Strange Problem, Need Urgent Advice

[zprime]

Hi Guys,


6 Weeks ago I went to a Chiropractor, Merely for the sake of I was getting tiny Sciatica jolts down my leg after sitting for like 14 hours, very minor stuff.

Anyways he clicked me around and I left feeling good.

About 5 days later Suddenly it hit me, the worst SCIATIC pain of my life, My foot was nearly paralyzed.

After getting a CT scan and seeing I had an L5S1 Disc Prolapse I was very upset, so I went straight to Physiotherapy to try fix it.

I'm on my 6th week of Physiotherapy and the symptoms have changed.

Firstly, My Physio was a McKenzie student, but a lazy one, we didnt focus on core or back exercises at all, All we did were leg stretches that would make it so my pelvis was no longer rotated forward.

Now there's another problem, I have terrible muscle imbalance Aches.

Not only that but I've noticed my Hips have shifted, It hurts to walk or lie down, and just in general im in pain 24/7. I feel like my muscles are stretching or doing weird things. It's not a Sciatic pain, its more like someones tied a rope around each foot and is pulling me in strange directions ect

The Big concern for me is Ive noticed my right Hip no longer has a fat crease, instead its got a weird Crease, possibly showing that the hip is out or is tilting or something.

If you look at my Belt line you'll see on the Left I have a Crease where my stomach is, on the right side theres no crease, just a weird / line , almost like im thinner on the right, or my hips higher?

What I'm not sure of is if I should fix it or if its my bodys way of protecting the injured L5S1 Disc.

My Sciatica has completely gone, and whenever I do do Pelvic Correction exercises I get a cold water sensation down my sciatic nerve, that feels like someones put water on my leg.

So I'm really lost as to what to do here, I'm doing Yoga to strengthen the lumbar part of my Spine, as well as my Buttocks and Abs, but Im scared these workouts will strengthen the imbalance as well, causing more pain.

Help!



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[physiobob]

I would stick with your physio and get them to examine more into the McKenzie stuff. Your crease is just a lateral shifting of the spine, all quite normal, but can be in response to pain stimulus. This can be towards the irritation or away from. Either way point it out to your PT.

All you signs and symptoms are great information for your treating therapist and they rely on them to assess, adjust and progress treatment. Getting rid of the initial cramping symptoms was only the first step. It sounds like it was a good one so it will not go away in 2 or 3 treatments. This will take a solid body of focused & progressive rehabilitation to both give the tissue a chance to heal and to prevent undue stresses on it in the future.

[zprime]

Hi Bob,


It seems the bigger the crease, the lesser the pain I have and the lesser the Sciatica.

Everytime we've tried to correct it , with both chiropractic and physiotherapy the pain increases.

Should I just leave it for now? It's been 3 months since the disc bulge was found, I am almost pain free except for lying down in certain positions and walking, but my right hip is defiantly backwards, and there's a mild scolosis effect going on.

My Physio wasn't 100% sure, and gave me some stretches to try.

[sequence]

Hi Zprime
I couldnt gather if you have had mechanical traction done yet?
The creases and shifts you describe are very synanomous with a disc "bulge". Your body reacts by shifting the weight away from that side, because the pressure/compression is aggravating it. This is sometimes called antalgia.
This shift is probably only there in a weight-bearing position, but less or gone in a non-weight bearing position like supine.
From what you explain, i would suggest a series of mechanical traction treatments. When the shift decreases, then to start with some extension exercises.
I have not found it beneficial to try and force the body straight - that will increase the pressure on the disc and increase the pain and hence probably increase the amount of shift.
You can discuss this with your physio if it hasnt been discussed yet.

Good luck.

[zprime]

Hi Sequence,

I have not done any mechanical traction, I cant seem to find any Physios in Australia that practice it.

I was put in a pool for a little while with a ring around my chest/shoulders as a form of traction ( hydrotherapy ) but didn't have much luck with it, Granted I only got to try it once or twice.

[vam44]

The shift that you have described is common after a severe disc bulge causing sciatica. If correcting the shift increases your pain then this just suggests that you disc hasn't healed yet. They are slow healing structures die to their blood supply and their tissue type.

I would suggest that you continue to do any exercises that you have found to relieve your pain and still avoid any movements or positions that aggravate it. I would recommend a good core stability programme

Make sure that you dont sit for a long period eg > 1 hour

If you continue to see your physio once a month or so there will come a time where the shift can be corrected without aggravation. At this time the shift will be due to adaptive muscle changes around the spine and it will be better for you long term if you can get these sorted out.

I have seen one guy who took 6 months before we could do any shift correction and then he had to continue his exercises for months to sort it out. This was after having severe sciatica from a disc protrusion so his persistence was rewarded

[zprime]

Thankyou For the Advice.


Is it still normal to be in pain 3 months on?


I had a L5S1 Disc bulge and TERRIBLE Sciatica, Which has calmed down now to a Gentle Numbness.

Then for no reason the L4/L5 Disc started bugling merely from bed rest, and that aches a little bit but not to bad.

I'd say every day my pain level is about a 2 out of 10.

No amount of stretching or posture work seems to be fixing this pain, but I think its gradually getting better.

[zprime]

I cant find a bloody Physio in NSW who can correct a lateral shift, I've now seen 6 of them and not one of them knows how to correct it.

' Um we can build your core up '
" will the shift go back on its own ?"
' Um I dunno '

I am at the end of my tether, PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME A GOOD PHYSIO IN NSW WHO CAN FIX A LATERAL SHIFT.

[Judith Mollet]

Hi there. I understand your frustration but you are going to have to accept the fact that there are not always "quick fixes" for a disc protusion that takes often a while to develop and a while to mend. There are many well qualified physios around in Australia, doing Mackenzie or other manual therapies and because people are people and not cars we can't fix you like a car.
Did you concentrate or notice the presence or absence of a shift before all this started? Although shift and painful shift correction is/can be a part of a back problem it is also possible that you were asymetrical beforehand.
You don't say what degree of protusion you had. More stuff bulging means more time maybe to resolve. It is normal to have some pain depending on what you do afterwards. The other protrusion you say came from bed rest did very likely not just come from bed rest, for some reason it's probably been developing for a while. Many people have protrusions and are without symptoms.....until something starts it off. Are you still sitting for 14 hours at a time? Are you able to or doing enough walking in addition to exercises prescribed by your physio? Are you mixing physio and chiro treatments at the same time or just physio? You have had some sound advice here by the answers I've seen, Mackenzie can be excellent for helping you to help yourself and includes dealing with shift correction. Once the back is improving, postural correction for your every day life, sensible exercises and sport advice takes you further. Patience is essential! I'm sure there will be improvement so hang in there!