low back and nerve pain
 

Hello everyone!!! This is my first time on this site and I was hoping for some answers or someone that might know what is going on with me. About 3 weeks ago I twisted around to the back of the toliet to pick up something and I felt my back pop and when I tried to get up I could hardly walk without a cane. I just recieved my MRI and it says: L2-3 dehydrated disc with mild annular disc bulge L3-4 dehydrated dics with mild annular disc bulge
L4-5 mild annular disc bulge Facet hypertrophy bilaterly. There is asymmetric 3 mm left lateral disc protrusion with mild foraminal stenosis on left. Impression dehydrated bulging discs and small osteophytes from L2 through S1 diffusely. L4-5 bulging discs with 3 mm left laterial disc protrusion. Bilateral facet hypertrophy and mild forminal stenosis on the left.. So I hurt a lot I am having a lot of nerve pain down the back of my legs and the injections they did are wearing off. any suggestions or does anyone know what this mean in normal terminology.. except PAIN ERICA

Hello Everyone
 

Hello everyone!! Let me see if this post actually posts, i do not know if I am doing something wrong.

Hi Erica and welcome,

I ll copy this to our spinal forum - they might have some help and thoughts for you.
Here's the link to it-
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum22.html

HI Erica,

Welcome to NT. I am sorry that you are in so much pain.

I looked up dehyrated discs because I did not know what it meant and here is what I got...

Just as a tire is inflated with air, a spinal disc is filled with fluid. If the disc is overworked or injured, it will dehydrate or lose fluids similar to a tire losing air and going flat. As a tire goes flat, the sidewall of the tire bulges outward. As the disc dehydrates, the sidewall of the disc bulges outward - this is called a bulging disc. A dehydrated disc can cause the vertebrae to come closer together compressing the delicate spinal nerves and causing pain. Bulging or herniated disks can compress the nerve causing pain. Neurotoxins from the injured spinal disk can also cause pain.

Sounds like some of the discs might be pressing on a spinal nerve or the osteophytes which are like bone spurs might also be irritaing a nerve.

Has the doc mentioned PT? Sometimes it also takes a few injections for the area to calm down. Have you found a good spinal doc or ortho?

Be sure to take some anitinflammatories like motrin or advil to help keep the inflammation down if the doc did not prescibe one.

And treat the pain as best as possible.

I see Jo has provided the link to the spinal forum. Please let us know if there is anything we can help you with.

Hi Erica and Welcome to NeuroTalk. I can relate to your pain, as I'm sitting on the heating pad right now. I have had L4-L5 disc trouble for yr and all it takes, sometimes, is to turn or twist the wrong way.

I have had epidural steroid injections a few times, but they were just a quick fix. I also did PT, which helped. Hope you can find some relief.

Glad to have you w/us.

http://dl3.glitter-graphics.net/pub/...alm620kgf6.gif

Hi and Welcome,
 

Welcome to Neurotalk, if you need anything just ask, I will try and help you if I can.
Thanks and welcome onboard.

Hi, Erica! :Wave-Hello: Welcome to NeuroTalk!

Sorry to learn of your pain. :( Please follow the link provided by our dear Jo and feel free to join in anywhere. :)

Explanation of your MRI results
 

Hi. I am also new to this site, and I am not a doctor, but I have a similar problem as yourself, called spinal stenosis. Because my problem is similar, I think I can help explain some of the medical terms.

Stenosis means a "narrowing," and I think the foramen is the hole through which each nerve exits your spine and goes to the part of the body it controls. So in layman's terms, "foramenal stenosis" means that you have a "pinched" nerve because the hole it goes through is too narrow. A Nerve that is pinched in the spine usually causes pain in the part of the body controlled by that nerve, which is why you feel pain in your leg(s). Maybe you've noticed that walking makes the pain worse, and sitting down while leaning forward sometimes lessens the pain.

The reason the foramen "hole" is too narrow is that you've got problems with your discs, the membranes that are found between each of the bones in your spine, which are called vertebrae. The discs are like flattened sacks of fluid that normally separate and cushion your back bones, allowing you to twist and turn without pain.

In your case, the fluid in the discs has dried out and parts of the discs are bulging outward. Sometimes this is considered a "slipped disc," and it might be called "degenerative disc disease" because you have a lot of it going on. It could also be due to conditions such as arthritis. Because the discs have gone bad, your back vertebrae are sitting too close together. The bulges and such are pressing against some nerves. When your spine has a problem like that, it grows "bone spurs" to stabilize itself. In medical terms, these are called "osteophytes," and these can press on your nerves along with the bulging discs.

Terms such as "L2-3" indicate where the problem has occurred. The "L" stands for Lumbar, which is part of your spine. "L2-3" means the problem, such as a bulging disk, is between the second and third Lumbar vertebrae.

These types of problems can happen to anybody, but it most commonly occurs in older people (you didn't give your age). In some cases, both your nerves and spinal cord can be compressed due to disc problems and bone spurs. This could result in increased pain, a lot of difficulty in walking, stiffness, leg cramps, and other problems such as bladder incontinence. About the only solution, at that point, is surgery. But if these more serious problems have not yet occurred, doctors may first try cortisone shots and physical therapy.

I hope this has helped, and that you get better soon. If I explained any of this incorrectly, I hope the people on the forum will correct me on this. These medical terms just aren't very easy to understand.

Hi Catfish and welcome to NT. I am so glad I saw your post. Just yest I had some Xrays for low back pain and the Dr told me that the L4-L5 discs have virtually nothing between them and they are bone on bone, which has formed a large bone spur. I have alot of lower back pain and also, b/c the discs are protruding, my R leg hurts... yada yada.

So thank you for your post.. It was really informative....:Thanx:

Thanks Catchfish....wow, you helped with your info. I hope this helps Erica too and I'm heading for the site Jo55 recommends.

My family doc seems to think this is no big deal. Says 'walk, get exercise'. I could only wish this on him (yeah, I'm being mean I know!).

I'm old (63) and so this is somewhat to be expected. It's familial also.

Man apparently wasn't meant to walk on two legs:D ; eventually we get spinal problems.

Oh darn; one more thing to add to my list!

Tootsie!

Hi Erica.

I read your post and the first reaction I had was OUCH!!!

I hope you are on pain meds. I have sciatica and scoliosis and when it hits IT HITS BIG TIME. I just do the stretching and believe me, gentle exercise helps the fluidity.

Initially you rest, but when you can, you get up (as long as the doctor tells you to do this), then you start the moving around and gentle exercise.

That's what I had to do when I got my first sciatica attack. I thought I would lose my mind. When they did the ex-rays (or MRI's) or whatever tests they gave me (20 or so years ago), I'll never forget being in the doctor's office all hunched and in pain and the guy says "now I want you to exercise". I wanted to kill him.

But you know, after I did what he suggested, it did get better.

So whenever I feel like I can't move or can't do ANYTHING, I first lean from side to side and back to front (they taught me to do this by giving me a chart of exercises for when you have back pain).

Start slowly and I do hope they gave you something for the pain.


Oh, this is for Tootsie. You said "I'm old, I'm 63".

My dear, you are not OLD, you are an egg that didn't even hatch yet.

Now if you were 100, then, by all means, think of yourself as old.

I'm 60, and I still have my husband chasing me around the bedroom (that is when his neuropathy isn't killing him). lol

Hello Erica and also to Catchfish...:hug:

Sorry I didn't see your post until today. I too like daisy am feeling for you. I'm on my second painkiller in about that many hours. Hey, and a hot pad is great idea.

I was born with Spina Bifida. I have six lumbar and extra stuff everywhere else down there. I have had four back surgeries with three of them being in a two-year period of time. My first surgery helped a lot. For the first time in my life, I felt pretty good. So good that I did something stupid and fractured my back and that is where I got my next two surgeries from.

Have you gone to a good Neurosurgeon? I know you probably don’t need surgery but if you do then it will save you from seeing two different doc’s…

I do know alternating ice and heat help with the swelling, which is a big contributor to the pain. When you do this, it brings more blood to that area which helps with healing too.

Hope things start to get better soon. Head over to the spinal forum if you haven’t done that all ready, there are many great folks over there that might help with some of your questions…take care!!;)