Bulge Disc

who could i contact for professional advice about back surgery? I am only 23 and had a Bulge/herniated for 3 years now and am very frustrated and over it! i cant play football or do many activities that i love and enjoy... whats the difference between a Laminectomy and Microdiscectomy??? please help me get over this i want my life back :(

[Londres70]

I would recommend consulting a Neurosurgeon.  

[GoingToMakeIt]

    I would second that. A brain and spine neurosurgeon is an expert on this. If you have a good GP Dr consult with them. At your age, you are missing out on too much life. I am 1 week out from having had a microdiscectomy, I am still in recovery but I already feel a tremendous difference in the level of pain. There is no longer the horrible radiating nerve pain that comes with a bulging/herniated disc.
    Get on with your life and start enjoying it. I always recommend alternative treatments first, but that includes getting all of the medical opinions you can too.

[Dr. A. Srivastava]

Hi, Thank you for your question. I do sympathize with your health concern. As a result of disc prolapse or injury, nerve impingement may cause intermittent low back pain, leg or thigh pain, numbness or tingling of the buttocks and loss on bowel/bladder control(if severe disc degeneration). The pain originates due to prolapsed disc is usually treated with heat compression, rest, rehabilitative exercises and pain killer medications. In addition, surgical treatment like discectomy (removal of disc), spinal fusion, and spinal laminectomy (cutting of lamina at spine) may be the last resort in most of the non-resolving cases. . I would recommend you to see a neurologist who can evaluate the details of your case and could better determine the insight of your situation. Hope this helps.

[caregiver222]

You are going to get a variety of different opinions.

A lot depends upon the degree of injury.

The first step on the train should be a physical rehabilitation specialist, who, in consultation with your physician, will treat you to a series of training exercises that will reduce swelling. Not a chiropractor. These exercises cannot be learned on the internet.

Usually they are prescribed with anti-inflammatory drugs and ocasionally warm compresses.

Then you are going to have to accept the fact that for the rest of your life you will have to limits your activities. These injuries don't go away. To ignore this adice will cause you a lifetime of chronic debilitating pain that cannot be relieved by pain drugs.

Even if you have a surgical procedure chances are, you still can't return to "life as before".

There are other options, to include injection of ozone, popular in Europe.

Surgery should be a very last option.

[Londres70]

I live in Europe and work in the medical field and ozone injections are NOT standard treatment here.

[caregiver222]

I read some interesting literature on the ozone injections in Europe. I have no feelings about them one way or another.

As I understant it they are only now authorized in Nevada.

Thanx for your input.  ")