[ardan]

im 22 years old..not english spoken....i had pain for 3 years ., i did ct scan also xray that shows L5/S1 disk herniation. ..actually the pain increased this year when i had a lot of rest ..i just want to ask about the severity of the herniation ..if someone can read the pictures ..its small/big herniation ??

img69.imageshack.us/img69/8637/img0679ib.jpg img836.imageshack.us/img836/2481/img0682mp.jpg
img15.imageshack.us/img15/6678/img0684wz.jpg
img831.imageshack.us/img831/4849/img0685fs.jpg
img685.imageshack.us/img685/1126/img0686dp.jpg

[gatorhead]

Links don't work!

[Leesa]

I'm sorry, but we can't read them because the links don't work.

But don't rush into surgery! Just because you have a herniation does NOT mean you need surgery. Surgery should be a LAST RESORT. You should try everything else at your disposal first! Go to a pain management doctor if there is one available and see what he can do for you. They have lots of options for you. Also, physical therapy is excellent for herniations. You should try that for a good while before even thinking about surgery.

If NOTHING works, you should get at least 2 OTHER opinions before agreeing to surgery. See what other doctors think, and then pick your surgeon. But again, surgery should be your LAST RESORT. You are never the same after surgery, and surgery is not for pain! Surgery is only for mechanical reasons. After surgery, you will most likely have the same pain or worse. So don't expect to be pain free because you won't be.

Best of luck, and if you have further questions, let us know. God bless and take care. Hugs, Lee