Disc Herniation, How bad is It?

[Bint_e_Naeem]

Re: Disc Herniation, How bad is It?

Thank you eastern. I might bug you more with a pm at one point. My chiro mentioned all the things you wrote regarding the life long condition. She did say I need to do physical therapy & make my back strong. Told me to come check with her for adjustments every 2 weeks till I feel completely fine. So right after having kids did you feel like your back took more time to recover compared to other mothers who don’t have this issue. We do plan on having more kids InshaAllah & I am kind of nervous now. I took epidural for my first one & do plan on taking it for my next pregnancy/pregnancies. Did you take epidural & did it have any negative effect?

@eastern11

Don’t worry. Its a common thing. I had such bad disc herniation that I had to have an operation (pre marraige and pregnancy). I had my 2 kids with no back issues at all. I have back achefree months, Masha Allah. However, mine was a severe case. Most of the times physicla therapy will help. However, it is a life long condition and you have to take care of your back always that is lifting in a proper way, not lifting heavy weights, bending with the knees, managing youir weight so that you are not overweight etc. If I can manage it after an operation most people can Insha Allah. This problem is more common than you think. Physical therpay can work wonders I had it too. The initial visits may seemfruitless but later on you will see theresults,Insha Allah.PM me if you need more info.

Mehnaz I have two bulging discs in my cervical spine so it affects my right arm & shoulder. Problem is I obviously can’t avoid using my right arm & on top of that having a notorious toddler in the house doesn’t help much. I have been using cold packs religiously. I have come down from using it 8-10x a day to only 3x a day. They make a huge difference. In the start the pain was so bad that I had to rely on heavy narcotic drugs just to pass my day. Alhumdulillah I have stopped taking them. Although the withdrawal symptoms were horrible I am through that. I still have to take occasional pain killers every other day just to be able to sleep at night without feeling any pain.

Jazak Allah khair for posting that yoga link & sharing those poses. They do look a little intimidating but then I have never done yoga. I’ll seriously look into this.

@Mehnaz

I have 2 slipped discs in my lumbar spine. It took about 8 months to fully heal, but I have to be careful for life as it can slip again.

Massage therapy did not help me. Chiropractor, constant ice packs on the area, then physical therapy and finally hot yoga helped tremendously. In fact, hot yoga helped me to fully heal. However, I only started that 6 months after the injury as I couldn’t do much before then. I had A LOT of relapses last summer because I started moving around thinking I was ok, when I actually wasn’t.

It is different for everybody. My slipped discs hit the nerves into my legs. They still hurt from time to time. I don’t wear thin heels anymore and do a lot more exercise.

Daily stretching of the lumar spine is a must. There are specific stretches you can do which will help put space back between the vertebrae. Then there are certain stretches I can never do as that will put too much pressure on my spine. You just have to take your time and listen to your body.

tweetybird when you say you can hardly sit for half an hour. Do you mean that your back starts hurting or you are just not used to sitting at all after all that walking. My chiro also suggested investing into a treadmill. I love walking but not to sure about walking at home. Its no fun then.

@tweetybird

yesi i did and i had surgery twice but now ALHUMDOLILLAH im well. I THINK PEOPLE WHO HAVE back problem should do alot of walking which i do. i can hardly sit for half hour.

I called my grandmother in Pakistan & it turns out that except my own mother, all three of her sisters have this issue (one developed it at a very early age like me) & then my grandmother who is 70 has had it for 22 years now.

All of them have consulted various top doctors in Pakistan & even Dubai. One had it so severe that she was suggested to get a surgery done or get injections taken. She did not do either one. Other than that my “Nani” mentioned lots of walking, maintaining weight & just keeping back strong.

I am looking into this & it seems like its genetics too. Has anyone else had it in their family?