Slipped Disc

[Air Ween]

docs,

 

paano po ba mapapagaling ang sakit na to..

[doubletap]

Surgery. Either by a simple repair of the affected vertebra(e) or to the more complex fusion and/or rodding of the spine.

 

Both procedures are expensive. I am not sure which hospitals/MD in the RP can do this procedure. Which is expensive I might add but well worth it if done by well trained hands.

 

Kung short term pain relief lang you may have steroid injections on the area.

 

<<<BTW, I'm not a doctor so it's still better to consult one.

[hitomi]

hi guys, am not a doctor but here's something i found useful from the NHS direct health encyclopedia:

 

Treatment

In 90% of cases the pain from a slipped disc gets better on its own and does not require surgery. However, the process may take some time. For most people the condition gets a lot better within about six weeks.

 

The first step to treating a slipped disc is to make sure that you do not make it any worse. You should avoid any form of lifting for three months to allow the disc to heal and you should take care not to strain or bend. You should stay active instead of lying in bed, as most doctors no longer recommend bed rest for back pain. However, you may need to rest on whatever surface is most comfortable until the initial intense pain of the injury has subsided.

 

Your GP may prescribe a painkiller or recommend one you can buy from the chemist, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is not recommended if you have a history of asthma, kidney, or liver disease.

 

Physiotherapy, exercise and massage can all be considered. Studies so far on the subject have not been very conclusive but it is thought that spinal manipulation from a chiropractor, physiotherapist, or an osteopath may help take the pressure off the nerves that are being pressed by the damaged disc.

 

If healing does not happen on its own within a reasonable time, usually not less than six weeks, surgery may be considered. The aim of surgery is to remove the portion of the disc that is bulging out and causing the pressure on the nerves in your back. The procedure gives fast relief for most people who have lower back pain and sciatica caused by a slipped disc, but about half of those who have surgery will need a repeat operation at some time in the future.

 

here's another one from a UK health institute:

 

CONNECTIVE TISSUE MANIPULATION

 

Connective Tissue Manipulation is performed by the Physiotherapist using the soft pads of the fingers to move one layer of skin on the layer below. This movement creates a short, sharp, stretch reflex, creating an impulse, which spreads out through the connective tissue. The patient's brain translates this impulse as if it were a 'cut' or a 'scratch'. The tighter the connective tissue the bigger the stretch reflex and therefore the sharper the 'cut' feels to the patient. The reflex is a small impulse which passes through the fluid in the connective tissue and releases tension. The reduction in tension around the blood vessel walls allows more blood to flow into the damaged area and so reduces the inflammation. Softening the connective tissue also allows more movement to occur without causing irritation and therefore pain. Treatment often starts at a distance from the injured part gradually working closer to the source of injury.

 

The benefits of Connective Tissue Manipulation are cumulative. Once the tension has been lowered by treatment the reduction is maintained. Further reduction in connective tissue tension occurs with each additional treatment. The degree to which the reduction in connective tissue tension is maintained is conditional upon the level of stress added to the system by the patient's lifestyle. Connective Tissue Manipulation is a technique learnt at postgraduate level in the UK and because of this it hasn't spread very rapidly around the country. At the last count, there were something like two dozen Physiotherapists in the UK actively practising Connective Tissue Manipulation.

[hint-of-lime]

hi guys, am not a doctor but here's something i found useful from the NHS direct health encyclopedia:

 

Treatment

In 90% of cases the pain from a slipped disc gets better on its own and does not require surgery. However, the process may take some time. For most people the condition gets a lot better within about six weeks.

 

The first step to treating a slipped disc is to make sure that you do not make it any worse. You should avoid any form of lifting for three months to allow the disc to heal and you should take care not to strain or bend. You should stay active instead of lying in bed, as most doctors no longer recommend bed rest for back pain. However, you may need to rest on whatever surface is most comfortable until the initial intense pain of the injury has subsided.

 

Your GP may prescribe a painkiller or recommend one you can buy from the chemist, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is not recommended if you have a history of asthma, kidney, or liver disease.

 

Physiotherapy, exercise and massage can all be considered. Studies so far on the subject have not been very conclusive but it is thought that spinal manipulation from a chiropractor, physiotherapist, or an osteopath may help take the pressure off the nerves that are being pressed by the damaged disc.

 

If healing does not happen on its own within a reasonable time, usually not less than six weeks, surgery may be considered. The aim of surgery is to remove the portion of the disc that is bulging out and causing the pressure on the nerves in your back. The procedure gives fast relief for most people who have lower back pain and sciatica caused by a slipped disc, but about half of those who have surgery will need a repeat operation at some time in the future.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I am a doctor and I agree with hitomi's quote regarding the treatment. It is always best to explore and optimise conservative treatment first because the majority of patients with back pain usually do get better after 2 to 6 weeks of conservative management consisting of pain medication and physical therapy. I believe that surgical intervention should only be done if significant pain persists despite optimal conservative management and it has already affected the person's lifestyle and career. Surgical treatment may range from a laminotomy and diskectomy (whereby the surgeon just excises a "slipped disc") to an instrumented fusion (screws are placed through the vertebral bodies and rods are attached then the disk is removed and all defects are filled with bone graft so that the affected level is fused) depending on what exactly is causing the back pain and on the amount of instability [either before or after the surgery] present at the area where the pain originates from). These procedures can be done by a competent orthopedic surgeon with spine surgery training and is usually done regularly in all the major private and public hospitals in the Philippines especially in Manila and the other major cities, even in the provinces - I know people who do it in Cebu and Davao.

[Air Ween]

im currently undergoing physical therapy.my PT med scheduled me for 6 sessions. Im on my 4th one and so far the tingling sensation comes on and off on my left leg.

can anyone comfort me and give me hope..im not that afraid from any operation but rather what how it will cost me and my family.

pls communicate docs and guys.

thanks alot..

[hint-of-lime]

im currently undergoing physical therapy.my PT med scheduled me for 6 sessions. Im on my 4th one and so far the tingling sensation comes on and off on my left leg.

can anyone comfort me and give me hope..im not that afraid from any operation but rather what how it will cost me and my family.

pls communicate docs and guys.

thanks alot..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I am assuming your problem is purely because of a slipped disc. Your best option would be to have a heart-to-heart talk with your doctor. One thing to consider is if the sessions are done regularly enough and if oral antiinflammatory medication and meds like Neurontin or Lyrica are optimized (Neurontin and Lyrica are only to be given under the guidance of a physician!). If physical therapy and oral medication is already optimized and no significant relief (take note: keyword here is SIGNIFICANT. Do not expect TOTAL relief at the end of 2 weeks - it can happen but that is not always the case, but more or less, in 2 weeks you can tell is conservative management is having an effect or not), then the next step short of surgery would be an epidural steroid injection. If you still have no relief and the pain significantly affects your lifestyle, espcially after 4 to 6 weeks of optimal conservative treatment then maybe you should think about having surgery.

[Air Ween]

I am assuming your problem is purely because of a slipped disc.  Your best option would be to have a heart-to-heart talk with your doctor.  One thing to consider is if the sessions are done regularly enough and if oral antiinflammatory medication and meds like Neurontin or Lyrica are optimized (Neurontin and Lyrica are only to be given under the guidance of a physician!).  If physical therapy and oral medication is already optimized and no significant relief (take note: keyword here is SIGNIFICANT.  Do not expect TOTAL relief at the end of 2 weeks - it can happen but that is not always the case, but more or less, in 2 weeks you can tell is conservative management is having an effect or not), then the next step short of surgery would be an epidural steroid injection.  If you still have no relief and the pain significantly affects your lifestyle, espcially after 4 to 6 weeks of optimal conservative treatment then maybe you should think about having surgery.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

how much would that cost me doc..?pls estimate..cold my hmo cover it..?

[hint-of-lime]

how much would that cost me doc..?pls estimate..cold my hmo cover it..?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Some HMOs (not all unfortunately) cover for spine surgery, but you have to check yours out to be sure. It is quite difficult to give you an estimate because I do not know for sure your specific problem (in other words - what exactly is causing the back pain - a slipped disc, a degenerated disk, an arthritic spine and any number of other causes of back pain) because each specific problem has a specific type of surgery indicated and each type of surgery will definitely incur a different amount in cost. Add to this the variations in hospital fees for the various hospitals in the country.

[st]

im currently undergoing physical therapy.my PT med scheduled me for 6 sessions. Im on my 4th one and so far the tingling sensation comes on and off on my left leg.

can anyone comfort me and give me hope..im not that afraid from any operation but rather what how it will cost me and my family.

pls communicate docs and guys.

thanks alot..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

try me

[st]

Discs Can Heal

Disc injury is not a life sentence. Disc degeneration or slippage (herniation) can heal - if you let it, no differently than a sprained ankle. Stop damaging your discs with bad bending, standing, and sitting habits and the discs can heal. It takes years to herniate a disc, and only days to weeks to heal it by stopping bad habits.

 

Muscles Can Heal

When you over-tighten muscles with hunching and bad habits, they can remain too shortened to let you stand properly. Or they stay tightened in “knots” or spasm. This changes their muscle chemistry. When you slouch, you keep muscles overly stretched, which weakens and strains them. Stop straining your muscles and they can heal.

Edited May 2, 2006 by Maribel-R18

[st]

Just try me to get rid what is your prob.

[st]

Exercises to Strengthen and Retrain Muscles

When you stop bending wrong and injuring your back dozens of times each day, it can begin healing with good exercises.

 

Back pain exercises are misunderstood. People often injure their back all day then hope to fix it with a few exercises. They don't understand when this does not work. They lie on the floor to do exercises, then stand up and walk away with no use of the positioning or strength they just practiced. It is like eating butter and sugar all day, then doing 10 minutes of exercises and wondering why it doesn't "work." The key is what you do all day.

 

Try a small number of these exercises slowly. See how you feel the next day, then increase. Use these back exercises to retrain how to stand, sit and move all day.

 

- Lunge. You know not to bend wrong to pick things up, but you do it. Every day. Hundreds of times a day. Instead, bend your knees. You already know that. But most people don't do it because their legs are too weak. The lunge exercise retrains bending habits and gives you free leg and back exercise at the same time:

 

Stand up, feet apart. Slide one foot comfortably back, keeping foot straight not turned out. Tuck hip under to remove back arch and stretch back hip. Bend knees to dip to the floor without touching the floor. At least dip down a few inches. Don't let your front knee come forward. Keep front knee over ankle. Don't arch your back. Tip your hip under to prevent arching and straighten your posture. Don't lean back. This is a great exercise to strengthen your legs and practice proper bending and lifting posture. You already know you should use your legs like this to bend and lift. Now you will be strong enough to do it.

 

 

Bend properly using the lunge for all the many dozens of times you bend every day.

Keep front knee over ankle (left) not forward (right).

Edited May 2, 2006 by Maribel-R18

[st]

Upper back extension. Most people stretch their back by forward rounding but never strengthen the back muscles that hold the back upright. Upper back extension is an important exercise to strengthen at the same time that you practice moving your back in the other direction. Discs spend so much of the day being loaded by forward bending. Extension unloads the discs, not compresses them the way previously thought.

Lie face down on the floor, (or even a bed or bench if that is easier) hands and arms off the surface. Gently lift upper body without hands. Don't force. Don't crane your neck, keep it straight, just lift using upper body muscles. This exercise does more than the standard "hands and knees lifting arm and leg." It strengthens back muscles in a functional way, without additional pressure to the discs.

 

Upper back extension

[st]

- Lower back extension. This is another important exercise to strengthen the back and practice extending the hip. Extension is an important exercise to strengthen without loading the discs. Discs are pressured by forward bending. This backward lifting unloads them. It is better than bending forward to lift.

 

Lie face down, hands under your chin or wherever comfortable. Gently lift both legs upward, knees straight. Don't yank or force. Don't pinch the low back, just use lower body muscles.

 

 

Lower back extension

[st]

- Lower back extension. This is another important exercise to strengthen the back and practice extending the hip. Extension is an important exercise to strengthen without loading the discs. Discs are pressured by forward bending. This backward lifting unloads them. It is better than bending forward to lift.

 

Lie face down, hands under your chin or wherever comfortable. Gently lift both legs upward, knees straight. Don't yank or force. Don't pinch the low back, just use lower body muscles.

 

 

Lower back extension