i wasnt suggesting that anybody thought that she needed surgery i was using the incidence of discecetomy in elderly patients to merely point out that elderly discs do not tend to prolapse as they become dehydrated with age. she has only had pai for one day!!!!!!!!!!. do we not all get some low back pain or nerve root irritaion that simply settles itself after a few days. if we look at soft tissue healing the lag phase lasts about 5 days. this is when the inflammation is at its most active and the nervous system at its most sensitive. i personnally feel that treatmnet in the lag phase should be kept to R.I.C.E. for peripheral problems and possibly heat in back problems.at the end of the day she is probably going to have either

1/ exacerbation of OA hip
2/ acute sciatica
3/ Degenerative disc
4/ Si joint problem
5/ hip bursitis

why did she seek physio before seeing her GP??