Lower back problems

Yes, I went through it for several years. Mine was L5 and S1. They'll start you with physical therapy. Be diligent with this. If it's early enough and the herniation isn't too bad, you'll get some relief. Next step is nerve blocks in the back. I didn't have any relief from these. The place I was getting those offered some other procedure(forget what it was, sorry) but my primary doc told me not to waste my time and sent me to an orthopedic surgeon.

4 years removed from micro discectomy surgery, and no complaints. I still get some tightness and moderate pain, but it's far from the debilitating pain I experienced before the surgery and I can usually knock it out with some ADvil or Aleve and some stretching.

Best advice I can give is try to stay away from the narcotic pain killers. I had more of them than I needed, and aside from the addiction risk, they became a crutch. I'd take them instead of doing simple stretches and exercises, so the problem just persisted and got worse. You'll need them for those times you throw it out completely and can't get out of the bed, but I was taking 4-5 everyday just to numb the pain and function regularly.

I always heard that about back surgery, but they've made tremendous advances. I had the surgery on a Tuesday morning, was home by lunch, and was back at work the following Monday. The first couple of days were really rough, but by Friday I was walking up and down the stairs and around the block.


If you're a candidate for the discectomy(my surgeon said only about 15% of back pain sufferers benefit from it), I can't recommend it enough.

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Last week I sitting in the truck and reached over to the passenger side to put my shoes and shirt down. When I leaned back up my back locked up and i had shooting pains for 20 seconds. I have been walking and had it go out.

I had the very same problem in my twenties. My orthopedic surgeon prescribed a strict regimen of exercises to correct the problem. I followed his instructions diligently and the problem corrected itself. I've had no problems since.

The steroids and pacs will not fix the problem. I had a laminectomy (sp) done in 2010. I had no choice but to get the surgery, the front of my legs went numb. It's not like the old days, do what needs to be done. I can still function, but my case was extreme from what I was told. Remember no one ever said "I used to have a bad back". Take care of yourself and good luck.

If you take narcotic pain pills, try to wait as late in the day as possible and not do it every day in a row.

Nothing wrong in using them for relief but of you ever start to enjoy them take a break.

Had back problems for years and been to a couple docs. Tons of stretching daily, crunches, and whatever you can to strengthen legs and core. Walk a couple miles a day. And be careful jerking off; you can't do the all-day marathon sessions trying every position like you did when you were 18.

As awkward as it looks/feels, pelvic lifts are a good regular exercise.