Lower back pain

[ro141]

Hey, I'm a 17 year old female and have been experiencing back pain for 1.5-2 years. I got an mri scan just before Christmas, which showed the two lower disks in my back were bulging, the doctor told me to walk everyday to fix this problem, but one month on and the pain is ten times worse than it was before, I have been experiencing a continous spasm in my back for 3 days now, and can't so simple things, even walking is a chore. I am at a loss of what to do about this.
Thank you

[rtjrevie]

What is a disc "protrusion" classified as then? I have a herniated disc but this term was thrown at me the other day, and I have heard people use it both ways.

[Kurizu]

What movement aggravates the pain? is it when you bend your trunk forward or backward?

There are therapeutic exercises that you can do to prevent farther bulging of the disk to prevent aggravation of pain. You just need to consult a physical therapist for them to teach you these exercises. Ask them to teach you also proper body mechanics to prevent further injury in your lower back.

In the meantime, you need bed rest during acute stage, correct faulty postures like slouching, and try hot moist packs to minimized the pain.

[nuggetone]

Disks act as cushions between the vertebrae in your spine. They're composed of an outer layer of tough cartilage that surrounds softer cartilage in the center. It may help to think of them as miniature jelly doughnuts, exactly the right size to fit between your vertebrae.

A bulging disk extends outside the space it should normally occupy. The bulge typically affects a large portion of the disk, so it may look a little like a hamburger that's too big for its bun. The part of the disk that's bulging is typically the tough outer layer of cartilage. Usually bulging is considered part of the normal aging process of the disk and is common to see on MRIs of people in almost every age group.

A herniated disk, on the other hand, results when a crack in the tough outer layer of cartilage allows some of the softer inner cartilage to protrude out of the disk. The protrusion of inner cartilage in a herniated disk usually happens in one distinct area of the disk and not along a large component of the disk, which is more typical of a bulging disk. Herniated disks are also called ruptured disks or slipped disks.

Bulging disks are more common. Herniated disks are more likely to cause pain. But many people have bulging disks or herniated disks that cause no pain whatsoever.