Herniated Disc

[Kemalettin Sert]

i had enormous pain in my back and right foot lately then i went to the doctor and they diagnosed i have herniated disc (l4 and l5) im 25yo this made everything worse for me as a beginner in film industry.Please give me some advises how can i live with this? i make money with carrying cameras, tripods its a lot heavy work..there is no way i can quit this

 

[Patrick OMara]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ysb-Oko3Bg

 

[Curtis Stanton]

Strong core muscles can have a lot to do with minimizing lower back pain and can contribute to maintaining a functional lifestyle.

This NYT article and the embedded video describe a few exercises that strengthen the core without back flexation; an important consideration for anyone, but particularly important for someone with herniated discs.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/core-myths/

 

[Mike Poore]

I would suggest yoga, go easy at first then get into bikram(hot yoga) it strengthens the spin and relieves pressure. I had a spinal fusion in 2001 and swear by this
to keep me tuned up. that and get a nice back brace.

 

[Pawel Achtel]

Swim 1 - 2km every day, 7 days a week. If you miss a swim, make up for it the next day or week.
Always lift correctly, with your knees bent. Keep the weight close and do not twist while lifting. Avoid prolonged sitting. Avoid stress and have regular and sufficient sleep/rest.
You will feel like a new born in 6 months time. I've done it myself. Never felt better or fitter in my life.

 

[BRANDON JAMESON]

Accupuncture worked for me.

 

[Paul J Steinberg]

learn to lift. learn to stretch.

Finding a good physiotherapist may help you through what you're going through but you're going to need to strengthen your core and learn to lift/carry properly.

 

[Antony Newman]

Kemalettin,

The best source of information on this is: http://www.chirogeek.com/001_tutorial_birth_of_hnp.htm

There are many causes of pain depending on the type of herniation.

An example of this is that a herniated disc can allow lipase to leak over the nerves in your spine.
Lipase in an enzyme that accelerates reactions in your body.
Your nerves / axons are covered in a protective (Myelin) sheath.

Disc herniation can damage (dissolve) the Myelin, then expose the nerves within to chemical action.

I suggest that you get an MRI (a closed machine is more detailed than an open one. A 3 Tesla machine is more detailed than a 1.5 T machine).

Secondly - Some causes of pain can be blocked by pain killers, (ibuprofen, codeine, tramadol, morphine) but these mask symptoms, that if not addressed, may cause you life long problems. Some prescriptive medical analysis may end up with a surgical solution after 18 months, when if performed sooner (in some cases 3 months), reduce long term issues.

Become your own doctor.

AJ

 

[Jack Shanahan]

I was diagnosed with herniated L4/L5 @ 25 yrs old too. On my first AC job no less. I was unable to perform camera duties with any confidence, until now, after having been doing pilates for 1 year I am feeling better than I did at 20 (im 30 now...). Core strength and proper posture is the name of the game and pilates has given me both.

It also helps that the EPIC and Scarlet are so LW!

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I know how hard back issues are. It conrtoled not only my career but also the rest of my life until I found this solution.

Jack

 

[William Albertini]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ysb-Oko3Bg

Your post is really not helpful. We will let it go at that...

Kemalettin, one of the things that worked for me in the past as a quick fix before going into extensive physical therapy is to lie flat face up on a hard floor, keep your shoulders and legs on the floor and try to push the small of your back to the floor. Your shoulders and/or legs will want to rise up but don't let them. Repeat 4 or 5 times for about 20 seconds each. Then pull one knee as close as you can to your chest while keeping the other leg flat and not twisting your torso, you should remain as flat as you can on the ground. Repeat several times with each leg and hold the knee to chest position for 10-15 seconds. I have been in excruciating pain several times due to lower back problems and these simple exercises really helped get over the initial pain.

 

[Ruff]

Find a Japanese Seitei Master

 

[Robert Hart]

"Backs" have been a problem on both sides of my family. They came from a hardworking generation where they were expected "to put their backs into it" and did. My old man had a trick he used to do if he felt his back "go". He would haul himself off into the carport, reach up for the pipe crossbeam and hang from it for a few minutes, gently twisting to put some traction on the affected joint before "it set".

I am by no means recommending this as a safe and desirable practice. I have successfully "got in first" a few times by doing the same thing and taking it very easy on the backbone for a few days after. Just as likely it was not so damaged in the first place. There's no knowing.

The core muscle fitness exercises are a good recommendation. It was recommended to me by a martial artist when he astutely observed me walking all wrong and it worked, though I must confess to being less than diligent at it. A back brace or corset might be worth asking your doctor about. A corset will get you all sorts of strange looks and teasing but it works by a similar mechanism as the core muscles. The gut is compressed so like a fatman bending over, some of the load begins to be taken by the gut and less on the backbone than for a skinny man. One downside of wearing a corset is lack of freedom of movement. Another downside is you'll break bad wind much more often.

Assuming you manage a recovery for now, for the long term you might need to examine if you really want to be doing that line of work. You may have the determination and willpower but the body foundation sets the rules in the end. It is likely to happen again if something does not change either in your general fitness or the work method, ie., two men carrying two boxes slung on a pole instead of each man busting himself up with a side load carrying a heavy box on his own.

 

[Paul Ellington]

This is what I carry ...


I had a complete disc collapse from being overworked and taking of my mom. I would do it all over again and now I go by RoBo-Brother.

 

[Greg McDonald]

Kemalettin,

I feel for you. I've been there and was just there recently. When you have that kind of pain it affects all aspects of your life and all you can think of is, will this pain ever go away?

I ruptured a disk, L4-L5 when I was 15 years old. It compressed the nerve root and I had excruciating sciatic nerve pain for 8 years until I finally had surgery when I was 23. The pain ran down the back of both of my legs and into my left foot and was pretty much always present. It got to a point I couldn't walk for 5 minutes before I'd have to lay flat on my back and rest for 20-30 minutes. My doctor was the top orthopedic surgeon at UCLA Medical Center and he said my back was the worst he'd ever seen, not one of the worst - the worst. I had the surgery and for 24 years I had absolutely zero sciatic pain.

My lower back would hurt at times over the past 24 years, but no sciatic pain whatsoever until this past January when I strained my lower back and the excruciating sciatica came back. It was horrible and I thought my life was over. I couldn't really work for 6 weeks and got really depressed. But in this last case, it turned out to be a muscle in my butt, the piriformis, that the sciatic nerve runs beneath and when that muscle gets tight (from prolonged sitting, like at the computer editing for days on end), it can pinch the nerve and cause the exact same symptoms as when the nerve root in your spine is being compressed. I did exercises 4-5 times a day for a few weeks and the pain started going away.

The good news is that most, or at least not all herniated discs require surgery. But in some cases, like mine, it's really the only option for full recovery. My doctors kept saying for 8 years, "well the pain usually goes away so let's see". But it didn't go away and got progressively worse until it was almost totally incapacitating. If your case was like mine, the only thing that will take care of it is getting surgery and going in there and taking out the part of the ruptured disc that is affecting the nerve root that is causing the sciatic pain.

Right now, you should get a MRI, well first get a good doctor, then get a MRI and get the other tests but a MRI is the most important and see what your doctor says. In the meantime, do what everyone one else has said and start doing exercises that stretch and strengthen your core muscles and the muscles that support your back. And do them EVERY DAY. Ask your doctor for a reference to a good physical therapy place and do the exercises every day, or whatever they tell you. They might start you out, every other day. If you stick to the exercises, most sciatic nerve cases will go away in 6-12 weeks, or at least get significantly better. And if the pain doesn't go away after a number of months and your doctor recommends surgery, don't wait, just do it. I wish I had not waited 8 years.

Whether you get surgery or not, you'll have to do the exercises regularly the rest of your life. That's the only thing that has consistently worked for me - BELIEVE ME on this. When I do mine on a regular basis, my back is fine. Whenever I go several weeks or a month without doing them, it's guaranteed my lower back will start to hurt again. If I had been doing them regularly prior to my back going out in January, that never would've happened. I can't stress this enough - get a good exercise routine, specifically tailored for your back and DO THEM REGULARLY.

My doctor was Dr. Rick Delamarter. He's now one of the doctors at The Spine Institute here in LA - http://www.laspineinstitute.com/default.htm

I know you're not in the U.S. but his website has a lot of useful information including the latest surgical procedures.

Hope you back gets better.

 

[Ketch Rossi]

Sorry to hear this Kemalettin!!

The only advise I can give you coming form some one that has had quite a share of bad things happen, never stop pursuing what you do, but adjust to it as needed, I unfortunately stress my body way more then I should, but as lately I really have tried to discipline my self by using dollies and carry heavier loads less and less, and let others, even the girls do it for me.

When alone, I make multiple trips and be sure not to overload my self as I usually do, first step, making my back pack go down in total weight from 50+LB's to no more then 30LB, and instead of carrying two Epic cameras in it only do one.

Best of luck!!

 

[Elsie N]

Kemalettin, there are a few things I would be doing if I had your problem. One, I would be wearing one of those back support belts. That really helped me when I had sciatic nerve problems. Two, I would wear Sketcher Shape Ups on my feet. Bought a pair recently and it is amazing how good they make me feel all the way up my spine. Three, if you have access to one, get an inversion table: one of those things you lock your feet into and then hang upside down. It really stretches your back out. And finally, go see a chiropractor. The one I visited most used pressure points instead of the back-cracking, neck popping method. I've used both kinds and the pressure point guy helped the most. Oh, and some sort of pain relief. My preference is something natural like hops strobile drops in whatever I drink. Just a few drops each time over a period of time seems to make pain either manageable or non-existent. At least, that is my experience with the herbal remedy. As always, YMMV.

 

[Vico Martin]

Swim 1 - 2km every day, 7 days a week. If you miss a swim, make up for it the next day or week.
Always lift correctly, with your knees bent. Keep the weight close and do not twist while lifting. Avoid prolonged sitting. Avoid stress and have regular and sufficient sleep/rest.
You will feel like a new born in 6 months time. I've done it myself. Never felt better or fitter in my life.

+10, every point. One life, one back;
all the best,

Vico.

 

[Irmeli R]

Accupuncture worked for me.

Find a Japanese Seitei Master

billy connolly on aroma therapy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjdmZLnfEuE

 

[Stefan Scherperel]

I had a herniated disc L5, S1 at 29. I was advised to avoid surgery as it is usually a downward spiral. Like many others have said building core muscles is key. I also found that good posture helps a lot. I did acupuncture, physical therapy I even bought an inversion table which I used for about a year that help quite a bit. Now 3 years later I'm about 95%. I still have a little sciatic pain every now and then, but a little ibuprofen on those days goes a long way. If you do end up continuing to work watch how and what you lift. The worst thing you could do is lift wrong or twist wrong and that will send you back to the beginning. keep good posture while working on set. The more you stand up straight, the better you feel. I know for me, sitting and lying down were the most painful, so working a full day on set usually had me feeling pretty good, but your results may vary. Follow your doctors advice, and seek out alternative treatments. It's a hard road, but at your age you should be able to work through it.

 

[Kemalettin Sert]

thank you so much guys guess im not dead yet !