Can a spinal doctor help me please?

Question

Please read my MRI scan result:

Findings- There is normal vertebral alignment. There is loss of intervertebral disc height and signal at L4/5 and L5/S1 where small posterior disc bulges and annural tears are noted. No focal bone lesions are seen and the conus is normal in appearance. Axial images were performed through the lower three lumbar levels. The canal is capacious throughout and no neural compression is seen.

How bad is this situation on a scale from 1-10? Is operation needed? What can I do now? I was told I have a sciatica which last now more than 3 months. What else can help me? thank you very much.

Answer 1

check with a neurosurgeon.....i had something wrong with my discs and had back surgery, but not everyone needs back surgery..since we're not docs we cant give u all the info ur asking.  who or what doctor ordered the mri? what did he/she say about the situation?

Answer 2

I agree you don't need surgery. However given that you do have some bulges let this act as a warning to take greater care of your back and treat it with respect. A trip to the chiropractor is called for here and if you have the results of your xrays or indeed the xrays themselves what are you waiting for.

If you were in need of surgery you would know about it believe me you would. I've had three back operations and before these I was confine to 14 dyas bed rest in hospital on my consultants orders. Very Unusual these days. But that is how bad my back was with severe pain and nerve damage down the front on my legs whereas normally it is the back of the legs.

I did the damage to my back myself by trying to lift huge boulders to put by the side of my wildlife pond. Silly women!

Ended up giving myself a hiatus hernia too through sheer stupidity. The back is now much better but the hernia is still there.

Please go and see someone as there is nothing worse than constant back pain.

Answer 3

The small posterior disc bulges could be due to very tight muscles that are pulling your vertebrae too closely together. it is good news that you do not have neural compression as this would give you bad pins and niddles and pain in your arms or legs.

I do not believe you need surgery, I would say give a good course of physiotherapy.

But I am not a doctor so I hope a profesional will tell you exactly what treatment you need.

Answer 4

Have you thought about wearing a SACROILIAC BELT  (aka SI BELT or TROCHANTER BELT) around your pelvis? What it does is that by providing the correct balance of resistance and resilience, the SI belt re-establishes the joint’s normal motion,  thus relieves stress and instability at these weight bearing structures. The price of SI belts are in reasonable range these days, average cost is about $40 USD. I know a lot of people who wear SI belts, and I've read some astonishing testimonials about it. There are many SI belts out there, but Serola SI Belt seems to be the best one as far as quality, comfort, and price are considered. Check out their website for more: http://www.serola.net/product_new_sac_be...

I think you can buy directly from their website at: http://serolabelt.com/new-serola-sacroil...

Hope it helps, good luck to you!

Answer 5

On a scale of one to ten, I would have to say around a 4, best guess.

You have what almost sounds like a "sprain".

Your doctor should explain more, getting results without an explanation is poor management. You should seek a follow up appointment.

Physiotherapy might help and lose weight if you are over your ideal poundage.

I don't think you need surgery yet.

I'd even be tempted to try one of those inversion tables.

But speak to a doctor first, or a physiotherapist - a physio or osteopath may be more clued up.