60+ year old thread.

Words of wisdom!

I was leaning over a desk and suddenly had a sharp knife-like pain in my back. I couldn't stand back up.

The back surgeon worked in the same practice as the knee guy I liked, so I figured good bet. He immediately wanted to do surgery, just immediately. Not so fast, I let him due to the cortisone injections. That helped, but my wife was outside smoking and met another smoker who was their head nurse, and when she heard the name, my wife could read a tale-tail flinch and explained, "just injections for today," but didn't miss a beat and asked, "who should I seek out?" She got the name of a great neurosurgeon.

I went to see the Neurosurgeon, who had another set of MRIs done and examined me. Walking relieved my back issues. He explained I was the last person he wanted on his operating table. I have stenosis and spurs, but walking helped by "pumping up" the disc. They had ruptured, like a jelly donut, but can heal over time with moderate exercise.

Physical Therapy, Core exercise, lose the extra pounds (work in progress) all play a role. Surgery as a last resort. Orthopedic surgeons are fine on bones, but you are best with a neurosurgeon on the spine.

He explained there will be a time when he will need to operate. I asked "how will I know?" and he explained the issue in my Lumbar will be an impinged nerve leading to loss of bladder and bowel function. When that happens to see him immediately. Could be five or twenty-five years, but keep exercising and doing what I do as all back surgeries carry risks.

My wife has had Cervical and Lumbar fusions. Lumbar was painful, but it provided relief. Cervical was much easier for her, as she was losing function in her arm and fingers (ring and pinky) due to a crushed nerve.

For me, pain is there. I don't worry about what causes it. Tumeric helps (I keep a journal of what I eat, exercise, when I take medication, yadda). For years I was convinced walnuts caused a problem with my Thyroid levels (I take 200mcg Synthroid daily). Docs dismissed that, but the makers of Synthroid published a paper addressing that. I love Walnuts and often would have walnuts and raisins at my desk for lunch (just too busy to leave the office).

Drop and give me 10 pushups! If you can not do them, then start on wall pushups, then knee push-ups, then a proper plank and push-up. We do a lot of core workouts in my Parkinson's Boxing Class. I struggled to do one push-up when I started, so the coach had me do wall push-ups and work up.

A wonderful youtube channel is HybridCalisthenics He shows how to work up slowly, and is a great human being. A simple message of to exercise and lead a good life. https://www.youtube.com/c/HybridCalisthenics

Push Up (how to start and improve)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkU6Ok44_CI

 

Alright, I'm nU-Jointed, carrier bearinged, skid plated, and two rounds lifted. And darn glad I went to 4LoFab in New Braunfels! Watching was very convincing that I'm too old for this crap!






Good Morning Porch Pals & Gals! Spent the afternoon chasing down meds and on-line orders, so I never putzed! That's for today I guess. Ordered some new tie rod ends (all around), because Firestone said passenger side was worn (already?), and we verified it yesterday morning at 4LoFab. So, all around - even get a Rock Auto warranty on the bad one (worth maybe $10, but still...). I know there must be something important to do, but in this heat, I'll just be glad I haven't thought of it.

 

WOW... just WOW...

I've had what you describe (symptoms) for decades and never had a doctor suggest surgery... ever. I get a muscle relaxer and use pain killers and in about 3 to 5 days can function close to normal. It might be two weeks before it is no longer felt. It happens about every six months on average. With proper awareness I can avoid it, but a micro-second of inattention can kill my back. I've tweaked my back like this by opening a window, picking up a beer bottle from the ground, and straining to lift something heavy. I know immediately if I've tweaked my back. It's in the same spot every time. In fact I did it yesterday when salvaging some 300 pound stock tanks I'm going to be using for a raised bed garden. It's been over a year since the last episode. And I get my wife to press on my spine as described in a prior post a few back.

 

My son had me doing bridges while holding a bridge hand under my back, pressing palms together. It was amazing as it felt like a zipper. I could feel every vertebra pop back into place once after another. Bizzare and wonderful.

Roman twist (legs and torso off the ground) with a 12-pound medicine ball. Twist and tap back and forth is good.

Platies 100 is another. Torso and lets up. Arms straight out by your side, palm flat. Hands raise and lower about 6". 100 times.

I'm not flexible, leaning over I can not touch my toes, more like tap legs. In class I modify, so no sit-ups but inverse crunches (Navy modified their workouts as too many had spinal issues after all those full situps as they are hard on the lumbar).

Since I started working out in 2015, episodes have been few and far between compared to the ten years prior to that. Field Applications Engineer. Too many years sitting in airline seats, rental cars, hunched over computers. It took a toll on my body.

 

Welcome to the thread

Welcome to the thread

Drove back from Nashville yesterday. 11 hours and I am tired today. I had to be at a nutrition clinic at 08:20 this morning so I am still dragging.

 

Thanks . It’s been 20+ years since my first disc incident. No surgery ever . Did PT years ago for my cervical spine . Didn’t really do much . Now it’s my lumbar really bothering me . My chiropractor looked at my last MRI which was 2019 and pointed out multiple bulging discs in all parts of my spine and arthritis. Nuero guy in 2019 didn’t even mention discs .So this next appointment will kind of be like a second opinion ​

 

I had a disk extrusion in 2017 which, literally, put me on the floor. EMTs carried me out and to the hospital. I had a "microdiskectomy" the next day so I could walk (and importantly, pee, again). After a couple months of recovery, the original surgeon recommended an L3-L4-L5 fusion. I got a second opinion with the same result. Research on back surgeries told me what many have commented on in this thread. Surgery often does not alleviate the pain. After about a year of constant pain I found a pain clinic. They did some floroscope-guided injections in my back and the third one did the trick. Now I am careful of how I treat my back and, while I wake up every morning with some back pain, it works itself out over an hour or so and I have been largely pain-free for the past few years. I don't wish back pain on anyone.

 

Wanders in, with a cooler full of iced Fat Tires in the little red wagon.

Hey, guys! I'm Roger (61), and hope that this is good way to introduce myself!

 

Welcome to the porch Roger . Find a spot to sit and join in the posts that lately only most seniors (medical/body issues) understand. Me included. Folks will be along soon so hang in there.


Found the porch sign...it was buried under my pile of my medical and pharmacy bills...

Have a great Flag Day all.

 

Works for me! Welcome Roger!

 

You can drink my Fat Tire... but I like that little red wagon...

 

MUCH easier than carrying the cooler!

 

Welcome Roger and happy Flag day everyone

 

Welcome! I’ll take a Fat Tire, been a while since I’ve had one lol. Actually been a couple months since I’ve had any beer, it’s usually a summer drink with me. Yeungling these days although I enjoy an IPA on occasion when out for lunch.

 

Afternoon all:
Welcome Roger, enjoy the thread, lots of good folks on here with varied interests. One guy is a little grumpy, I won't mention any names, but he's a good guy, just don't sit in his chair with all the tools hanging off of it! We also have a lady who keeps us old codgers in line, don't ruffle her feathers! !!!!

 

I really do feel for all with back pain. My quick story was I blew out the jelly stuff in the center of L4 and L5. This pressed on my left sciatic nerve HARD. I walked with a serious limp. Pain shot down my leg like a red hot poker jabbed into me. I had to sleep in weird positions with a million pillows in strategic locations. I tried PT, injections, and rest for 6 months. An MRI showed the material wasn't just bulging but had burst. My neurosurgeon went in to remove the pieces. There were 9 of them and 2 had pierced my spinal sack pressing on the sciatic nerve. It was leaking fluid. He got all the pieces out and when I woke up the pain was gone. I was still very weak in my leg and foot. Over the course of a year with physical therapy the limp went away. I still have weakness in my foot but it doesn't seem to affect me much anymore. I am playing golf again with 275+ yard drives so that's good. I even walk most 9 holes rounds. Golf actually helps my back and leg. Every once in awhile I will do something stupid and my lower back and leg will hurt again. Not to brag but the thing that helps the most is a hot tub. It really helps massage your back, spine, and shoulders. It was an expensive but most valuable investment. The second is walking every day. I lost 40 lbs of weight and that helped also. Any weight off helps. It reduces the pressure off your back and legs.

It is possible to get better. All my issues happened 30 years ago and medicine is so much better now. Stay positive and have patience. Nerves are the slowest healing tissue in the body. When I die I want to ask the Big Guy what he was thinking putting the main electrical harness of the body right up the middle of a bunch of poking vertebrae and fragile disk ???

 

Welcome, Roger!!!

And good morning fellow Porchatonians!!

Not only was yesterday Flag Day, it was the Army's 247th birthday and....it was National Bourbon Day!

Finally, Lynn's youngest brother Paul would have celebrated his 62d birthday had he not passed away from cancer.

A big SALUTE to all!!

 

Good Morning and a belated Happy Birthday, Colonel!

 

Welcome Rodger. Seems like you have the newcomer drill down pat.

I had a herniated disc 5 years ago now. I did a lot of physical therapy and visited the Chiropractor regularly. I will not say I am totally pain free, most days I am, but if I sit in a wrong type chair my pain will flare up. I do not lift objects over 25 pounds, I hope to never have that pain again in my life.

Yesterday was a recuperation day for me. I did 11 hours driving on Monday and it wore me out.

 

Ok so here's my back story. I've had pain in my low back since I was 15. Went to chiropractors for many years and it gave me relief. My back would go out for no reason, bending over to turn the shower on and it would drop me to the floor. I've always been a physical guy, when my back was good I worked hard and did heavy lifting. Then one day I was taking care of business on the toilet, went to stand up and collapsed again, but no pain, it was really wierd. Just no muscle function. My left leg went completely numb, I couldn't even raise my toes, I dragged a club food. Then the pain hit, what wasn't numb was excruciating pain! Became a drug addict because of it. I would do anything to make the pain stop, norcos was the only thing that worked, ate em like candy. So I finally had a surgery, I always said I wouldn't do it until the day came that I couldn't walk, that day came. I had a micro discectomy. 30+ years of back pain went away. When I woke up from the surgery I could feel my leg and the muscle function returned almost immediately. 6 months of therapy and I felt like a new man. I'm still very careful with my back, it's always on my mind, but I can lift and work again. Surgery was about 10 or 15 years ago. Now everything above L4 L5 is what causes me trouble, lol.