1 Year Out - Positive Story
1 year ago today I squatted down to pick something up and experienced the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt in my life. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t lay, I couldn’t stand, all I could do was sit.
Turns out I had an over 1cm in every direction bulge between my L4 & L5. I saw an orthopedic surgeon who specialized in back and he, very surprisingly,
told me you will get better. That I should hold off as long as possible and he won’t do surgery unless it gets worse. I didn’t have weakness or foot drop, just an incredible amount of pain from my hip down to my ankle.
Four months later after consistent pain that only dropped below a 6 when I was sitting a certain way, I woke up one day and was “better”. Now, after 8 months of PT, and although I’m still not perfect thanks to MS making nerve healing really slow, I’m 90% better and mostly functioning normally.
Here’s what worked and what didn’t work for me personally - not saying it will work for you, everyone is so different, but it might!
Didn’t work:
- steroid injection - just didn’t help me, but also didn’t make anything worse! Would definitely try if recommended
- multiple types of NSAIDs - they made me so sick
- muscle relaxers - might have worked better if I took them more consistently, but they just made me too tired
- traction - would try this once to see if it helps! The bounce back was just too much for me
- lyrica and gaba - I don’t think my pain management dr ever put me on high enough dose
- starting PT right away
Did work:
- Juicy Joint supplement in place of NSAIDs - didn’t make me sick. Paired it with Tylenol every 6-8 hours
- dry needling to loosen my muscles around the nerve, but I waited till I was 60-70% better to start this. Might have sped things up a bit, but not sure!
- rechargeable stim unit
- a leg wrap ice pack to help my brain focus on the cold vs the pain when it was really bad
- my extra wide recliner that I got cheap from FB marketplace (there are so many on marketplace) that became my safe haven and bed
- a PT who refused to work with me until my pain was managed. He saved me so much time and money and was a BIG proponent of resting and only doing what i can that doesn’t cause pain. The second it causes pain, stop. My body needed to regulate and stop expecting pain signals. Once that happened, we got straight into core strengthening. If you’re in Butler PA, look up Mike Allen, he’s incredible.
- a rollator and a wheelchair - both integral to my mental health. Being able to leave the house as well as navigate around my house and do things without causing extra pain was so key, especially when things got dark
- a shower chair / bench and shower head with a hose. Being able to shower mostly pain free was also key to my mental health. And the warm water on my muscles helped temporarily.
- once I started to recover, I do think red light therapy was worth it. Go to a place that offers it first to try it for a little before buying a panel. And if you’re going to buy, don’t cheap out. The cheaper ones aren’t strong enough to penetrate the skin.
If you’re in it, I feel you. It sucks. And while four months or five months or six months might feel like forever, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not. My biggest advice is rest, recover, do what you can, do not push yourself into pain, and find accessibility devices to try and keep your activities slightly closer to normal. While this injury isn’t as visible as a broken foot, it’s still something that disables you. Don’t be ashamed of embracing that temporarily and utilize whatever devices you need to get out and help with the depression that comes with this.
Okay, I’m rambling now. It does get better. It takes time, but it does get better.