I'm seeing a rehab person and doing 1-2 sessions per week but I'd like to know if anyone else has feedback on their experiences. My herniation is lower back (I forgot which specific disks are involved) and I have no symptoms other than discomfort. It is 3mm out and 3mm down so the disk looks like an L.

Rehab certainly makes it feel better and I damn well don't want surgery. Is this something I can rehab to the point that I'm pain free? Can I just deal with it and refuse to lift heavy stuff the rest of my life? My rehab guy said that part of his worry is that the herniated disk will eventually cause nerve damage/death, then I'll have some bad problems.

I declined pain injections recently because I just don't feel like I need them. I'm sure losing some weight will help keep pressure off my back and I've been working on that.

Edit to add that I'm 36 and I'm in decent shape. Gained 15lbs the last 6 months due to inability/discomfort when working out but I've been getting more active lately.

I have one herniated and two bulging discs in my lower back. Physical therapy helped. Mobic every morning also does wonders. It hasn't slowed me down any and now I don't notice it too often, but it when it flares up it hits hard. I hadn't felt any lower back pain in a while so I stopped taking the Mobic and let my prescription expire. After about 6 months, I was bent over taking off my wetsuit (it got stuck on my heel and I couldn't step out of it) and my back started spasm'ing like crazy. I couldn't move, I couldn't hardly breath, and I felt like I was going to throw up. After a quick trip to the ER, I got back on Mobic and have been since. No issues since either, other than slight discomfort occasionally.

Edit: I'm also not a doctor and don't know how bad your herniation is.

What other issues are you having? Don't F around with disc issues. Here's how I know.

32, in shape, woke up one day and my neck was jacked up. I don't take care of myself. Army docs misdiagnosed it and sent me to PT only. I can't even do a push up, major loss of strength in my left arm, and have loss of sensation in my fingers. I'm having disc replacement surgery soon, and will have to go through two more once they start giving me more issues.

My diagnosis (summarized from the MRI report. You'll need to google to have words explained: )

C3/C4 - Dorsal disc bulge 1mm with cervical kyphosis

C4/C5: 70% loss of disc height; two 3mm retrolisthesis and disc bulge more left than right of midline.

C5/C6: Dorsal disc bulge and spondylosis 4mm more right than left of midline; disc spur; C6 nerve roots delfected dorsally

C6/C7: (this is the one f-ing me up) dorsal left sided disc herniation 2x8mm AP by transverse diameter with ventral cord concavity to the left of midline.

Impression: 1.) Multilevel, multifactoral, cervical canal compromise, cervical cord deformity. 2.) multilevel degenerative changes with cervical neural exit foramen compromise. Potential for cervical nerve root impingement at more than one level.

I'm not sure if he's going to replace or fuse the other two (c4/c5 and c5/c6) or replace those as well. It will be later on, as I've already had one surgery for something that was an incidental finding, and coupled with this - I'm sick to death of doctors and surgeries. My career path doesn't lend well to neck and back issues as is - as evidenced by those who have tenure there - so this isn't all too surprising. What is surprising, is that it happened to me at 32.

Again - if you are having issues, go back. I seriously thought that this wasn't going to be all that bad. I let it go on for 4 months before I sought more treatment. They are now hoping that the nerve issues aren't permanent.

Did they misdiagnose you while you were having loss of sensation in your fingers and loss of strength? Or did it just feel like you slept bad and the loss of sensation and strength develop later?

shihitemuslim is a neuro (i think) who has posted very helpful guidance for me previously.

I hand an L5-S1 protrusion, did PT and steroid injections with minimal relief (last year about this time) - ultimately had surgery (microdisectomy) in March 2016 and am feeling near complete relief and am 100% confident i did the right thing in surgery, which i tried to avoid at all costs. Still took rehab after (additional PT), but am closing in on my health pre-injury. I am 28 year old active male who enjoys sports, weight training and exercise.

here is the link to my thread on the subject, might help: https://texags.com/forums/48/topics/2721514/1

Big truck guy: misdiagnosed initially as a pulled muscle. PCM was an absolute idiot. Physical therapist was an absolute idiot. Flight doc here was appalled they let me continue flying after the MRI came back. TBH I'm not sure how I managed. I'm also not sure what the straw that broke the camels back was, but it sucks!

ETA: I couldn't use my arm much if it required my triceps (i.e.: I can't do a push up.) to start. I also had numbness that came and went. I kept at a somewhat normal schedule due to what my PCM told me. I kept running, kept trying to work out and kept flying. It has now progressed to where I can't type well with my left hand, I can't hold objects for long periods if they have a decent weight to them, and my fingers constantly have a numb feeling.

Disc surgery for the biggest issue is in a week. Im holding off on the other two for now. I'm remaining hopeful, because at this point holding a glass of water longer than about 30 seconds is a chore. Any improvement is welcome at this point. My muscles in that arm have atrophied, and the numbness in my fingers has increased.

The incidental finding of thyroid cancer sucked as well. I'm just a tad broken at the moment

Bulged L3/L4. Could barely walk due to pain. My wife is an OT and I tried PT at her clinic for several weeks. It got better...until it popped. Couldn't walk for 3 weeks. Opted for a microdiscectomy. Walked out of the hospital and walked 2 miles that day without any pain. I hiked a 14er four months later. A lot of people tried to discourage me from getting surgery. It was the best decision I could have made.

I'm a doc and had a herniation in my twenties. Physical rehab was goofy and I think a joke. Tincture of time (years) and occasional Celebrex these days. Long car rides used to kill me. I'm much better now.

Weightlifting I had to change to very neutral exercises for biceps and I don't bend over to pick up weights.

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Bulged L3/L4. Could barely walk due to pain. My wife is an OT and I tried PT at her clinic for several weeks. It got better...until it popped. Couldn't walk for 3 weeks. Opted for a microdiscectomy. Walked out of the hospital and walked 2 miles that day without any pain. I hiked a 14er four months later. A lot of people tried to discourage me from getting surgery. It was the best decision I could have made.

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My experience as well. Did PT, cortisone shots, etc. Nothing really helped me and the pain was crippling. Walking out of the hospital from my outpatient microdiscectomy I felt like a new man. Recovery period was nil (took it easy because I was told to...felt completely normal almost immediately after)...and I haven't experienced pain since that wonderful day 5 years ago.