Anyone know about ruptured disks?

[SloCalGal23]

Hello,

I'm looking to get some input about a ruptured disk. I got bucked off a race horse 8/06 and finnaly had an MRI 1 month ago and found out I had a ruptured disk in my lower back. I havn't seen the Pain/spine specialist yet to find out what were going to do about it. I'd like to know if anyone here has experience with it or knows what the general proceedure would be to fix it? Surgery? Decompression?? What?

Thank you!!!

-Tara

[Achey916]

Hi Tara,

See you an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon & a Neurosurgeon in a Spine Clinic.  Take your film with you and get opinions on options.  Don't rush to surgery, and looks like you are not.  No easy answers, like Junie37 said, you need to chnage ur life stayle for good. No heavy lifting, contact sports or even running.  I bet your options are either fusion or artificial disc replacement. Surgery is last resort, but if needed I think artifiical disc replacement (ADR) is best, check our flexicore by Depuy, but yo0u need a surgeon that did many of these.  Since yuou are in SLO, UCSF spine surgery is one of the best in the country or Dr. Zuckerman at St. Mary's in SF too.  Check them out and best of luck.    

[junie37]

Hi, It's been quite a while ( abt. 25 yrs. since i had my disk rupture/ shatter into peices that moved down and cutting into nerves to the legs.  By now I would hope that they have less invaisive ways of treating this.  The treatment I was given , was first bed rest to see if the disk might slip back in to its place ( tried that twice without success )  then traction ( very breifly in the hsp. just the day bf surgery, didn't work ). I did try Chiropactic treatment and while I am not against that in general for other less severe situations, it was probably a mistake to have it then. At that time i had not seen an MD or anyone else and did not know that the disk had broken, just that i was in pain and had done " something " to my back.  i am assuming now that i may have done damage by the manipulation tho no one said that. I don't think the peices showed up in the chiropractic x-ray or the treatment after its being taken caused it to shatter.
The surgery did relieve my pain and has allowed me to lead a reasonably pain-free life, though your back will never be the same as befor. You need to give yourself plenty of time to heal and not push beyond what your body tells you is enough.  It is hard to take it as easy as you should until you've healed.  Physical therapy will probably a part of treatment if your still having problems down the road, to strengthen the muscles around the spine and help keep your back from being stressed. Lifting , twisting and similar movements , sitting or standing for long periods may give you trouble.
Hope you get the help you need and go on to a pain-free life.  

[SloCalGal23]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I have ALL the pain that goes along with it including, BUT NOT LIMITED TO: Lower back, Leg and Hip spasums, Tingling in toes, Numbness, Acheyness, and Sleeplessness ( witch puts the icing on the cake when your already in pain all the time)