough to make the discomfort tolerable.

3) When the pain is excruciating, the best thing to do is rest, ice, and take some pain killers, but try to get mobile again as soon as possible with at least some easy stretching, walking and swimming. I also have a very supportive back brace that helps during those periods.

Good luck to all of the back pain sufferers. I've been dealing with it since I was 24 and I wish I had been kinder to my back throughout my adolescence and young adulthood. I've had to come to terms with the fact that it's going to be an issue for me for the rest of my life.

Hello. I have 2 bulging discs and sciatic nerve damage, degenerative disc disease, and sacroiliac joint pain. After 4 months of physical therapy, losing weight, one shot, and now a Tens unit the sciatic pain and numbness are gone. I still suffer from sacroiliac joint paint which I learned, JUST DO NOT SIT! Ha ha ha, easier said than done. After working through this for 5 months now, I am able to do more than the basic exercises. I concentrate on strengthening the core and back and losing weight always. Everything else I am physically able to add from there is a plus. Take it slow, build your core and back strength and lose weight first then add from there. Good things that helped me: physical therapy, aqua therapy, walking, pilates, yoga, stretching, recumbent bike, free weights. Keep form always and take your time, do not push it.