Archive for December, 2023

So what can you do when the x-ray or MRI comes back & that back pain has been caused by disk degeneration all along?

This is what it may look like in there…

Thats kind of how mine looks except its two disks and the bone spur sticks out real sharp.

Well basically you have five different options which I will list here.

1. Ignore it & suck up the pain. Yep I did this unwittingly as after multiple visits to physio’s, doctors etc none of them did an x-ray or anything to help. A doctor may offer you anti inflammatory drugs but many of these can cause clotting & heart attacks over time.  Others cause gut problems. Over time the injury will get worse and many people have barely any disk left with the vertebrae eventually fusing together.
2. Physical therapy. Now if you decide to take action you will have to stop any activity that is putting serious pressure on your disks. You need to minimize loading on the spine & stretch that sucker. That means no more dead lifts, squats, over head press. No more physical laboring work, No renovating, digging, lifting etc. You can however still do pullups, and many other weight lifting exercises. Some actually stretch the spine and will help with the problem. Also running is out but stairmaster is in. I also recommend Yin Yoga & the program at ultimatehumanperformance.com.
3. Laser ablation surgery. Say you try the physical therapy & it does work (because it will) but still you cant do your job or workout like you want to. Or maybe for you the pain is still too great. The next step is a laser treatment that has 95% success. The surgeon will burn off the disk henia with a laser.  Here is the top US specialist for this relatively new therapy https://deukspine.com/. This should be your first choice for surgery as its barely even a surgery at all.
4. Artificial disk replacement. This one is a bit more serious. They will actually replace the disk with an artificial one & there is a 90% success rate. That means there will be a 1:10 chance you will be screwed. But you are already anyway without surgery at this stage. If it succeeds its problem solved as people are back to normal in a few weeks. Most people can walk immediately with minimal pain. After recovery you will be able to carry a backpack again and resume work. The only suck? They may go in through your guts.
5. Vertebrae fusion. This one sucks but its the only surgery they used to do. If your disk is really stuffed its still what they will do. The disk is removed and the bones of the vertebrae are screwed together. You lose all mobility from the joint and more strain is placed on the joints on either side. In 5 years or so you will need more joints fused as a consequence. This is your last resort if the pain is too bad. 80-90% success rate.

So those are your options in order of risk. If you are young & never had any disk problems it all sounds like an utter nightmare. As you get older this shit becomes normal no matter how fit, healthy & strong you are.