Shit! Ruptured disc?

[GoBig1776]

I've spent the last few days on the couch as a result of re-injuring my back. I hurt it in late August and thought I had it felt back to normal by the start of ski season. Well, this time I've got pain in my back that radiates all the way down my right leg, my toes tingle and I have pain in my abdomen. I visited my PT on Monday and he seems to think it is a ruptured disc around L4. I can't get in to my doctor until Friday. I'm in my mid thirties and thought until now that I was pretty fit. This shit really humbles a guy. It hurts too much to even take the dog for a walk around the block.

Anyone else have experience with this injury?

[Tuckerman]

I had a procedure late spring to fix a herniated disk.

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[Tuckerman]

BTW I Deadlifted 435# last week for 2 reps.

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[neckdeep]

Anyone else have experience with this injury?

Too much experience. I've had two decompression surgeries. You will have to get an MRI to determine what happened. Tingling and numbness could be a sign that a hernia is causing nerve damage (possibly permanent) so take it seriously. If you are experiencing progressive neural deficit, you are a likely candidate for surgery. I lost quite a bit of leg function the second time this happened to me. It's returning very slowly but after 7 months since surgery, my leg is still too gimpy for me to consider going back to snowboarding. Can't tell if it will ever fully heal, to be honest. Don't let yourself get talked into a fusion; there's estimates that as much as half of all fusion surgeries are unneccessary. The fusion is around five times more profitable for the surgeon and hospital, so be skeptical.

Here's a basic test. Sit upright in a hard chair with your chin tucked down on your chest. Lift the affected leg with your leg straightened. If that sent pain shooting down your leg, it is probably a herniated disc pressing a sciatic nerve root. If the pain seems to go to the big toe, that is the L4-L5 sciatic nerve root. If it goes to the ankle, heel and little toe, that is the S1-L5 root.

[GoBig1776]

Going in to the Doc on Friday and hopefully will get the MRI that should have done in the fall if not for the stupid government shutdown. This injury was sustained while working for the USFS, so they should pay for continued treatment. Everything got fucked up with billing during the shutdown, but my physical therapy was progressing well and I elected to continue the non-invasive treatment.
I was still skiing and working until Sunday, but commuting to the hill and riding on the chairlift caused much pain.

[neckdeep]

Skiing through the pain is not a good idea. You can easily turn a PT manageable hernia into something serious where it hurts so bad that you can't stand without a cane and there is no resting position that gives you any relief for sleeping. I did that twice, so beware, mon frere.

[GoBig1776]

After almost two weeks of couch time, things are getting somewhat better. Doc prescribed a steroid that was supposed to reduce inflammation. I can now walk the dog down to the park and I even went for a short road bike ride yesterday. I still get pain from my back down my leg and numbness in my foot after walking around or standing for a while.
I had an MRI on Thursday and will visit the doc tomorrow for results. It is an early appointment, so I plan on skiing in the afternoon unless the news or pain is dire.
I have not missed more this many days in a row of skiing in ten years, so I'm getting a bit stir crazy.
Wish me Luck!

[HansJob]

BTW I Deadlifted 435# last week for 2 reps.

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Did you have a discectomy or the rounds of epidural injections? I'm on round two of three injections, and have gotten noticeable relief but still have tingling in toes, foot, with occasional heel pain. The VA docs want ya a to go this route first before cutting.

[Rod Ironwood]

Ouch.
I blew L5-S1 disc in June, 2012. I did P.T. narco dope, acupuncture, chiro, ESI (epidural steroid injection) for a year. Docs said leg pain, numbness, weakness, etc. down to foot often ends up with surgery. So, I had a Micro-discectomy in July.

6 months out, all back pain is totally gone, but my left leg still has numbness and a weak sensation...no pain, tho. May or may not be permanent...fingers crossed it's not. I can ski about 80%, but if I hit it too hard, my leg pays the next day.

I agree with Neckdeep about avoiding a fusion. If that is recommended, get a 2nd...and 3rd...opinion. Hope that PT and ESI works, but if not, Micro-discectomy is pretty non-invasive (for surgery), about 80% effective, and you recover quick. I was walking to the end of the block and back the very next day.

Good Luck with it no matter how you get it resolved. Back pain sucks.

[neckdeep]

After almost two weeks of couch time, things are getting somewhat better. Doc prescribed a steroid that was supposed to reduce inflammation. I can now walk the dog down to the park and I even went for a short road bike ride yesterday. I still get pain from my back down my leg and numbness in my foot after walking around or standing for a while.
I had an MRI on Thursday and will visit the doc tomorrow for results. It is an early appointment, so I plan on skiing in the afternoon unless the news or pain is dire.
I have not missed more this many days in a row of skiing in ten years, so I'm getting a bit stir crazy.
Wish me Luck!

It takes an average of 2-4 months for these things to heal up without surgery so going skiing (or heavy lifting) now is a bit premature. Steroids don't heal you but they can mask the inflamation enough for you to get out and hurt yourself some more. The recurrent numbness in your foot is a major red flag warning you to ease up until that stops. I'm telling you, you should fear that numbness more than the pain because after numbness comes paralysis. Remember, a hernia is an open tear in the disc membrane. Trust me on this: the last thing you want to do is tear that sucker open any further. There is always a next season.

[GoBig1776]

Trust me on this: the last thing you want to do is tear that sucker open any further. There is always a next season.

^^Thanks for that.

Just came back from the Doc. MRI clearly shows bad stuff at L5-S1. We scheduled an injection for Wednesday.
Doc did clear me to return to work next week with no lifting >25lb and ok'd me for 1 careful, slow groomer run per day. Until then I guess it's more Netflix and TGR.

[ill-advised strategy]

It's not just skiing/sports you have to think about now.

Be really careful when you sneeze, be careful getting out of bed, careful with sex... You have to re-learn how to live your life without stressing your spine.

Sorry, but this injury is a motherfucker and you have to take it pretty seriously.

[Ted Striker]

Listen to yetiman.

I had a herniated disc. I can't remember the exact location, but it was between C4 and C7. My doc simply said not to do anything that caused pain and don't do any jarring activities, eg. running, skiing, etc. "If it hurts, stop. Do not work through the pain."

[LegoSkier]

On a related note. I've been dealing with a pretty bad sciatica episode since Christmas. There was no injury per se but a general straining of my back loading shit into my car then it got really bad after a half day of skiing on Christmas day (no falls in fact just some groomers). Classic major pain down my right leg and a bit of numbness in my big toe. Had a similar attack 10 years ago that just sort of went away after a month and a half. I went into the doc for this one and he sent me to get x-rays. The results he said only showed some minor issues but he said there were no major issues and that an MRI was not needed (just gave me naproxen and send me on my way). The thing is this guy is older than dirt and is partially retired. Do I trust the guy? I've been told x-rays really don't show shit and you need an MRI to diagnose disc issues.

P.S. Went to a chiro on Friday and he did some thing where he practically yanked my leg off and popped the hip in a way that unlocked my piriformis. Cleared things up a lot but not totally. Still enough pain where I would not walk more than a half mile without pain and still some numbness in big toe.

[neckdeep]

It's not just skiing/sports you have to think about now.

Be really careful when you sneeze, be careful getting out of bed, careful with sex... You have to re-learn how to live your life without stressing your spine.

Sorry, but this injury is a motherfucker and you have to take it pretty seriously.

Too true. I nursed my last hernia for 3 years of riding, hiking, fishing and firewood only to have a catastrophic blowout pitching horseshoes, of all things. I went from feeling solid to total agony in one week without overdoing anything physically. Fucker was just so worn out from years of toughing out the pain that it just fell apart. Toughing out the pain gives you scar tissue and beat up discs. To be honest, I'm just so glad to be walking without a severe limp that I don't know if I even want to risk going back to the board next season. There are much worse things than missing out on some pow days with your friends. Losing nerve function in your leg is one of them.