Health Prolapsed disc

[darren forssman]

i have been diagnosed with a prolapsed disc in the lumbar region which for an office desk jockey is quite painful.

the spinal surgeon has suggested a cortisone shot in the back.

what i want to know is if anyone has had a cortisone shot for a prolapsed disc and if they would advise for it/against it.

i have had physio sessions and that didnt help, but the physio at the time didnt think it was a prolapsed disc. should i go back to a physio and try that instead of the cortisone.

 

[Poseidon]

Is anyone on GD in good health?

 

[Quivorir]

I am!

 

[darren forssman]

Is anyone on GD in good health?

i was!!!

 

[Ikan Bodoh]

i have been diagnosed with a prolapsed disc in the lumbar region which for an office desk jockey is quite painful.

the spinal surgeon has suggested a cortisone shot in the back.

what i want to know is if anyone has had a cortisone shot for a prolapsed disc and if they would advise for it/against it.

i have had physio sessions and that didnt help, but the physio at the time didnt think it was a prolapsed disc. should i go back to a physio and try that instead of the cortisone.

Had a cortisone injection. Didn't have any effect. Ended up getting surgery at 24 y.o.

From memory don't think there is any downside to getting the cortisone injection.

 

[Gough]

OxyContin and what you don't use you can sell to junkies. Win/win.

 

[darren forssman]

Had a cortisone injection. Didn't have any effect. Ended up getting surgery at 24 y.o.

From memory don't think there is any downside to getting the cortisone injection.

thanks ikan, hopefully i dont end up in the surgical room.

 

[Ikan Bodoh]

thanks ikan, hopefully i dont end up in the surgical room.

Hope so too. Cortisone injection is a pretty natural step in the process of doing all that you can to solve the problem non-surgically. IMO best to exhaust these options before considering surgery,

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

had it / epidural, made no difference. Physio used to stir it up and make me worse. Best thing I used to do was hydrotherapy.

 

[cats23]

thanks ikan, hopefully i dont end up in the surgical room.

HeyDarren, a cortisone injection won't help in the long term, but it will give short term relief. I personally wouldn't have one, unless you've tried everything else. It's recommended that you exercise as normal-even just bit of stretching/walking etc...& see a physio-now that it's been diagnosed, a physio may be more helpful!

Oxycontin/Diazepam will make you feel all good & relaxed, but also a short-term fix!

You don't want to even think about surgery at this stage-can lead to more complications/issues.

Good luck!

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

OxyContin and what you don't use you can sell to junkies. Win/win.

You are kidding, aintcha?

 

[darren forssman]

Hope so too. Cortisone injection is a pretty natural step in the process of doing all that you can to solve the problem non-surgically. IMO best to exhaust these options before considering surgery,

yeah, surgery isnt something i want to entertain....surgeon said cortisone fixes 80% of cases like mine.

 

[woopedazz]

HeyDarren, a cortisone injection won't help in the long term, but it will give short term relief... I personally wouldn't have one

Does not compute.

 

[darren forssman]

HeyDarren, a cortisone injection won't help in the long term, but it will give short term relief. I personally wouldn't have one, unless you've tried everything else. It's recommended that you exercise as normal-even just bit of stretching/walking etc...& see a physio-now that it's been diagnosed, a physio may be more helpful!

the prolapsed disc was initially diagnosed by my gp, prescribed solone (??) and physio. the physio disagreed with the disc diagnosis and said it was muscle/ligament and used more dry needling/acupuncture techniques. also advised that i should continue to play basketball. big mistake, made it 10 times worse.

i dont want to go the cortisone route but having to sit in my job i dont see an alternative.

 

[cats23]

Does not compute.

An injection will 'hide' the underlying problem, not help to fix it. That's why it's better to first try other methods to see if things can be put back into place.

That said, if nothing else works, I would probably try having one (only one) injection for a bit of relief!

 

[cats23]

the prolapsed disc was initially diagnosed by my gp, prescribed solone (??) and physio. the physio disagreed with the disc diagnosis and said it was muscle/ligament and used more dry needling/acupuncture techniques. also advised that i should continue to play basketball. big mistake, made it 10 times worse.

i dont want to go the cortisone route but having to sit in my job i dont see an alternative.

Solone is a milder form of the cortisone they want to jab you with! Did it help?

Basketball would be a bad idea-too much pressure on your lower back-and it would hurt. You should try some gentler exercise-dare I say it but yoga could be good!-or swimming. Are you too sore to think about exercise?

If all else fails (including another try with a physio), then you may have to consider cortisone just so you can function!

 

[darren forssman]

Solone is a milder form of the cortisone they want to jab you with! Did it help?

Basketball would be a bad idea-too much pressure on your lower back-and it would hurt. You should try some gentler exercise-dare I say it but yoga could be good!-or swimming. Are you too sore to think about exercise?

If all else fails (including another try with a physio), then you may have to consider cortisone just so you can function!

i was taking the solone course whilst seeing the physio who advised me to continue playing ball, so i was making things worse whilst taking it. so, no idea if it had any effect.

it only hurts when i sit (and excruciating when seated for 10 or so mins). the inflammation seems to be the main problem, so not sure how that can be relieved without the cortisone.

it has also been just over a month now, so it seems the gp/surgeon are concerned but yeah, i wonder if another bou tof physio should be tried.

 

[woopedazz]

An injection will 'hide' the underlying problem, not help to fix it. That's why it's better to first try other methods to see if things can be put back into place.

That said, if nothing else works, I would probably try having one (only one) injection for a bit of relief!

Replace hide with symptomatic relief and I agree.

 

[Papa Juggs]

If they're not going to let you have surgery until you've done it just do it.

There's no shame in going under the knife for spinal problems. It's one of the few things that can't be fixed naturally no matter what quack tells you different.

 

[woopedazz]

If they're not going to let you have surgery until you've done it just do it.

There's no shame in going under the knife for spinal problems. It's one of the few things that can't be fixed naturally no matter what quack tells you different.

Actually exercise and good health can improve many spinal pathologies to the point where it is manageable.

 

[Papa Juggs]

Actually exercise and good health can improve many spinal pathologies to the point where it is manageable.

Sorry but I'm not a believer. Your spine can't just heal itself.

 

[woopedazz]

Sorry but I'm not a believer. Your spine can't just heal itself.

You know when you cut your foot. How it heals... Itself? Nearly all structures associated with the spine have similar abilities.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Sorry but I'm not a believer. Your spine can't just heal itself.

Mine did. Well not so much the spine but the disc retracted back where it should have been.

I had surgery in 2000, for the first time in 6 years I was 100% pain free but within 6 months more disc had pushed out onto the nerves. No second bout of surgery, I had 16 months of hydro / rehab. After that it was another 18 months of exercise and rehab before I was able to resume any sort of sport and a normal life. Another 10 years on and I'm fine.

 

[darren forssman]

Mine did. Well not so much the spine but the disc retracted back where it should have been.

how long did it take the disc to retract?

id happily take the physio route over the injection route, but the pain seems to need more urgent attention.

 

[woopedazz]

how long did it take the disc to retract?

id happily take the physio route over the injection route, but the pain seems to need more urgent attention.

Mate. Have the injection. Cortisone isn't a pain-killer, it's an anti-inflammatory. The pain goes away because the inflammation resolves. It's an absolute win-win for someone in your position and may very well help the recovery process. It will also enable you to be more active and better fulfil your physio requirements.

Get the injection. It's a no brainer.