Can a very physically active 43 year old man ever be the same again after a hern!
Question: My bf, who's 43, is a very active and physically fit guy ... but he recently found out that he has a herniated lumbar disc. It's compressing a nerve that "feeds" his left leg, so he's had pains in his left leg for a while now.
He's been going for physical therapy for about two weeks, where they give him heating pads and then an ultrasound cream treatment thing ....
.... then little electric shocks to his lower back ... then put him on a traction machine for 15 minutes ...
The pain in his left leg seems to be improving but it's still there ... the doc wants to give him a "nerve block" injection tomorrow.
Anyway, he's worried if he's ever going to be his old active self again .... running, bicycling, lifting weights, playing ice hockey ... what do you think? Will he be back to that level again, or will he have to give up some of his favorite activities?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Answers: My bf, who's 43, is a very active and physically fit guy ... but he recently found out that he has a herniated lumbar disc. It's compressing a nerve that "feeds" his left leg, so he's had pains in his left leg for a while now.
He's been going for physical therapy for about two weeks, where they give him heating pads and then an ultrasound cream treatment thing ....
.... then little electric shocks to his lower back ... then put him on a traction machine for 15 minutes ...
The pain in his left leg seems to be improving but it's still there ... the doc wants to give him a "nerve block" injection tomorrow.
Anyway, he's worried if he's ever going to be his old active self again .... running, bicycling, lifting weights, playing ice hockey ... what do you think? Will he be back to that level again, or will he have to give up some of his favorite activities?
Thanks in advance for your help!
He should be able to regain most of his abilities but of course will have "flair-ups". My father had the same condition in the mid '80s and had surgery. He has been able to do most of what he could before without much change. Of course he exercised everyday to help limber his back. That helped the most, he's 69 now and still able to move very well.
you can recover from a herniated disk, so don't worry too much about it unless there are complications
sounds like similar conditions I got also. But, can be at least slightly different, depending on MRI exams Sciatica from my left lower back lumbar shooting down to my left foot. There are many varieties of symptoms to back injury. YOur boyfriend may have some symptoms I do not have and also the other way around. For example to name a few: shooting pain, rash, itchings, pulling, etc. My second opinion doctor took me off work physically permanently. Now to answer your question, your boyfriend's condition "will" never be the same again based on what I am reading here. We are talking about scars here. Sciatica nerves can be minor on your boyfriends part compared with major on mine. Your boyfriend may still have in him to do the activities you described. I would take advantage. But, ask your doctor, first and have him/her examine you to be safe, taking MRI exam to find out exactly the problem with his back.. The doctor should diagnosis the exact problem.. My own doctor was honest when he told me regarding my back. I do get injections for my back. My advice to you is get another medical opinions since your doctor not being upfront with you and not giving you direct answers that are very important to your boyfriend.. I am not qualified to give medical opinions, and no one, not even doctors qualified to give medical opinions through the internet. My advice to you for your boyfriend sake to see another medical doctor in person.
good luck!
Mike
I have two herniated lumbar disc from a car accident I had 18 years ago. I went through 3 years of physical therapy. My back has never been the same. There are alot of things I could do before the accident that I can't do now. I can't go hiking up a mountain or walk up a long steep staircase. Forget running, that makes my back hurt. I live a pretty normal life, but have to take things alittle easy and don't lift anything real heavy. The one thing that I have found that REALLY helps, is to do Yoga. I know a man who hurt is back and nothing helped. He was in so much pain. He thought Yoga was for women not for "real" men. Finally he tried Yoga and was really surprised what a big difference it made. Now he does Yoga all the time, just to stay in shape and feel good.
Spinal disc herniation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
If the herniated disk is of the Lumbar region the patient may also experience ... Inflammatory cytokines in the herniated disc of the lumbar spine. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinal_disc_hern... - 84k - Cached