I have been having alot of back pain. they say i have subligamentous disc protrusion at L5-S1.??
Question: i have it with facet and ligamentum hypetrophy resulting in mild left neural froaminal encroachment. at frist they said i need surgery now they day that surgey may not even help. i am in alot of pain and the left side of my body is in pain and my leg cant hardly move i feel like i am becoming palayzed. i can not even walk to the store without hardly moving my leg i feel like alot of pins are sticking me. do i need a wheel chair to get around? and do i need the surgery? will i be like this for the rest of my life?
Answers: I am assuming that you got the medical jargon from a doctor's report. What you are describing is a worsening of symptoms, secondary to injury to the last disc in your lower back. When you get an injury at the L5/S1 level, you are at the level in your spinal column that they Sciatic Nerve runs through to innervate your lower extremities. I have a disc protrusion at the same level on the right side, and I have had alot of the same symptoms that you are describing. Bear in mind that each person that suffers from this is different...what seems minor to you, may be major to me, and vice versa. The pain and the feeling of paralysis that you are experiencing is from the disc contents that have leaked out putting pressure on the nerve root of the Sciatic nerve, which results not only in direct pressure, but pressure from inflammation as well. It sounds like you have constant pressure on this area, since you describe your symptoms as fairly constant. . What can be done about it? Well, of course, you should be on medications...painkillers, anti inflammatories, possibly muscle relaxers, or others. They have already discussed surgery with you.. With surgery, I have heard varying reports. Some say that it helped them completely, some describe partial relief, and some say that it made the symptoms worse. I had the next tier down in treatment, a couple of epidural injections of cortisone and an anesthetic into the area that is injured...not fun while getting them, but they DID help me a lot in terms of symptoms and pain....for a while. You can get up to 3 of these a year, and they apparently work by shrinking the nerve root's inflammation that results from the irritation of the disc material. According to my doctor, this can effect a complete cure, but I canot attest to it, as I am continuing to have episodes of symptoms. Also, I had a bad reaction to the injections, and am not able to have any more. I obtained some relief from having Physical Therapy 3 times a week, as well. As to whether you will require a wheelchair or need the surgery, I cannot advise you on this. A Physical Therapist could advise you on the need for the chair, and even order one for you, or help you get the order from the doctor. The surgery is basically, your decision. I can advise you to continue to do research on the condition, the surgery, and to include asking your doctor to get you in contact with others who have the same or similar diagnosis, who have had the surgery and get their opinions on whether it was worth it or not. Look for online discussions or real life support groups (you can find these by asking at the hospital). The more that YOU know about the condition, the treatment options, and your individual prognosis, the better, as it will enable you to make an INFORMED decision about the best treatment regimen for YOU. Remember that YOU are your own best advocate.
well your use of large words would let me know you already know these answers
A subligamentous disc, occurs when the nuclear (inner jelly-like portion of the disc) material protrudes into the tears in the annulus in one area and has displaced surrounding anatomical structures, like the spinal cord or nerve roots, i.e. pinched nerve. However, the outer ring of the annulus has not been breached, in other words, no disc material has completely squirted through the outer edges of the disc.
There are a couple of different ways to approach this issue, and the last resort being surgery.
First, I would look into getting some physical therapy. This can sometimes make ALL the difference in the world when someone works with your back and knows what they're doing. I send many people to PT with this same kind of issue, and I'll suggest that better than 60-70% do quite well. Now, this is not to say they don't have ANY kind of discomfort from time to time, but it IS significantly better.
If PT doesn't work out, then surgery is the only option. Most back surgeons will tell you it may or may not help, just to cover their own butts. Many times, the surgery DOES help the degree of back pain, but once again, this is subjective.
Talk with your doctor about your options.
Best of luck!
Answers: I am assuming that you got the medical jargon from a doctor's report. What you are describing is a worsening of symptoms, secondary to injury to the last disc in your lower back. When you get an injury at the L5/S1 level, you are at the level in your spinal column that they Sciatic Nerve runs through to innervate your lower extremities. I have a disc protrusion at the same level on the right side, and I have had alot of the same symptoms that you are describing. Bear in mind that each person that suffers from this is different...what seems minor to you, may be major to me, and vice versa. The pain and the feeling of paralysis that you are experiencing is from the disc contents that have leaked out putting pressure on the nerve root of the Sciatic nerve, which results not only in direct pressure, but pressure from inflammation as well. It sounds like you have constant pressure on this area, since you describe your symptoms as fairly constant. . What can be done about it? Well, of course, you should be on medications...painkillers, anti inflammatories, possibly muscle relaxers, or others. They have already discussed surgery with you.. With surgery, I have heard varying reports. Some say that it helped them completely, some describe partial relief, and some say that it made the symptoms worse. I had the next tier down in treatment, a couple of epidural injections of cortisone and an anesthetic into the area that is injured...not fun while getting them, but they DID help me a lot in terms of symptoms and pain....for a while. You can get up to 3 of these a year, and they apparently work by shrinking the nerve root's inflammation that results from the irritation of the disc material. According to my doctor, this can effect a complete cure, but I canot attest to it, as I am continuing to have episodes of symptoms. Also, I had a bad reaction to the injections, and am not able to have any more. I obtained some relief from having Physical Therapy 3 times a week, as well. As to whether you will require a wheelchair or need the surgery, I cannot advise you on this. A Physical Therapist could advise you on the need for the chair, and even order one for you, or help you get the order from the doctor. The surgery is basically, your decision. I can advise you to continue to do research on the condition, the surgery, and to include asking your doctor to get you in contact with others who have the same or similar diagnosis, who have had the surgery and get their opinions on whether it was worth it or not. Look for online discussions or real life support groups (you can find these by asking at the hospital). The more that YOU know about the condition, the treatment options, and your individual prognosis, the better, as it will enable you to make an INFORMED decision about the best treatment regimen for YOU. Remember that YOU are your own best advocate.
well your use of large words would let me know you already know these answers
A subligamentous disc, occurs when the nuclear (inner jelly-like portion of the disc) material protrudes into the tears in the annulus in one area and has displaced surrounding anatomical structures, like the spinal cord or nerve roots, i.e. pinched nerve. However, the outer ring of the annulus has not been breached, in other words, no disc material has completely squirted through the outer edges of the disc.
There are a couple of different ways to approach this issue, and the last resort being surgery.
First, I would look into getting some physical therapy. This can sometimes make ALL the difference in the world when someone works with your back and knows what they're doing. I send many people to PT with this same kind of issue, and I'll suggest that better than 60-70% do quite well. Now, this is not to say they don't have ANY kind of discomfort from time to time, but it IS significantly better.
If PT doesn't work out, then surgery is the only option. Most back surgeons will tell you it may or may not help, just to cover their own butts. Many times, the surgery DOES help the degree of back pain, but once again, this is subjective.
Talk with your doctor about your options.
Best of luck!
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