I have disk bulge; what was best therapy? Anyone try IDD? If so what was cost and can you still run during the period of therapy? Thanks!
I am of no help but would like to know how you found out about the bulge, besides the pain. I have been out for two weeks and now the pain is moving to my hip(huh). I have been to the Chiro, massage therapist and a physical therapist (really the only person I believe) and they all say that it is just a muscle thing, but I am becoming doubtful.
Used chiro for last 15 years…when he could not help my last visit he recommended orthopedist. Ortho did xrays and mri. You can really see it on xray…the mri i think shows how inflamed the area is but i could not really tell.
As I’m 58 he said basically disk degeneration (duh), but mri showed bulge in l4-5 area. He recommended core work which has helped a lot. He did not see that an injection was necessary, but watching all those commercials on IDD I was wondering if anyone ever tried it. I have inversion table and it helps some (better to go about 45 degrees instead of totally perpendicular). Some days back is just stiff…other days it makes training really tough.
I’m just looking for something which will allow me to continue my training and provide some amelioration of the degeneration if that is possible. Again those IDD commercials and my experience with inversion seem to make some sense. Good luck with yours.
I worked in back rehab for 5+ years. You can still run with a bulge, in fact there was some research on NCAA athletes years back showing somewhere around 20% of all athletes had a bulge and were asymptomatic. You will need to engage on a program of core stability work, which is not crunches. Think anything that teaches you to use your abs to stabilize your body. You should get a referral to a PT if you have not yet done so.
I had (have) same thing. Had struggled with various downstream issues like ITBS, piriformis syndrome, sciatica. Did some research and homework, and what ended up working for me was a combination of aggressive trigger point work (self-administered and also by sports massage therapist), stretching, and stepping up my core routine.
When disks bulge out, your muscles act to protect them, make sense? Protection = local tightening (trigger point) and/or weakness, setting you up for muscle imbalances and pain.
What was key for me was identifying the initial culprit muscle, which until taken care of, would continue to plaque me. My herniation was/is (insurance won’t pay for MRI to confirm whether it’s gone) L5-S1, and biggest compensator muscle was QL (quadratus lumborum). Tight QL led to poor iliopsoas function, led to tight glutes led to tight/weak piriformis which put pressure on sciatic nerve, and presto, apparent hamstring problem/sciatica. Once I diligently began working on QL (stretching 3x daily plus trigger point work), I began to feel relief in about 2 weeks and was back to running in 3.
To this day, I stretch daily and check myself out for trigger points and generally tight muscles and work on them and get a weekly massage for the same purpose. I also do a fairly tough core routine twice a week, and it must be good because 2 months ago, I strained something in my back lifting weights, and I was better in 2 days.
This is not to say that I don’t still regularly develop trigger points in various muscles. Running a lot will do that; it’s just a question of whether you notice them or not.
I got lucky in that I was able to self-diagnose and treat. My advice is to find someone truly hands-on who can identify which muscles are messed up and then help you get them back to their normal ROM. It’s an interative process, though, you get one muscle back to normal and then the next one and so on. And then you commit to stretching and core work, at least if you want to make sure it doesn’t recur.
I have no idea how “bad” a herniation needs to be to respond the way mine did, but I think it’s worth a shot before trying other therapies. If nothing else, you will need to learn proper stretching and strengthening techniques.
By the way, I’m 50, and since the incident in April, 2005, I’ve done 2 IM’s (2005 DNF had nothing to do with my back), have continued to set running PR’s, did the Disney double last January and am doing it again in 2 weeks.
YMMV
Boy have they been marketing IDD lately! It makes some “intuitive” sense that it may work but the studies have been inconsistent in actually proving they really help… There are anectodal stories of people getting relief but the science is still not conclusive…the study they report “86% get relief” is based on a study that is not well designed. Not going to hurt you to try it but must also work on strengthening, stretching, ect. as previously described. If MRI showed the bulge is pushing on a nerve then “temporary Palliative” benefit may occur my using an epidural steriod injection but must work on the other issues and the steroid is only for temp. relief while working on other parts of process and only use if debilitated with pain…Additionally to Prove that the “bulging disc” is actually the cause of pain is also difficult as many people in the general population Without Back Pain have “bulging discs” seen on MRIs and gets more prevelant as we get older…Hope this helps…Let me know if you need more info!!!
All very helpful. I do core, stretch, just started using “The Pain-Free Triathlete” and I am better most days.
I know “if it sounds too good to be true…” just wondering if anyone as done IDD and what were results. Studies from everything from coffee… alcohol for various maladies seem inconclusive or contradictory and you wonder who does them.
But advice in this forum is generally down to earth and thought I’d see if anyone actually used IDD.
Thanks again for the responses and may 2007 be a fun and fit year for all STers.