u/mikaelant21

What do you think?

Good evening! Since I was 15 years old, I’ve been dealing with lower back pain. At 18, I had an MRI which showed a 13 mm herniated disc at L4-L5. I went through several rounds of physiotherapy, and in general I was told that because I was young, there was a chance it could be reabsorbed on its own.

Over all these years, I’ve had almost constant pain — sometimes mild, sometimes more intense — along with pressure and slight numbness in my leg. Now, 10 years later, at 28, I had another MRI because the discomfort became intense again and I wanted to see what was going on. Besides the herniated disc (which this time was not measured in millimeters, but seemed to have shifted downward, almost as if it had slightly “shrunk”), the MRI also showed stenosis at L5-S1, a disc bulge at L3-L4, signs of a transitional vertebra, and small areas of sclerosis in the sacroiliac joint.

I’ve started physiotherapy again and I’m waiting to see whether it will help. My symptoms include significant discomfort, stiffness, and numbness in my leg, though not to the point where I cannot walk or move. In fact, movement usually helps, while sitting and then trying to get up tends to make it worse.

I also notice more nerve discomfort and pain before I need to use the bathroom( when I feel the urge to go to the toilet ) . Despite everything, the whole situation makes me anxious, especially now that there are more findings on the MRI. I keep thinking that the area will continue to deteriorate over time. On top of that, one doctor mentioned the possibility of an autoimmune condition (because I also have mild chondropathy in my knees), although I will be doing tests to rule that out.

In general, I have some doubts about how much physiotherapy can really help, because I’ve already done many sessions over the years without major improvement. Still, I don’t really know what else I could do. I also do strengthening exercises for my back and abdominal muscles whenever I can.