Could pregnancy/Epidural attempts cause herniated disc?

[ivory1225]

Hi i am a 33 year old female and I delivered my 2nd child 4 months ago. The last 2 months of the pregnancy I had alot of back pain. Then when i was in labor the docs tried 4 times unsuccessfully to give me an epidural. For some reason the epidurals never worked and they tried a spinal also. Then after 17 hours of hard labor they delivered by c-section. Then 2 days later i had a spinal headace and had to get a blood patch. Ever since I have had terrible back pain where the epidural was and in my lower back. MRI results show a herniated disc. It has been 4 months and still i live with this pain. Is it possible the epidural attempts could have caused this or just having a 10 lb baby or combination of both?

[wrh]

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[JenninPA]

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[ivory1225]

Thank you for responding. Well my labor was not in a teaching hospital. However the attempts were done by 3 different anestiseologists. I was in labor for 17 hours so you have to take into account the shift change thing. I spoke to my doc yesterday and he doen't think the epidural caused it. He said the hernia is located between t10 and t11. But carrying such a big baby could have done it plus i have work history with lifting heavy things so that could have started it. soon i will be starting physical therapy soon and i hope to feel better soon.

Thanks!

[Adam Tanase, D.C.]

Thanks for writing.

You went through quite an ordeal! With four epidural attempts, I have to wonder if this done was in a "teaching hospital" -- one that's affiliated with a medical school?

Which spinal segment demonstrates herniation on your MRI report?

As for which one caused your herniation, it would be purely speculative to say it was one or the other. Theoretically, either could have contributed, however, you could have also had this problem slowly developing prior to the pregnancy - and going into labor just happened to be the "straw that broke the camel's back" (no pun intended).

If the herniation was bad enough, they'd have recommended surgery. But it sounds as if it's not too severe. If that's the case, strongly consider finding a local chiropractor in your area to help you. And if I may be so bold, preferably one who has experience with newborns. C-Section deliveries can be very rough on a child's head/neck, so getting your baby checked out this early could prove to be very beneficial down the road.

I hope this helps.

Warm wishes,
AT