Herinated disc - when did it happen

[kempen]

Dear Doctor,

I am sorry that my English is not good enough and I am really depressed on not knowing enough being a new immigrant in the country. I thank you in advance for taking time to read my e-mail.

I am a 40 year old Chinese female and had constant left shoulder pain for over 10 years and left lower back pain during a recently pregnancy and after the baby born.I was in physical therapy for about four months which I have heat ultrasound on the shoulder and linning up the bones in the lower back. All the pain has been come.I need a leg pull almost every day to keep the hip bone in place). Therapists suggested polotherpy (injection to the tenden) but a MRI or standing x-ray before hand.

Unfortunately, I had a rear ended car accident right after a therapy seesion three week ago. My wrists were numb ( holding on the steeling wheel) and I had a really sore left lower back that I could not laid down my left leg.I had some x-rays in the emergency room on the back and spine and there were no broken bone. I felt okay for about two weeks but my lower back and shoulder pain were worsen ( all on the left side). Plus the wrists are really sore and sometime numb.

Eventually I had a MRI and the result is I have a herinated disc on the lower back and a dot on the right pelvic bone that would need further bone scan. My right leg is 4mm longer but the hip bone is pecfect. How can I determine when did the herinated disc happen ? What are the next steps for healing ?

Thank you very much

Kempen

[downintheback]

i had a herniated disc-l4-l5-severe pain down right leg to foot-had two epidural shots that did nothing to stop the pain-then i was operated on(discetomy)-severe pain was eleviated, but was left with numbness in right foot and chronic pain in lower back-have had several weeks of therapy(not much help)- next had another mri and i have leaking disc(L3-4) (L4-5) AND NOW THE DR. HAS DONE A PROCEDURE called IDET to try to keep from doing multiple fusions--its been 8 weeks now and i don't feel any better, dr. says fusion is next step, but cannot say it will do any good-i don't want to do fusion--am 58 years old any other sugestions to help--or just live with it!!!!!!

[funboyslim]

I am a 34 year old white male. My problem is that I have a herinated disc in my lower back. This happened in 1995 or 1996. At the time it occurred I was in the service. I was having alot of leg pain, and thought I had a hamstring pull. After about 6 to 8 months with no improvement I had an MRI, and it was discovered that I had the disc problem. I was told that the liquid was leaking onto, and irritating my cyatic nerve. At this point I was given a series of steroid shots directly into the disc area. It was supposed to be a series of 3 shots, but I separated from the service after only 2 of the shots. The pain did go away after a while, I was on an anti inflamitory (indosin).
     The back, and leg pain have just returned within the past 2 weeks. I have tried various over the counter meds to no avail. What are my options?

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT]

Sorry to hear about your recent accident, and your English is fine. Without looking at your films and examining you, it's impossible to say when you got that herniated disc. But you've likely had some kind of degenerative disc problem for a while (perhaps at the time of your pregnancy) in the area. The accident may have accelerated the disease and worsened the herniation. This however, is not causing your shoulder and neck pain which should have been evaluated by an MRI of the cervical spine. There may be some degenerative disease there, too. As for the "dot"?, you definitely need a bone scan to make sure nothing else is going on which could be affecting the restof the bones in the body. If it truly is just a dot, then it's probably ok, but further evaluation is definitely warranted given your other symptoms.

Asian women are well known to have an increased incidence of osteoporosis as they age when compared to some other races. Calcium from milk is very important and depending on the degree of osteoporosis, you may need to take extra supplements and medications. This should be discussed with your primary care doc. Also, if the herniation does not warrant surgery, conservative measures such as rest, decreasing your level of physical activity for a while, anti-inflammatory agents such as motrin/advil, and perhaps light physical therapy may help. If this does not work and symtpoms get worse, consider talking to a neurosurgeon. ALso, consider evaluation fo your shoulder and cervical spine if not already done. Talk to your PCP. Best of luck.