Exercises/Therapy????

[RavingMad]

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie to this community & hurt my back Oct '06. I lifted a heavy bucket out of the sink & experienced excruciating pain in my lower back R hand side. Later that night I temporarily lost feeling in both legs, they were like dead weights - I had to crawl to bed. Next morning I was still in agonising pain & my spine was severly bent sideways - to the point where I looked deformed & felt like I was going to topple over.

I saw a chiropractor straight away who took x rays & thought I'd pinched a nerve. I visited him every day for a week & he did very quick minimal spinal adjustments. Over the next few weeks I had chiro sessions every 3 - 4 days & I slowly straightened up but the pain remained, even though it had decreased. After 2 months I hit a plateau, wasn't real happy with my progress or the chiro's technique - so I changed chiro's.

Found a good one through word of mouth, highly recommended. He does massage, accupuncture & spinal adjustments/manipulation, is gentle, easy to talk to & explains everything clearly. My spines now almost straight & I'm not in pain all the time, but when I do have a 'flare up' - it's awful & can last up to a week.

During a recent flare up, my GP sent me off for a lumbar spine x ray & referred me to a rehab/back specialist, who sent me for a lumber spine MRI.

MRI showed that "there is mild to moderate disc height reduction with loss of T2 signal at L3/4 & more sever disc height reduction at L4/5. At L3/4 there is very mild posterior broadbased disc bulging associated with a small annular tear. At L4/5 there is a large central focal disc herniation measuring 20 x 9 mm. This markedly indents the thecal sac at disc level. It appears to be extruded beyond the annulus. It does not produce any focal nerve root compression."  

Due to my back injury (and thyroid condition) I have put on weight & tried going back to the gym but ended up having flare ups & back at the chiro & on pain meds every single time. It's so frustrating & getting me down. Has anyone else gone through this? What exercises/therapy works for you? I've canned the gym for now & I'm thinking of getting back into yoga, pilates & swimming.

[RavingMad]

Thanks so much for your reply & good advice. I think water exercises/therapy might be the go for me. Just re read my post - typo, I hurt my back last Oct (2007) & not in 2006 like stated. I'm too tired to think straight - off to bed now. Lol.

[chadry]

Most of us on this forum know exactly what you mean by flare ups. I too have wanted to return to some kind of exercising but everytime I do I pay for it. It was suggested to me that I try deep water therapy. It helps decompress the spine. We have a pool at our local Y and they have floating devices that you put around your waist. there are also those noodle thiings you can hold onto. Basically you just go in and let your legs hang in the water. I treid to do the deep water exercises but that brought on nerve pain. I also started a class that offers stretching for people with back and other health problems. It concentrates on correct posture and gentle stretching which I feel helps a little bit. I also get massages done and stretching done from a therapist to help relieve some of the pressure on my spine.
That is about all I can offer as far as what else can be done. I just know how hard it is to find a exercise to do that does not bring on pain afterwards. I think the stretching is the best way to start but always keep your posture in mind through out the stretch. That in itself can bring on pain because most of us are inclined to keep in positions that bring relief and most times it is not the best posture we can have.
Take care and good luck finding some relief. Let me know if you find anything different. I am always up for suggestions. By the way the deep water therapy came as advice from a doctor who thought that was the best form of exercise for me and my back. Everyone is different though.
Chadry