Bulging Disk in Lower Back

[Neil]

I'm new to posting. I've been a 'lurker' for some time, however I have never posted.

A few weeks back I began experiencing pain in my lower back that has since extended to my left hamstring. I feel it most when I'm seated for more than 10-15 minutes at a time. I workout multiple times throughout the week with a combination upper and lower body workouts with some cardio. I scheduled an appointment with my doctor and had an MRI performed. I got the results back today. The nurse said I had some bulging and an impingement on the spinal cord. She said pain management was my next step if it was something I couldn't live with. That only deals with the symptoms and that doesn't work for me. I'm pretty sure this is an imbalance of some sort, which is what I really need to address. I started out on WebMD and realized that JP's would be a much better forum for my questions.

I would certainly appreciate any suggestions for exercises I can add to my current routine as well as stretches I should try (or avoid).

Thanks in advance.

N

[UConnJulie]

You need to see a physical therapist. He/she can teach you exercises to reduce your symptoms as well as better ways to move to reduce stress on the disk. Pain management in my opinion is sort of a last result for people who don't respond to conservative treatment and are not surgical candidates. If you have only seen your general practitioner for this, I highly recommend that you see a spine specialist (orthopedist or neurosurgeon ... but one who is very selective about whom he performs surgery on ... your case does not sound surgical to me, so if someone recommends surgery, get a second opinion). The spine specialist will hopefully have a qualified physical therapist to refer you to (ideally someone well versed in McKenzie exercises).
Best of luck ...

[Kevin Littler]

Couldn't agree with Julie more. Your condition may be very amenable to physical therapy, and preferably one trained in the McKenzie philosophy.

As I am from outside the US (Australia) I am unfamiliar with the Medical system, but Julie's other suggestions sound like good advice.

BTW I must say that I am a physical therapist myself, but not McKenzie trained. When my lumbar disc plays up though, I consult my 'McKenzie' friends, who always set me straight quicker than I can myself.

[FishrCutB8]

Originally Posted by UConnJulie

You need to see a physical therapist. He/she can teach you exercises to reduce your symptoms as well as better ways to move to reduce stress on the disk. Pain management in my opinion is sort of a last result for people who don't respond to conservative treatment and are not surgical candidates. If you have only seen your general practitioner for this, I highly recommend that you see a spine specialist (orthopedist or neurosurgeon ... but one who is very selective about whom he performs surgery on ... your case does not sound surgical to me, so if someone recommends surgery, get a second opinion). The spine specialist will hopefully have a qualified physical therapist to refer you to (ideally someone well versed in McKenzie exercises).
Best of luck ...

X2

I have the same thing and I have a set of exercises I do throughout the day that alleviate the pain w/o NSAIDS...so far, so good.

Go see a PT.

[Steve-O-68]

Would inversion tables or other forms of spinal decompression be contraindicated with a bulging disk?

[UConnJulie]

Originally Posted by Steve-O-68

Would inversion tables or other forms of spinal decompression be contraindicated with a bulging disk?

Contraindicated? No. In fact mechanical spinal traction is often used to treat disk injuries.

[Neil]

The feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.