Bulging disc - outcomes?

gurp said:

My back has been messed up since October with my orthopedic surgeon suspecting a micro-tear. I finally got an MRI and they've found I have a bulging disc and level 2 degeneration from L3-L5. I have a feeling my DH days may be done. Anyone else have a similar injury? Outcome?

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Keep your head up. My uncle had a bulging disc and after some surgery and PT he is back racing on his skis again.

I had a bulging disc and some damaged ligaments 3 years ago but no degeneration (not that i know of anyway), in time it got better but i still have to be careful what i do. Core strength work helps alot, as did a herb called cissus.

gurp said:

My back has been messed up since October with my orthopedic surgeon suspecting a micro-tear. I finally got an MRI and they've found I have a bulging disc and level 2 degeneration from L3-L5. I have a feeling my DH days may be done. Anyone else have a similar injury? Outcome?

Click to expand...

I had a enflamed and partially bulging disk between L4 and L5. It wasn't totally out of place, no tears...
It would bulge, then receed after a few months... Then I would stop doing my PT (bc it felt better) and it would come back... This happened for about 2-3 years with at least 4 "episodes" during that time. Then I decided to keep up with the PT, keep stretching, build up my core strength. It has been over 2 years now since my last episode and I feel great. I am careful when lifting heavy items of course, but I have been DH'ing no problem.

I actually find that CLIMBING is more detrimental. Long grinding climbs while seated over rough terrain is murder on the back bc you can't absorb the undulations/bumps with your legs. It is just your back/butt against the seat, so all the "impact" goes directly into the spine.

A car accident three years ago left me with a L4-L5 and L5-S1 severe disc bulge. My riding has definitely changed and so has my life but with proper core training and stretching I am able to get back to 75% of my activities. When on the bike I am 100% capable but just not for the same length of time. Rest and a bag of ice after riding will go a long ways. I also use a lumbar belt when riding only and that helps reduce the jarring and pain. Be positive and hype aware of your posture.

I get back pain easily.

What works:
Stretching
Hot Baths
Cannabis
Inversion
Stretching
Core Exercise
Yoga/ Stances
Ride standing up more (helps a whole lot actually)
Hard bed with no pillow
Pull ups/climbing

What does not work:
Bucking hay
Falling repeatedly on pavement
Bad Posture
Sitting around all day
Stress
Soft Bed
The Couch
Too much seated biking

Good posture uses your muscles, which regenerate quickly and change shape easily. Bad posture stresses the skeleton and joints, which are not designed to be abused. So use good posture!

I had two (L3&5)herniated discs back in 2002. After 3 rounds of pt, cortizone injections and time off work, the problem was'nt any better. I ended up having a discectomy. (they trimed the portion of disc away that was pressing on the nerve.) Turned out the one disc was calcified and would have not healed without the operation.Part of the operation recovery pt was riding a stationary bike. When I recoverd enough, I started riding xc. In 2004 I bought a cannondale gemini, and have been riding dh since. In my case the most impotant thing is streching and keeping mobility, followed by core strength. I recently started using a foam roller, and it seems to help quite a bit as well.

I have had two separate discectomies four years apart. L4-L5 was the first. The second was the L4-L5 and L5-S1. I am now four and a half years out from the second surgery. My back is solid but I do have to be mindful to keep up on core exercises and how I lift things (I'm a contractor). I had herniated discs and massive sciatic pain and numbness in one leg. I live relatively pain free now after the surgeries. It sounds totally counter-intuitive but I find that riding DH actually makes my back feel better. Somehow it loosens it up. I've been riding mt bikes for twenty years now (DH for 8) and I don't see myself giving it up anytime soon.

I will also second everything in ioscopes's reply above.

Hmm, I popped l4/5 and c4/5+5/6 traumatically and while i have some numbness and occasional impingement (esp sciatica) overall PT has me at 100% except when they 'act up'.

Mind you - BURST, not bulging. Take care of yourself, you will be fine!

I've got 5 bulging discs, all the L ones in fact, I still ride.

I haven't been DHing for a while, cos of bike maintenance issues mostly, but I reckon I should be ok.
My "racing" days are over though.

I need them all replaced with fancy ceramic and titanium bits, which I cant afford at the moment, hence the bike maintenance issues!!
And the mortgage.

I have a totally thrashed disc between L5 & S1, degenerated disc between L2 & L3 and recently some neck issues. The best thing for me is to stretch my hamstrings and hips in the shower with very hot water every morning. If I start my day with tight leg muscles then my pelvis is not straight and the aggravated discs take all the load. If I make sure I keep stretching and keep mobility then I can DH and snowboard as hard as I want. The doctors told me over ten years ago that I have to stop riding but I found a couple tricks that let me continue but I have to do them everyday.

I also wear a weight lifting back brace like this when riding or trailbuilding.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004AUS28S/ref=asc_df_B004AUS28S1907820?tag=thefind0233162-20&creative=395261&creativeASIN=B004AUS28S&linkCode=asn

I have C spine 4,5,6,7 hurniated,bulging and degenerative for almost 10 years now, matter of fact my neck is tingling right now as i get ready to go to my constuction job ive done all my adult life. I have good days & bad days with the amount of pain & swelling. I landed on my head a bunch doing various things ,even rolled a truck doing 60mph less then a year ago & that totally aggravated my issue....matter of fact it prevented me from DH last season, got pretty concussed from that. riding doesnt aggravate my neck but i try to stay away from lifting heavy objects even though thats hard to stay away from at times being a real man and all. lmao!!

stay hydrated
strengthen core
stay off bike during acute flares
NSAIDs (celebrex works wonders for me, but of course consult your doctor)
Epidural steroid shots

surgery should be last resort, or when there is clear spinal cord impingement. natural course of disc herniations is that they get better on their own.

I actually had surgery a few years ago to repair a bulging L4/5 disc. I have had a bunch of threads about how to prevent injury and how to strengthen your lower back. Just search for 'back' and my name.

As for dr's, the spine center at USF is one of the best in the world. If you need to see a doc, go there.

I just had my second hip surgery in 5yrs, this one for a revision to the first back in 07. Mountain bike ridin is a very important component to my recovery even though my doc at the VA doesn't know I'm ridin since my surgery on 01/09/2012. Don't get me wrong, I don't get stupid! There is still some thing's I can't do like any impact on my right leg. After my 1st surgery on 01/2007 I've been goin to the gym (sometimes 7days a week) and ridin both on and off road on my bike but 2 wks before my surgery my bike was stolen so after this one as soon as I was able to walk I bought a Specialized Hardrock Disc. with hopes of down the road getting a full suspension bike. Follow your doc's order's but I'm just tryin to say: stay as physical as your body will let you. NEVER say "Oh, I can't do that anymore". One more thing I forgot to tell you, I'm goin on 57yrs old!

I had a slight bulge in my lower back (can't remember between which vertebrae) in 2008. Was off my bike from march to october (and on my second time out after that I hit a tree and broke my scaphoid bone and was out for 12 more weeks + rehab, but that's a different story..). I did a LOT of rehab training at the gym and still focus a lot of my work on core strenght. I never needed surgery, I just realized one day that i couldn't feel the bulge on my spine anymore after the pain had gradually receeded. It really would seem like I lucked out listening to other peoples stories..

Had an L5-S1 laminectomy a couple of years back. Had to learn how to walk again.
Now I'm riding bigger and better than I ever have. All core training. Give yourself the time to heal and get strong again. If you work toward really small and specific goals, you will over achieve your grandest visions.
Oh, and i ride almost only dh, go big, ski and still jump all the park jumps on snow and dirt and just turned 50.
Remember how long it took you to really build up to that injury, the repeated bashings and the recovery time will only be a blip in rear view mirror.
And insurance paid rehab is like free personal training!

Talk to your doctor about using an inversion table regularly to decompress, gradually, of course. It worked wonders for me, along with yoga and core strengthening. Also, if you have any weight to lose, it only takes more pressure of your spine. Stay Positive and Be Patient! Good luck!

LMC said:

I had a bulging disc and some damaged ligaments 3 years ago but no degeneration (not that i know of anyway), in time it got better but i still have to be careful what i do. Core strength work helps alot, as did a herb called cissus.

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Hi there,
I had an episode of nerve impingement of the L4 nerve that caused flare-ups until i went to the physio where I was given exercises to do and two days later it seemed to go back in- the pain subsided. its been a year since the episode. i was playing a racket sport and on a very little movement i felt a slight pop/touch of something in lower back. the next day i had sciatica- on lifting things i began to have flare-ups.

how long was it before u felt you had relief?

I remember the exact moment where I went from not being able to sit and then being able to sit-it happened in seconds. Can anyone explain this?

mopps said:

Hi there,
I had an episode of nerve impingement of the L4 nerve that caused flare-ups until i went to the physio where I was given exercises to do and two days later it seemed to go back in- the pain subsided. its been a year since the episode. i was playing a racket sport and on a very little movement i felt a slight pop/touch of something in lower back. the next day i had sciatica- on lifting things i began to have flare-ups.

how long was it before u felt you had relief?

I remember the exact moment where I went from not being able to sit and then being able to sit-it happened in seconds. Can anyone explain this?

Click to expand...

Hi there,

Well it took about a full year of laying off squats and deadlifts, then slowly building the weight up again on the same excersizes. I used a foam roller alot on my back, ass and hamstring muscles and did alot of stretching and core work.

The key for me was patience and consistency with the stretching and core strengthening. when I first hurt myself I jumped back in to squats too soon and made things worse. Even now I wouldnt say I am 100%, maybe 95% though, i have no pain or discomfort in my daily life or when training however the odd time I get the clicks and pops in my back.

If you are playing raquet sports I would advise alot of side twists or Russian twists, bent over dumbell rows and some form of lower back excersize or deadlift variation. Go very easy though and stop at any sign of pain.

I had corpectomy/fusion of my C5-C7 done about 15 years ago and have had no issues since then. I was told that a there is a huge portion of the population that have lumbar herniation and it isn't as big of concern. The pulposus will bulge and then retract, but because of the fact that the C spine is less stable, it needed to be repaired (fused). My ex-father in-law had a lumbar fusion performed and it wasn't beneficial which is expected in a third of the cases. His surgeon told him that a third don't improve, a third improve and the last third get worse.

I guess if I were expriencing a lumbar herniation, I'd explore the variable options availble for pain management.

Great thread and I feel everyones pain - seriously. I have been struggling for the past 2 years with repeated lower back issues. I had my back x rayed twice in Korea but they keep telling me its a sprain but this thread has me wondering if I have a similar issue as posted here. Last week I was planning to have a better check up in South Africa next month. I blew my back out doing 5 days of intense FR/DH riding my a steel hardtail. Took 1 week to finally losen up and for the pain to subside. A month later I blew it out again and it took 3 weeks to recover, not fun while trying to build a ship. Honestly I couldn't bend over or even tie my shoe laces. In 2 years I have blown my back out 7 times and each time I have tried to figure out what movement I am doing. I have never had any issue with DH/FR/AM riding or any other sport including surfing and running. It would seem that every time it has occured was when I was on my Wildcard riding the local BMX track or on street and I have pinned it down to throwning my hips for manualing and bunnyhoping. While on trails I have no issue and I feel it is down to the added speed and flow plus the less repetitivness that a track generaly has.
After my last incident in November I decided to take a break and get serious about stretching and core training and I agree with everyone here, it really helps massively. I have since stopped riding my Wildcard and it is basically boxed up to prevent any temptation. Thumbs crossed I can now look forward to a trouble free back and with continuous training I can hope to grow old with my back preventing me from being a happy old man.
This thread has me pumped to continue daily core and stretching.

Have any of you read Dr. Sarno's book, Healing Back Pain:The Mind Body Connection? I just finished reading it last week so far, so good.