Pain management for a ruptured lumbar disc?
November 19th, 2009 | by Michael |
Good morning team, your mission, should your choose to accept it is to suggest concepts that may assist in the pain management of a disc injury.
As background this is the second time I have ruptured this disc and yes it is L4/L5, as usual. Two of my three siblings have each had at least one similar event if not more, each of us has undergone a surgery for each previous injury. We each lead an active life, for example I originally injured my disc while doing some tech diving and a year after the injury my spouse and I completed a ½-marithon. I provide this information in the hopes a doc out there can help. This injury occurred in January, at the time I believe the disc was only bulging but instead of letting it heal I continued with my normal activities and complicated the injury.
I am currently taking 2-7.5 Lortab’s along with 1200 mg of Gabapentin three times a day (at least). On top of that I commonly take 800mg of ibuprofen twice a day and an occasional Percocet in the
WILFRED
2 Responses to “Pain management for a ruptured lumbar disc?”
By Dave S. on Nov 20, 2009 | Reply
Hi,
Not a doc, but I live with two lumbar herniations (L2/L3, L3/L4) and to date have avoided surgery with a goal of continuing to avoid it. Obviously there is no ‘cure’, unless you call surgery a cure, but there are things that can help reduce the pain.
First and foremost is weight loss if you are overweight. Given you’ve run a 1/2 marathon, I’m guessing that may not be an issue. Second most important thing is to follow a consistent program of core-strengthening exercises. Most people just focus on the six-pack, but it is critical to strengthen all of the muscles of the abs and back, especially those whose job is to stabilize the spine. If you want specific info on that, check out .
In addition to core-strengthening, I’m a big believer in my Inversion Table. 5-10 minutes of hanging upside down and opening up the intervertebral spaces seems to help. Might be all in my head, but it sure doesn’t hurt.
When sleeping, don’t sleep on your stomach. If you sleep on your back, place a good sized pillow under your knees. If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your knees. This will help keep your spine properly aligned. It goes without saying that you want to spend the money and get a good mattress. We went with a Tempurpedic and I’d never go back to a spring.
On the days when my back acts up, I go with 800mg of ibuprofen and 500mg of acetominiphen and stick an ice pack under my belt. So far, this has kept me from going under the knife.
Hope that helps, and best of luck,
Dave S.
Owner, Perfect Fit Personal Training Studio
By broken_angel_in_texas on Nov 22, 2009 | Reply
Hi. You need to be evaluated by a specialist to determine if oyu need PT or surgery or something along those lines. I had three herniations(L3-L4, L4-L5, L5-S1). I had to have a lumbar laminectomy/microdiscectomy on mine. That is the best thing that I have ever done! No more pain and it has only been a week since my surgery!
Good luck to you!