Who's had a Disectomy?

The wifes been dealing with a bulged disc for the last few years and she finally has got a surgery date for next month, right around the time I'm slated to go back to work.

Anyone here had one? what was the recovery time like? what were you able to do following the surgery?

That was one of the options offered to my wife, but the surgeon said that if there was an underlying weakness there was zero guarantee that it wouldn't herniate again at any time. She opted to go for a double disc replacement - hers was pretty severe so that may not be on the table for your wife.

Surgeon reckoned on a 4 week recover time with limited movement IIRC - no bending twisting lifting etc.

Good luck!

well this is what her doctor is gunna do, they seem competent enough. Im not even entirely sure what they are going to do but I guess that will be discussed in the following weeks

thanks for the input

Sometimes back issues can take a few years of rehab before they get better. What kinds of therapies has she tried so far to relieve the back pain? General consensus seems to be that surgery for back issues should be a last resort and I've heard from a few people that it either didn't help or that things got worse.

years of chiro, massage, buncha different pills, then x rays and MRIs all showed bulged disc between L4 and L5 compressing S1 nerves

Posted by: Adam-West

years of chiro, massage, buncha different pills, then x rays and MRIs all showed bulged disc between L4 and L5 compressing S1 nerves

Some people will disagree with me saying this but chiro and massage on their own don't really do a hell of a lot besides bringing temporary relief. That said however, they are a key component of an overall rehab program. Some sort of physio/rehab/mobility/strength work is typically required though to get the body moving properly again and to take the stress off the joint in question - especially after an injury. It may very well be that there is an underlying weakness that can't be fixed, but proper rehab will improve the whole structure of the body to take away as much stress as possible from the area in question. The question that needs to be asked and answered is what caused the injury in the first place. Is she a generally fit and active gal? If not that can be a key factor in what's causing the issues. 

One analogy that I use when it comes to dealings with injuries are cars with alignment issues. When your alignment is out your tires tend to wear unevenly on the outside edge and as this gets worse the car pulls to one side worse. Chiro/massage on their own are simply like slapping a new set of tires on without fixing the underlying issues that are causing the bad alignment in the first place. With new tires the car will temporarily drive straight, but over time the car will start to pull to one side again, Think of physio and rehab as doing the work to fix the underlying issue and chiro/massage as a way to get temporary relief to allow you to do the rehab work. 

The key thing with rehab is having a practitioner who is a good detective and can figure out not only what's going on but what caused it in the first place. Ie is it injury related, work related or genetic related? Without knowing those things you're simply throwing things at a wall to see what sticks. That's where something like Rolfing (aka structural integration) or a good physio can get good results without having to turn to surgery.

Posted by: Adam-West

years of chiro, massage, buncha different pills, then x rays and MRIs all showed bulged disc between L4 and L5 compressing S1 nerves

I have a couple vertebrae in that region that are completely compressed after a construction related injury.

Worst thing I ever did was go to a chiropractor.

I tried spinal decompression; didn't help, but cost a lot of money. 

Physio helped the most, but only when I went to ones that focused on sports related injuries.

Having dealt with myself and others, surgery was typically shunned.  However, advancements in surgical procedures might make it a lot more successful (and safe).

For some, it just might be something you have to live with.

Anyway, from what I know about dealing with injuries (had a few over the years from mountain biking, soccer, hockey, etc.), what syncro posted is spot on.  The part about imbalance is particularly important as improper compensation typically leads to other types of injuries - especially muscle related injuries like strains and pulls.

Well we used to be rather active, but then her back went and shes been unable to keep up with walking up and down the steeper trails due to her back

I think it's genetic cause her mom has had lots of problems with hers. Hopefully the surgery will get her to a spot where she can become more mobile again and go to physio to prevent further incidences.

Have they gotten anywhere with stem cell treatments yet?  Maybe I listen to too much Joe Rogan, but he had it on his shoulder and swears it saved him from surgery.  I would guess it costs a few bucks, but so does massage and chiro, and I agree with Syncro that they are somewhat useless for anything more than temporary pain relief and sometimes not even good for that.

Does she have a desk job and is the pain in her back or legs?

I just spoke with my guy (retired sportsmed surgeon) and he's saying it's important to know that stuff before deciding what to do. bulged discs will sort themselves over time and with proper rehab, same for back issues that are mechanical in nature - muscles/tendons/ligaments or non-disc related. Hopefully you get more of the full story before the surgery date so it's easier to make a decision. Plus, it never hurts to get a second opinion.

The week before Xmas 2017 I was in hospital with a blown disc L5 S1 (pretty big and pressing on my left sciatic nerve), I was unable to walk or even sit.

Lots of pain killers (think pink Elephants floating through the room) with the statement that surgery might be unavoidable.

I talked to quite a few doctors and surgeons and physios before even getting myself checked into hospital by my 'normal' doctor.

What was done was that the nerve roots were kind of 'fused' with anaestethics and cortisone.

1.5 years later I reallyneed to take care of my back. I lift quite regularly and do move a lot.

I was told in hospital that nowadays surgery is the very last resort since they still try to understand and figure out how the spinal system (nerves etc)is working and at times even "healing itself" (back into equilibrium, kind of).

And I got the book on spine health and 'self diagnosis and treatment' by Stu McGill which changed my daily routine and the way I lift.

Side note: After three weeks of only park (still my old Cove) and singletrack riding (still a 26 Stylus) in the Alps (plus a rubber band morning routine to keep everything resilient and smooth), I did some easy lifting yesterday and some road riding and enjoy today in bed...on a hot water bottle. Just sore lower back, not the spine/disc...thank God. 

The gist of my words:

Surgery should be the very last resort....it takes away something that can never truly be replaced.

Collect as much info by various/different experts....esp sports physio/people.

Experiment and learn as much as possible about how the spine can be strengthened and protected. This might mean a change of eating habits/moving patterns ... perhaps right down to walking and shoes etc.

Good luck!

She works at a spa doing esthetics, its definitely sciatica type pain but she says she can feel her back get right pinched as well. We just went to her GP, and she was saying the second MRI showed a reduction in the bulge, and that the specialist is currently on holiday, so hopefully once he's back we can hear from him what he thinks.  It's like they just booked the surgery date preemptively. So maybe she wont have to get cut open after all that would be tremendous.

I'll echo other comments especially syncro... I had a relatively minor L5/S1 herniation that was caused by lifting with bad form back in 2009. Resulted in painful sciatica that required a bit of time off my desk job and made stuff like putting on socks, getting in/out of car, standing up from sitting at desk very painful for a few months.

I did a lot of physio, went to chiro once or twice (never again) and worked a ton of hip mobility. After a year I returned to lifting with a focus on form and not maxing out (still do heavyish sets of 5 but not at the expense of form). I spend a lot of time warming up/mobility before lifting and some light static stretching after. 

I find that if I slack off on the gym (both mobility and strength work) that my back symptoms can flare up from time to time. I'm able to bike/ski/workout with no pain and full range of motion now, even 10 years later, as long as I keep up on my gym work. Knock on wood but never had pain from mountain biking, even when I was doing 25-30 WBP days a summer.