[Cody s]

6 weeks ago I threw my back out and bulged a disc in my lower back, the pain was excruciating couldn't walk for a month. The doctor told me today the bulg will always be there a little bit but I should have no pain from it and should live a normal life which will include backpacking long distances ( I specifically ask that question ) As anyone dealt with this and how has your hiking changed if at all? There are many long thru hikes still on my bucket list.

[Cyclopath]

Haven't myself but somebody close to me has. Bed rest is your enemy. Swimming and walking are good to loosen it up. Gabapentin is "a miracle," if you're not taking it already talk to your doctor. I hope you come to feel fully recovered and get to enjoy your backpacking goals.

[Cody s]

What's that stuff ? And yes on the walking my rehab guy told me to walk but on level ground for now. I walked a third of a mile today, when I started 5 days ago I only made a tenth of a mile Pretty sad compared to the twenty mile days of done

[letsgobobby]

I’ve had a bad back since 30 (now almost 45) and I have no disc left in one spot. Also, I’m a doc. My recommendation is a medically supervised strengthening program. I mean real strength - like deadlifts. There is no substitute for a strong posterior chain, especially the spinal erectors which stabilize your vertebral column. I have to do injections every so often to minimize the pain. The more consistent I am with deadlifts, the less often I have to do the shots. This last time I went two years without shots, and I’m currently deadlifting more than I ever have in my life. This is not medical advice per se, talk to your own doctor, yada yada.

[WaState]

Find a good chiropractor. I find that conventional doctors rarely recomend chiropractors. The key is finding a good one, they are not all the same. I find if your work and lifestyle is sedentary as in sitting down all the time this is very bad for the back etc. Same for work that over strains the body and back, the BEST is a few hours a day of moderate work with movements in all ways. Such as mechanic work on a car or yard work or lower strain construction work etc.

[Cyclopath]

[Downhill]

[hbb]

[Schenk]

Good advice here. Physical fitness goes a long way to provide relief and support for worn out and damaged joints and spines. I have various injuries that have left me with a less than 20 year old body, and my theory is a bit like being a Tin Man...don't stop moving or you'll rust and freeze up solid! Keep up your activity level (with Doctor's OK) and don't let seasonal weather changes contribute to a seasonal degradation of your physical fitness. It is easier to maintain, than regain, and less painful too. Don't be discouraged! The mind is a powerful thing and even a mild, acute, bout with depression can affect your physical condition.

[Anne Elk]

I wish I could find the actual clinical report, but I've been told there was a research study done many years ago re back pain, in which it was discovered that there was no correlation between visibly verifiable spine pathology and pain. The study recruited a bunch of folks who reported that back pain was a significant problem in their lives, and another cohort who said back pain wasn't a issue for them. Radiological imagery was done for both groups, then the xrays of each group were combined as one, and shown to some orthopedic MDs, who were asked to determine which pictures belonged to people with back pain. There was no consensus. Six weeks isn't much time for recovery, so give it time, the main thing is not to freak out. For some reason, people are terrified of back injuries and seem to expect the worst. All the advice here sounds good, except for the chiropractic; I used to use them myself, but have since revised my POV. You'd be better off getting a few good massages from a clinically trained LMT (don't pick one at random, that's as risky as a random chiro). I have 20 years of experience in manual therapy, PM me for additional thoughts on this.

[Cody s]

Your correct most people with bulging disc are not aware they have them.my mri actually showed an extremely healthy back except for the one bulge, unfortunately it did the worst thing possible it bulged backwards into my siatic nerve.

[Mikey]

Perhaps you could talk via phone with Dr Daniel Nelson MD of ProOrtho Kirkland who has a Saturday radio program program 11am-Noon (I think it is on KTTH 770am). Dr Nelson specialty is in pain and has talked on his radio program (and as a guest on Dr Jerry Mixen's Saturday radio program 8-10am) about spine and back pain. Beware of surgery because I have heard that only about 12% of back surgeries are successful, even after multiple surgeries. When I was a senior in high school, I injured my lower spine falling on my butt while ice skating on a shallow lake east of Kelso and my back was so messed up I could barely stand upright and walk This happened in Feb. and by June I was able to pass a physical exam for a summer job loading paper products into boxcars at Longview Fibre but I could not bend over to touch my toes because of my injured lower spine. For those of you who are thinking of joint stem cell treatment, Regenxx in Denver is a pioneer in stem cell treatment methodology. Dr Daniel Nelson does stem cell treatment using the patients stem cells. There are stem cell treatments being advertised that use dead stem cells harvested from baby umbilical cords and this is a scam so avoid it.

[DadFly]

My wife is a physical therapist and I have two bad disks, C2&3 and L3&4. See the diagram here My wife had me do mild yoga that built strength and flexibility. Consistency was key. Had to find the balance between hurting enough to make a difference but not injurious. IT WORKED! I still do yoga every day. If I don't the pain comes back in about a week. "Yoga" in this case is not twisting into a pretzel and standing on my head. Be practical. I do not lift anything I don't have to. Backpacking is good for me as is any walking. Don't do it on your own. A PT knows how far to push and how fast to build. Generally my advice is, PT until you need the next step then chiropractor in conjunction with PT. Once you do surgery your options get narrowed down. Make it a last resort. I am in software. Your experience may vary.

[Tom]

I started taking gabapentin for nerve pain (feet) a couple years ago and all it did was cause me to gain 15 pounds (which is still on my frame 2 years later). Eventually weaned myself off of it (one of those drugs you can't just go cold turkey). Might do wonders for bulging disc and other nerve issues but as always balance the risk of meds. Good luck!

[wolffie]