Bulging Discs Lumbar and Cervical

[Ajack134]

I am 25 years old and injured my back weightlifting. I have been weightlifting since the age of 15. In the last two years I injured my lower back four times and assumed that it was all soft tissue damage because each time it healed up in two weeks time. Recently, about six months ago(09/07/2008) I lifted some weight above emy head while in a seated position and woke up the next day with mild sciatica in one leg and neck pain. I just found out that I have two bulging discs; one at C5-C6, and the other at L5-S1. The MRI reads as follows:

- (Cervical) Minimal degenarative changes in the C2-C3 through C6-C7 discs. Mild right paraentral bulge at C5-C6...
- (Lumber) Minimal degenartive changes in the L5-S1 disc with mimimal central bulge..Other discs look normal

Symptoms 6 months post injury:
In my lower back I have intermittent mild back pain,ocassionaly I will feel mild sciatica in both legs around the shin. I noticed recently that my feet will get really cold and that both big toes have fingernails that have gotten thinner and stopped growing. Overall, it feels like its getting better but its a very slow process.

In my neck the tightness and stifness that I exprerienced in the begining has mostly disappeared. My right arm occasionally tightens up and sometimes I will feel tingling in my right handfingers. I feel no pain my right arm, sometimes my neck hurts.

My questions are should I be worried about the degeneration in my cervical spine?  How is it that I have no root compression but yet have sciatica? Can it be because the disc has been damaged and its chemicals are soaking my nerve roots? Can the disc bulge heal and get to a pain free state?

I went to a neruologist at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago and he blew me off and sent me to a pain specialist that I was not able to see because I lost my job and my health insurance.I am aware that bulging discs are common but mine casue me pain and discomfort. I feel like i just screwed myself out of a decent life. I am so depressed about all of this. I know people have it alot wrose then me and I pray that they get better. I am afriad that i will have to deal with this for the rest of my life and that it will get wrose.

[Ajack134]

Thanks alot for your advice and I hope you get better soon also....

[jakehn]

OK, for starters I'm not a medical professional...not even close.  But, I want to share an experience I had and happened to share this with a co-worker just today.  It's unfortunate your job situation doesn't help matters because it's stressful and stress definitely causes inflammation (at least it does for me).  DO NOT spend time in hot showers thinking things will feel better.  I did this when I had what I thought was simply a "pinched nerve" and I ended up with nerve compression and needed surgery.  Some advice I would offer is to use anti-inflammatories, use ICE, and (obviously) stay off the weights.

I happen to be 45 and lifted weights like crazy at 25, still do but not as much.  Unless you are a professional athlete you might think about the weights.  I realized this when I was 26 as I nearly lost 370 in a squat and thought I was going to break my 165lb frame in half.  So, I got smarter.  I still was strong, looked good and didn't have to worry about serious injury.

There is a program that at least 5 people purchased after my advice.  I saw an infomercial on P90X (www.p90x.com) and went ahead and bought the program.  As a Field Judge for college football I'm required to be in top-notch shape.  I tried this P90X and it did wonders for me and I look better than I did when I lifted.  BTW - I'm NOT a salesperson for that program.  I just swear by it now.  So something to consider!  I'm headed back on it after I recover from my nerve decompression surgery that I had 2 weeks ago.

Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.