What a pain (in the back)

This has nothing to do with bikes but it seems that alot of people can relate.
I've been dealing with a bad disk in my lower back for a couple of years now.
Really alot longer without knowing what it was.
L4-L5 degen. and bulge...L5-S1 degen.
3 shots in the spine and now PT, has helped slightly.
I can sit or lie all day with no real pain, but on my feet for more than 20 or 30 minutes and I have to sit for awhile.
Pain isn't so bad in the mornings but by evening it's not to good.
Very rearly do I have any numbness, just pain in my but to the right.
Everytime I go to the doc, he ask how bad it's effecting my life quality.
That's a hard one.
Hind site is 20-20, but if I knew it could be fixed with a few months of pain,maybe go for it.
But I've heard alot of story like, It's no better or worse.
I'm 42 years old so I hope I've got alot of active years left.
I was a kinda gym rat in my younger days, (roids and all).you know, invensable.
That may or may not have caused the problem. (strong back but alot of abuse)
Hey it was fun at the time.
My doctor has been doing disc replacements for 4 years now.
He says if it comes down to it, he'd recommend 2 replacements. (still not FDA aproved)
At this point it would be a replacement and a fusion.

Anyone out there having a problem like this?
Or has went the surgury route?
Just curious what problems people have had and how they delt with it.

 

The gym rat thing kinda scares me, for I have been powerlifting for a couple years now with my brother and stepdad..I dont use any chems though im just gonna try and take my time getting stronger hoping that in the process my joints and everything will stay healthy..My stepdad has been powerlifting since 1979, he is now 60 years old and is still in the gym with us doin squats and deadlifts he was at one time a world champion and still has a couple american records standing so i look at him and think that hopefully it cant be too bad for me or maybe he is just a soldier...

 

I don't know that the gym had alot to do with it.
I always thought that if anything was going to give out, it would be shoulders.
I did alot of heavy pressing.
I wasn't a big squater or deadlifter, though I did do them.
At one time I was benching around 435 and pressing about 255 behind my neck. At a body weight of 235.(6'1")
Not crazy weight but I felt good about it. :lol:
I would advise that you listen to you pains.
I hurt my back at least twice a year to a point that I had a hard time getting to my feet for a week or two.( Discomfort quite often)
It always got better so my thinking was when I give up the heavy stuff=no more back problems.
Well I gave up the heavy stuff years ago but started noticing discomfort that over a couple of years gradually has turned to pain.
The old Moto, Go Heavy or Go Home...
I know alot of people that did what I did and are fine.
My only advice would be, don't sacrafice form for weight.
I saw that all the time
If you can't do the weight without losing you form, them you can't do the weight.
You've seen that, Spotting someone that wants atleast 6 reps and after 1 reps, your lifting it for the next 5 reps.
Though it sounds like you won't be hurting for advice.

 

Thanks for the advice and by the way a 435 bench at any body weight is pretty damn impressive..Form is everything i get yelled at by my stepdad anytime i do anything wrong he is a hell of a lifter and one hell of a coach, most of the time he tells me when to try more and when im done for the day...

 

My gole was to bench, double my body body weight.
It's almost a losing battle.
More strength=more body weight.
More body weight = more weight to lift.
But some people do it.
At 235 BW, I had to lift against the BIG boys, and they had some crazy lifts.
I was really into bodybuilding rather than powerlifting.
But didn't have the lower body for it either.
You know the type, never miss upper body but do lower
body next time. (maybe)

 

I used to lift as you guys explained and got in awesome shape.I stayed with it steady for about 12years and then thought I met the love of my life who demanded almost all my excise time. Since I met her,and dumped her.I stopped excercising and lifting for about 6years now and noticed that the lack of lifting hard,resting hard,and eating good, has been the worst thing for my body and I now have pains I never had when I was lifting. I think lifting is good, but you have to follow it up with good stretching, good diet and ample recooperating time and rest, otherwise your joints will stay compessed and muscles will be more prone to injury. The best thing I could of done was to at least have a stretching routine even after I stopped lifting. I really miss it! Two kids and a wife later I feel I have no time, no energy, and no motivation to get back into it.
I know a few people that had their discs fused and had suffered the pain your going through. After the operations, they both say they felt less pain and are more comfortable now. Although they do mention a lack of range in motion, but would rather endure that then the pain of trying to bend anyday. On that note I would go with a good surgeon and have the surgery and wish you the best of luck. I'll pray for you.

 

My goal is to do alot of stretching and core exercises.
If I can ease some of the discomfort, I'll live with it awhile.
My thinking is 4 years ago, fusion was the only option.
Now, the doctor I'm seeing is doing single and double disk replacemants
with alot of success. ( with a second generation disks.)
I'll let him get somemore practice in.
I've often thought that if I'd spent those many hours on learning something like guitar,
instead of lifting, I'd be a kick a$$ guitar player.
I started lifting at 19 and kept it up off and on till about 40. 42 now.
Best shape being in my early 30s.
I know what you meen about lifting time.
Had twin boys at 37, that kinda burns up your free time.
At 37 I thought I had to decide, kids or me time. I went with a kid and got two at once. 8O 8O

 

I think its better anyway to hit 2 birds with one stone.You could look at it this way; at least when you are holding your kids, you can work out both arms at once! Are they boy & boby or girl & girl or one of each?

 

Injured my back over 25 years ago (changing a tire on a car, of all things), and endured the one-again, off-again pain and total immobility (3 dayss at a time, maybe twice a year) for 20 years.

Then one day I was out walking my dogs and my left foot got tingly, like it was going to sleep. Lasted about 5 minutes, got better.

Next day, same thing. Only it lasted longer and it felt like my foot was on fire.

By the end of the week, I had lost all feeling in my left foot and couldn't control the muscles. And it tingled all the time. And my butt and back of my leg hurt like hell.

Went thru the rounds of medicine, cortisone shots, therapy, nothing. Finally saw a neurosurgeaon and the first thing he said was: surgery or live in pain forever, it ain't gonna get better. The bulging/herniated disc lets the nerve rub against the bone, and this chews away at the outer layer of the nerve, which is where the sense of touch occurs in the nerve. Further inside is where the muscle control occurs. Once the sense of tocuh starts getting messed up, the damage to the muscle control fibers aren't far behind.......

The pain grew worse and worse and I wasn't scheduled for surgery for another 3 weeks. It is constant, relentless, unforgiving, and most drugs do nothing for it. Sleep, when possible, is fitful and brief.

Recovery from surgery was painful, although with arthroscopic surgery it is supposed to be much less (less muscle damage/healing, which is the painful part). Doc trimmed up the discs, filed the bone a bit, and cut a tiny
channel for the nerves to recess into. Told me to go to PT only if I liked getting up earaly in the morning for no reason. Said the best therapy is to walk, walk, and then walk some more. It was very painful for about 6 weeks and then got better.

Still have some lower back pain when I lift things the wrong way, or otherwise strain the muscles, but a little naproxen or the very occassional flexoril always puts me better. You have to watch what you do, and DON'T LIFT THINGS WITH YOUR BACK (use your legs like you're supposed to). Have only had two episodes of 3-days-on-my-back immobility since the surgery in the last six years, while pre-suregry it was 3-4 times a year.
And I play tennis twice a week, do martial arts, and pretty much all sorts of normal things. It only hurts when I lift things the wrong way (or sneeze unexpectedly!).

Avoid fusion if at all possible. I'm sure it works, but as you grow older, you lose an incredible amount of flexibility. One of the guys at work had his spine fused and he walked like an old man, all hunched over, all the time. He said he had no pain, but he looked like he did.

Good luck. Strengthen your abdominal muscles as much as possible, that takes alot of pressure off your lower back muscles.

 

One thing outa all this though , and not demeaning anyones yeouch's either , i sometimes dwell on those poor bods who are stuck in ospital and are far worse , yaknow , no system can fix em up or anything else either , just a slow damn death until ded....i seen em.

 

I know what your sayin hoonz I decided after seeing both my parents go that way in a hospital bed with no cure in sight that life is to short I live in the now and always do what I want for there is no guarantees..