Have you tried cortisone epidurals? They helped me a lot.
But, I had a relapse, possibly injury related and had an 8mm protrusion L2-L3 causing my leg to go completely numb, then later pain, like a truck ran over it - worse pain I've ever had.. I settled with getting a fixture installed, known as ILIF, Interlaminar Lumbar Instrumented Fusion device. It's a minimally invasive surgery and has held up for years now.
OK, now I have another problem from L3-L5 caused by getting hit wrong by a wave plus my scoliosis, so going back down for rods and screws there.

Good luck... get lots of opinions.

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

I had a lower level disc herniation, and oral steroids in the form of a Medrol dose pack helped. Then I did a TT and it came back, so I had injections into my spine and that helped a lot. Recently I had a cervical disc herniation and oral steroids didn't help, so just had an injection, hoping that helps.

N=1.
At the other end of the spine I herniated a disc in my neck at c4. I was 34 at the time. I'm in my early 50s now.
Cause...the combination of 2 impacts a few weeks apart. A medium speed mtb bike crash, and the 2nd a kayaking head impact (slipped on rocks on the river bank and hit the side of my head hard. Had helmets on both times (I'd have had a fractured skull no doubt from the 2nd one. Hard enough to make my vision grey out for a little bit and nearly blacked out.

It was probably near a year before I was 'pretty much at normal' (I'd call it at 90%). About 6 months of regular physio and gentle traction (2 or 3 times a week after it happened. God bless the NHS for that.)
No biking for about 4 or 5 months (Guessing from memory). Then gentle road stuff / rails-to-trails tracks to begin with.
Basically a balance of risk:- exercise = blood flow = good for healing. Crash again = really really bad.news.
(The bulge was contacting the nerve that runs out of the spine at that disc and into the arm and to the hand. I had a few days where my fingers didn't move and felt like they were on fire to begin with.).

I've lost some mobility in that joint in my neck which isn’t great for getting really aero on the TT bike. But no effect on day to day life.
It will v occasionally flare up again resulting occationally in a really limited range of movement in my neck for a bit. Last bad one was 3 days out from a half IM race about 3 years ago - I just couldnt stay on the area bars without pins and needles then a burning pain in my arm. Amd swim sighting wasn't as easy as usual. I had to jack the bars of the bike right up for a full IM a few weeks later (25 degree positive rise stem, max steerer spacers, another 30mm riser too).
Pulling a dry suit seal over my head for kayaking just feels strange too even now - the compression on the joint is just weird.

Having said all that... I'd still not choose surgery for myself with what i know nearly 2 decades later - the inconvenience of what I describe above is nothing compared to the risk from the surgery itself or the recovery (if I was a pro athlete I may have had a different view. But as a total amateur the nuisance I have isn't worth the risk for me.)

From talking to a couple of physios in recent years about my damage, they say there's very little correlation between the gaps / clearances they see on an MRI between bone / disc and nerves, and actual effect on mobility or pain.

I wish you luck! The three lowest cervical discs in my spine are ruptured, two are severe, one mild/moderate. I've had multiple epidurals and two direct nerve root injections and oral steroids with little long-term success. I was advised that I was a good candidate for disc replacement rather than a fusion but decided to start trying to reduce inflammation after my last failed epidural. I'm now over 1.5 years relatively pain-free (fully functional) mostly due to turmeric. It has been life changing for me. If I miss a few days, I start feeling the burning sensation and some numbness will return in my hand. As soon as I begin taking the turmeric again, it subsides. I'm no doc and am only N=1 but I feel your pain. I have a desk job and have had two times in the past where I've missed full weeks of work just due to pain. My doc tells me that it's likely only buying me time until a surgery but is happy to see that this is helping me kick the can down the road.

My best to you!

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I have deceptive speed.........I'm slower than I look!

There are lots on here who will be able to offer you advice particular to your condition but just be warned (you will see why).
Disclaimer: I am an MD and work closely with an interventional pain specialist.
Firstly-your GP is potentially not the most appropriate person to be managing your condition but more information is needed.
Where is your pain? How often are you getting it? What are you taking at the moment?
Interventional procedures can be useful depending on your pathology and that includes, as mentioned, epidural steroids, disc blocks and nerve sleeve injections. For many this would be a bridge to avoid surgery.
The non-interventional folk will chime in with PT advice etc as well.
Avoiding surgery because you are young does not always make sense. It really depends on your pathology and should be a decision made in conjunction with a spinal surgeon and pain specialist. You want the right spinal surgeon, the ones I work with only operate when there is clear indiction surgery is needed up front, or after failure of conservative/interventional pain procedures.

Pain is in the low/ mid back. Matches the L2 dermatome pretty close. Very occasional leg pain.
Pain is currently 24/7 for the last 2 months. Nightmare.
1x Steroid epidural with no effect
Taking naproxen and muscle relaxers occasionally.

I have Kaiser so before this I had been young and healthy and thought I wouldn’t need better care. I have been wrong and am now beginning to pay $$$ to see someone else on Monday.

If they gave me the MRI at the beginning when I asked it likely was still a bulge and I could’ve healed it conservatively with possible 100% recovery. Now it is something that I will likely deal with for life..

You can go find my thread on L4-L5 herniation: lots of good advice from people on there and you can read my story week by week month by month.

I could not work for weeks workout months. Stuck to a plan and have almost pulled myself out of it.

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

So I am 5 months in since the masseuse damaged it more. I have improved but at a snails pace. All my pain is in my back. I am worried it is discogenic and not nerve pain.

I can swim crawl and back stroke. I can swim for hours if needed and it seems to be the best thing for me. I can walk for approximately 4-5 miles. I can stand at my desk and work most of the day fine.

Definitely can't run, bike or surf yet. Sitting tolerance is only about 20 minutes. I spend my free time meditating, going on walks and doing core exercises. There may be a mental/positivity component that I am missing.

Currently doing PT 2x a week, doing my own exercises at home.
New masseuse once a week.
Going to try rolfing and some other modalities.

Lumbar disc at L2-L3 in my 30’s. Time and physical therapy healed it. Now in my 60’s, no further lower back issues BUT, since that time have religiously worked my core with yoga, Pilates and kettlebells.
5 years ago injured C-spine trying to force a lower position on the time trial bike. I had numbness, tingling down the left arm and MRI showed narrowed foramina at C5. I thought for sure I was headed to surgery but neurosurgeon advised injection and had me see a PT who specialized in spinal injuries. About a month later, all symptoms were gone. I still do the rehab exercises.

A little different, but I had a herniated disc at C6-7. Did PT for several months with only modest improvement. Lost a lot of strength on my left side as a result. One day my PT decided to do dry needling. The next day I was in intense pain. Every movement was excruciating. Not a fan of pain meds, but took some and had ZERO relief. Saw two different surgeons over the course of a month. Both ended up recommended surgery. I had a disc replacement, not fusion. I was completely out of pain when I came out of recovery. Still have a little numbness in one finger and it took a year to get about 90% of my strength back, but that's it.

I know they don't do replacement for spine. All I know is I couldn't have carried on without the surgery in my case.

buy Dr. Sarno's book (any of them).
If you read it with an open mind and are able to accept what he is saying it may change your life.
but its not for everyone.

I'm fighting a 29mm extrusion. An 8mm is nothing. Yours should heal, just give it a little time. Of course a neck problem has more risk lumbar extrusion. But I would just listen to the doctor....for a while. Then seek a second opinion.

Mine is lumbar, just the highest lumbar level.


From my understanding there is a pretty weak correlation with size and symptoms, in general bigger is worse but I have heard from my doc some massive herniations can be relatively asymptomatic and heal quick, and some smaller ones can drag on and keep causing issues.

Worst part of these injuries is the uncertainty and individuality around them.

Yes, that is what I have been told. A steroid shot has helped, but mine will need surgery. Everyone is different. At 70, nothing heals fast.

L5/S1 when I was 35. Can’t remember the numbers but it basically exploded. Pain was beyond imagination and I was quickly losing strength in my right leg and foot. Had surgery and it was the best decision I ever made. Two things I would recommend if you and your doctor go that way.

1. Work with a neurosurgeon.
2. Take the recovery seriously. Risk of re injury is extremely high. For me, it was 1 month of not getting in a car and not lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk. Then 2 more months of no lifting. I was cleared to exercise at 3 months but I still didn’t feel right so I waited until I did. It took 6 months of recover and no exercise other than walking and PT. But it’s been 7 years and not an issue since. Plus I’ve raced 70.3s and 140.6s since injury.

Good luck.

GSurfer, as you can see, many different recommendations. please see a neurosurgeon, and get straightforward answers to your questions. As in most cases, surgery is reserved for cases where a clear "target" can be seen and fixed. as stated, there is no clear correlation between mri findings and how pain presents itself, so trust your neurosurgeon regarding recommendations. My 2 key points: 1)do not suffer. have either your neurosurgeon or a pain specialist treat your pain. They will treat pain, inflammation, and spasm. It CAN be treated without significant side-effects. I am a patient with these issues, so I know. 2)treat the accompanying anxiety this is causing you. cbd helped me profoundly. I healed in 6 months, and I would have bet my MD that was not possible, when I was in acute pain. But, we heal in most cases. I am 60, BTW. Inversion therapy daily, after approval by my neurosurgeon, and gradually increasing the decline, was surprisingly effective. 200$ Innova machine from amazon, but talk to neurosurgeon first. stay fit, specific tri training can wait, and you WILL recover, in time. Peace to you.

I have a herniated disc in my neck that was creating back issues a while back... tense back muscle and nerve pain down my legs. The only thing that helped me was to do absolutely nothing for a while. I didn't let anyone touch my back or neck and just let it rest and heal up. Everyone pushes things like the chiropractor, dry needling or acupuncture or massage therapy.

I also have a friend who went through the same thing (herniated disc in L1) and she ended up having the surgery, she was only 28 yrs old and the recovery I believe was 6-8 weeks and she is up and about normal life now with no pain.

I hope you feel better!

My spine (neck) surgeon told me if I had “only” a herniated disk, I could have had a type of surgery where they shave a tiny bit of bone off to give the disk space to go back into it’s space. Might be worth checking into. If that disk bursts, the pain will make you want to kill everyone in sight then go jump off a cliff. At least that’s how I felt... please go see a spine surgeon, at least to know all your options.