Disc Prolapse L4 and L5

Hi I'm new to this forum so bear with me. Basically I joined to try and get some advice and support from other people in my condition. I am 28 and up until recently was a very active person involved in football, walking and basically keeping fit. I've always had lower back pain. Doctors put it down to muscular weakness. In January 2011 I was walking down the corridor to my work and suddenly there was a surreal pain shooting from my lower back down my left side to my foot. I thought I was going to pass out. Gradually my leg seemed to bend into itself. My posture became awful bent over to one side. I had an xray came back clear. Doctors convinved it to do with a hip which was dislocated when born. Then had MRI scan in mid Feb. Between times pain that bad my doc put me on these patches 100mg Durogesic. THese did help for 30 mins and I still had to take paramol and anti-inflammatory also. I hated being like this as I never take tablets unless I had to. I recently go married and my quality of life from Jan - March was awful. I didnt think pain could get so bad. MRI results - disc prolapse/ disc degenerative disease L4 and L5. One is very bad which is hitting a nerve which causes temporary numbness and pins n needles down to my knee sometimes and others to my foot. When I was told this I though my life had ended. Seriously the specialist portrayed a very gloomy future for me. I went home and cried all night even my husband was too... Since then my doc has informed me more. I know it can get better or worser. Doc recommended swimming - I swim 4-5 times a week and the difference is unreal. Pain reduced 70%. However I still need to be careful as I get twinges if I over do it walking etc. Had two physio sessions - doing pilates exercises and Mc Kensie stretches which seem to compliment each other.

My question is - I know nobody can predict the future but will I get better completely? Can I get pregnant shortly or should we wait a year to build myself up? Is this a condition I will have forever?? We are trying to build a house at the minute and we are designing it with my back in mind. Eg tumble dryer and washing machine at eye level. kitchen presses which pull out.

Any advice or stories of people in same position greatly and appreciated. Im still getting my head around it and trying to manage the pain - my patch strength is reducedt o 75mg which is good but I wish I could have it that I didnt have to wear patches or take painkillers. Will that day come? sometimes I feel like an old woman where I should be enjoying newly married life.

Hi cathy12.

First of all, what you are experiencing is not uncommon. Things should start to improve. I specialise in treating pregnancy-related pain and i see lots of women successfully go on to have multiple babies with "bad backs" :)

I think from reading your story that you haven't given us a "good" reason why it all started...was there an accident or incident causing problems? If there wasn't, then i would suggest that there is something in your habits that is causing a lot of stress on your lower back - it could be your posture, your sitting posture, your work might involve lots of bending over and you have a stressful way of bending over etc etc.

I think that is the issue that you need to sort out. You need to find out why your discs have suddenly decided to become painful (if they are the problem - it could be other things of course!)

If it helps you to know, i have helped lots of people simply by changing the pressure their spine is under simply by changing the way they do things. The way i see it is that you might see me for 30mins but you have to "live" without me for the rest of the 23hrs30mins i am not with you that day...and then the whole next day etc etc.

So it is vitally important that you attend to the way you do things.

A good physio should be able to look at the many different ways you move in your every day life and give you advice on how to change the way you move...

Now here is the best bit :) Your body will know if it is the right way to change! You should be stronger - get them to push on your outstretched arm in your usual posture and in the corrected posture - if there is nothing wrong with your arm, you will be strongest in the best posture! It will feel either "right" or "different" but not "painful".

I just saw a lady who for the last 4 years has been unable to touch her toes because of the pain in her back and legs. She sounds like she has the same problem as you...except she didn't have anything wrong on MRI! She couldn't bend, sit or even walk 100m without getting pain. We traced it back to a problem with her coordination of her ribs and the way she moves. She has spent thousands over the last 4 years. After just one session, she was able to go from being able to bend over to her knees only to touching her toes simply by changing the way she bent over! She is super keen and has decreased her pain more than 50%!

So there is hope for you :) Find out why your discs are under so much pressure and you will find out how to help yourself :)

Let me know if there is anything we can do to help more. If you are brave, post some video or photos of your posture and movements like bending over and sitting down and standing up from sitting and we can see how you are moving :) But only if you are happy for the world to see !!

Cheers!

i was having pain on the back of my leg right for the last two weeks. i considered it as simple muscular pain just from my long sitting on chair for work.yesterday morning the pain went worst and i was unable to walk a single step. i went to orthopaedic surgeon he advised for mri (magnetic resonance imaging). result came and i was L4 and L5 prolapse. i visited neurosurgeon and he put me on inti infamatory drugs pain killer and rest for 6 weeks.he was hopeful that it will improve and i will come back to my work.lets see but i am not in favour of surgery laminectomy. because all the vertebrae on your back are arranged like a brick wall so if one brick is given chance to move the others will be disturbed and next year i will be having problem with with L2 and L3.i am going to continue with drugs rest and physiothrapy.

Cathy12, i am too 28 and just heard from the doctor that sh's surprised i am still walking with such spine... L3/L4, L4/L5, L5 /S1 discs extrusions, with disc material basicly leaking out of it. result- worst possible sciatica ever to the point that i am bent as the bow, as my body compensates, never had scoliosis in my life now my hip is slightly at angle so one of my legs is bit longer than the other. On pain killers waiting to start physio( when pain eases off cause up to recently any exercise impossible). Last month a nightmare, my boyfriend had to tend to me like to some old person. But I tell you something- i have genetic predispositios (all females in my family have it) but largly IT IS MY FAULT. I knew about my discs for few years now, had scans before but i only did physio when it was really bad, once it got better, ignored my back totally, kept working as a waitress, doing intensive sport yet ignoring simple routine to work my back and stomach muscles... Find good physio, one that will focus on whole of your posture, adjust your routine to find time for everyday exercise swim (properly) a lot, till the rest of your life and you will manage to keep it at bay, honestly you'll never be 100% again but 90% is possible good luck