After over 30 years of living with RA it is finally catching up with me. Not quite sure how this happened but after weeks of back pain, thinking it was sciatica. Then after 2 nights in such pain I couldn’t sleep I went the gp who said I had a probable herniated disc. Gave me tramadol and amitriptyline, for the pain and nerve pain, told to rest, given the go to A&E if you have any of these symptoms. I also did a bit of research and ended up on the NICE website which scared the life out of me! I wonder if anyone has had this and what recovery treatment did you have and how long did it take to resolve.
Thank you in advance for your support.
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Tkat10
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I have 3 herniated discs, which I’ve had for at least 12yrs. 2 in the lumbar spine are dehydrated and don’t cause much issue now. I have one in my neck that has turned to bone, which is extremely rare, but is pressing on the outer layer of the spinal cord. It causes pins and needles in my hands, sometimes numbness, I can manage with it at the moment. They have offered to refer me to Kings in London for surgery.
Most discs settle on their own, but it can be 6-12 weeks to settle. Surgery is only considered if you have cauda equina symptoms, which it sounds as though your gp explained, or you have unrelenting leg pain lasting longer than 3 months, it doesn’t help back pain (I was an orthopaedic ward sister for many years). Cauda equina only happens to a very small number of people, but it’s essential you’re aware of. It’s important to do gentle stretches, and the medication he’s given you is pretty standard for herniated discs. I really wouldn’t stress, it will almost certainly settle on its own, you can in many areas self refer to physio for advice on exercises.
Thank you, the issue is only my left leg, ankle and foot. Feel a bit more relaxed about the prognosis as I was very worried as my shoulders and hands would not tolerate using a stick and walking has been my main exercise along with gardening. Been a bit stressed about not being able to do these things. Will get onto the hospital physio to see when the can fit me in and look for a acupuncturist as it helped before with my RA.
Good advice from Runrig01. I have dodgy discs and various problems associated with them. Back in the late 1980s I saw a consultant and had what must have been one of the earlier MRIs.
The consultant I saw privately said he didn’t want to operate - he said as I didn’t have actual backache and I could well end up with back pain if he were to operate he had a 100% success rate that he didn’t want to spoil - I had sciatica that went from my sacrum / hip to my toes, to the extent I could wash my leg in the shower and not feel it. Anyway I was given an epidural with steroids.
When that wore off after a couple of years I went back and had another which lasted until I had a nasty accident in 2021 and fractured my sacrum (I have osteoporosis) In the end the private physio I saw suggested that if I was willing to pay he could refer me for an MRI scan, I had one on my lumbar spine that showed how messy it all was, then I went back for a second pelvic MSK scan a week later that found the sacral fracture.
The advantage of having the private MRIs is that everyone I dealt with has read the reports I was given so they know exactly what they are dealing with.
As Runrig01 says - most discs settle in time. I find I absolutely have to keep moving though. I have a very good Pilates teacher who is a physiotherapist and is used to dealing with osteoporotic and frequently elderly patients.
My teacher always says ‘don’t do anything that causes you pain, even if you’ve done it before and even if I’ve told you to do it’ and I’d say that is good advice. Don’t let anyone do or tell you to do anything that causes pain.
So it might be worth finding a good physio privately - when I fractured my sacrum the doctor I saw in A&E thought I could have had sacroiliitis which was a pretty good guess considering the locum doctor I spoke to at my surgery said that No, I couldn’t have an X-ray ‘ because the hospital was busy and I probably just had a touch of osteoarthritis - it’s quite common at your age’.
Anyway, the A&E doctor prescribed Naproxen and physio - unfortunately the waiting time for NHS physio was 11 months long and by that time I’d seen the private physio, had my MRIs, was doing three Pilates sessions a week (at my own level and mostly gentle stretches) plus physio exercises and gentle walking. The NHS physio said I was doing everything she would have recommended I do and to carry on.
If I were you I would be very careful lifting things - even things that you don’t think are particularly heavy can be too heavy, I would also be careful not to twist your spine and I would also use the painkillers you have been prescribed, don’t skip them.
Like you, walking and gardening are my favourite hobbies. I’m back to walking but I’m careful gardening, fortunately my husband retired at the start of covid and does the heavy work in the garden. Anyway, I still get tempted and do too much and end up lying flat on my back on my Pilates mat with my knees bent.
hopefully as I am only 56 I will not be fobbed of with the at your age crap.(because our age does not always directly relate to our physical age). My GP said that at my age and fitness he expect this to resolve. Already looking for physios and acupuncturists as that helped in the past. Just not been laid out unable to walk for a very longtime. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Hi I’ve had problems with my back since my early 50s in lumbar area, discs dehydrated and slipped, but also facet joint problems causing two cysts that press into my spinal cord, causing numbness, pins and needles in my right leg, also weird sensations in my left leg. I agree do agree with Runrig01 comments. I had an urgent MRI done at request of my RA consultant as my symptoms were so severe. I too was a nurse and a midwife, lots of heavy lifting , but my dad also had similar issues in his 50s. I was given allthe info about caudal equinus and what to do if I suddenly noticed problems. The spinal consultant explained in detail my results, said he could operate and remove cysts but they could grow back again, also that my back could end up worse than it was already, the risks of infection (I’m on biologics and methotrexate ) and worst case us end up in a wheelchair.
I’ve had 10+ lots of surgery and decided not to have spinal surgery. My back ranges from pretty good on occasions to totally debilitating, but I do remain as active as possible. I pay privately for a remedial sports therapist who also practices acupuncture and she helps me such alot, I’ve never found our community physios to really understand my issues. I can’t use sticks or crutches as it ‘sets off’ my hands (which have both had lots of surgery and both my wrists have fused naturally and I had Darrochs procedures to both as well.) and shoulders and they take months to resolve. Seeing a physio once in a blue moon or practising their non touch technique and a paper sheet isn’t what I need. I take quite a lot of strong painkillers, antiinflammatories and nortriptyline for nerve pain . I was pretty scared to start with, RA was bad enough but I’m glad that I chose not to have the surgery, I can’t say that it doesn’t affect what I do and the pain is always there but I have got used to it, I also couldn’t manage without my car and using public transport is definitely out for me where I live( bus stops with no shelter and no seating).
I’m 70 in a month and still going, doing what I can when I can. Doing my exercises and trying not to twist my back. Life is full and I make the most of everything I can. My grandkids help with my fitness and they help to keep a sense of humour, they are just so funny and watching their films with them, the singing and dancing, helps me forget about pain.
I've got multiple spinal problems and my husband has a herniated disc.
The best advice, like others have said, would be to do regular stretches. Find an exercise programme that works for you either through the physio or maybe try tai chi or yoga. They are great for core strength and help with pain too. Good luck Xx
L5, disk herniated near enough completely out and by some freaky good luck I was a mm off causing Cauda equina.
Worst pain of my life (I've had 2 kids and kidney stones just for some comparison! ) I needed gas and air from paramedics to stand up.
Initially I was given oral morphine which helped but I couldn't take long term, given naproxen and tramadol which made me vomit, then given diazepam which made me vomit.... I was in a right state! I couldn't walk hardly at all for 6 weeks, I had (and still do partially) numbness and tingling from knee down on specific part of my left leg, muscle weakness .
Had 1st MRI in March, showed herniated disk, saw spinal surgeon in April who told me I needed a disectomy to remove disk which was compacting my spinal nerve. Went back for my pre op assessment and found I have a heart complaint I never knew ! So operation cancelled.
Was told operation would be to resolve muscle strength in leg and would not resolve the pain, also as the nerve had been impacted for such a long time it's probably cooked and won't ever come back!
So overall from this I have taken that you need MRI quickly, need advice quickly before nerve gets permanently damaged (that's if you have symptoms of nerve damage).
Currently I am alot better than what I was, surgeon said with time (18 months) things will get better but I will be left with some permanent numbness down my leg, all my muscles working OK now and back pain has gone from off the scale to about a 4 (although I cannot stand for long times). I need to loose weight and strengthen my core muscles.
So sorry this has happened to you, its such an easy thing to happen (I just did an emergency stop in car and it made it pop out !) I really think the RA and my general muscle weakness due to lack of exercise contributed to it happening.
NHS is really over worked and underfunded, my GP didn't really help and it was a kind rheumatologist who referred me for the MRI and then once results back the neurosurgeons jumped in and full steam, in mean time my nerve being squashed!
So sorry to hear things were so bad for you. I have been up until recently very active, walking up to 4 miles a day on country footpaths which is why I think I am recovering reasonably well. Thankfully it is now starting to resolve with rest and the prescribed medication. I have a telephone consultation with hospital physiotherapist next week and got the best excuse not to go back into the office as I cannot drive or walk too far just yet.
I think it was a number of incidents that conspired together to cause the issue. I surfed the stairs on my coccyx (having grabbed the handrail with my left hand - of course had to be my bad shoulder!) mid July. Then tripped more recently while out looking for our missing cat in the woods on a bramble and landed on my left knee, despite the lovely ground coving of fern and pine needles this evidently did more damage than I realised.
But since doing both of these things I have travelled from York to London 3 times with work, been in the office 4 times in the last 6 weeks and still been walking my daily walks until my body evidently said “are you kidding me?! Stop now !
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