My back hurts like hell…. I tried almost everything but it’s not working !!?
I feel like im getting stabbed in the back/my body sliced into half. i have herniated disk on L4. couple of days ago it started to hurt again and then it got really worse when i had to drive 4 hours and 4 hours back. tried stretching, inversion, motrin 800 mg every 6 hours for the last 2 days.. pain when lying 6,7 standing,walking- 10.
this is the worse pain i’ve ever felt. yet i don’t think ill get a surgery since ive never heard of success stories who totally got rid of the pain.
do you think time will heal? should i walk rather than bed rest ( I could barely walk) ? should i get a stronger medication ? has anyone felt this bad ???
Can you take a warm bath? Definitely go to the doctor and get stronger medication.
Twelve Daily Reminders taken from the book “Healing Back Pain”, by Dr. John E. Sarno
Healing Back Pain promises permanent elimination of back pain without drugs, surgery, or exercise. It should have been titled Understanding TMS Pain, because it discusses one particular cause of back pain–Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)–and isn’t really a program for self-treatment, with only five pages of action plan (and many more pages telling why conventional methods don’t work). Accor…
This is the second edition of Rapid Recovery from Back and Neck Pain, originally published in 1999. This is a companion book to Dr. Sarno’s Mind Over Back Pain, Healing Back Pain, and The Mind Body Prescription. It provides an easy and effective step-by-step plan based on techniques used by Olympic athletes. Rapid Recovery from Back and Neck Pain Book is a unique and fascinating account of one…
What is a herniated disc? You’ve probably heard people say they have a “slipped” or “ruptured” disc in the back. Sometimes they complain that their back “went out”. What they’re most likely describing is a herniated disc. This condition is a common source of back and leg pain.
Discs are soft cushions found between the vertebrae that make up the spinal column (your backbone). In the middle of the spinal column is the spinal canal, a hollow space that contains the spinal cord. The nerves that supply the arms, leg, and torso come from the spinal cord. The nerves from the neck supply the arms and hands, and the nerves from the low back supply the butt and legs. The discs between the vertebrae allow the back to move freely and act like shock absorbers.
The disc is made up of two main sections. The outer part (the annulus) is made up of tough cartilage that is comprised of series of rings. The center of the disc is a jelly-like substance called the nucleus pulposus. A disc herniates or ruptures when part of the jelly center pushes through the outer wall of the disc into the spinal canal, and puts pressure on the nerves. A disc bulge is when the jelly substance pushes the outer wall but doesn’t completely go through the wall.
What do you feel? Low back pain will affect four out of five people during their lifetime. The most common symptom of a herniated disc is “sciatica”. Sciatica is best described as a sharp, often shooting pain that begins in the buttocks and goes down the back of one leg. This is most often caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve that exits the spinal cord. Other symptoms include:
• Weakness in one leg or both legs • Numbness and tingling in one leg (pins & needles) • A burning pain centered in the low back • Loss of bladder or bowel control (seek medical attention immediately) • Back pain with gradually increasing leg pain. (If you have weakness in both legs. Seek immediate attention.) How do you know you have a herniated disc? Your medical history is key to a proper diagnosis. A physical examination can usually determine which nerve roots are affected (and how seriously). A simple x-ray may show evidence of disc or degenerative spine changes. An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is usually the best option (most expensive) to determine which disc has herniated.
Why do discs herniate? Discs are primarily composed of water. As we become older (after the age of 30), the water content decreases, so the discs begin to shrink and lose their shape. When the disc becomes smaller the space between the vertebrae decreases and become narrower. Also, as the disc loses water content the disc itself becomes less flexible. While aging, excess weight, improper lifting and the decrease in water in the discs all contribute to the breaking down of discs, the primary cause of a herniation or bluge is uneven compression and torsion that’s placed on the discs. This uneven pressure is caused by imbalances in muscles that pull the spine out of it’s normal position and then your body is forced to function in what I call a physical dysfunction. Every human being develops these dysfunctions over time and eventually they cause enough damage to create pain.
The best treatment options When it comes to treating a herniated disc, there are traditional treatments such as ice/heat, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, cortisone injections, anti-inflammatory medications and even surgery. While these may deliver some relief, it will usually be temporary if at all.
But the major problem with these traditional treatments is that they can’t fix or heal a herniated disc as they do not address the actual cause of the problem. For example, even if you were to have a surgery and get some pain relief, the fact is the dysfunctions that caused the disc to herniated in the first place are still there and if not addressed, they will continue to place uneven pressure and strain on the discs and sooner or later you will likely have another problem with that disc, or others.
Without identifying and addressing the underlying cause of the problem, which is the physical dysfunctions caused by imbalances in muscles, you will likely continue to suffer with this condition and the continuous flare ups for years. Unfortunately, most doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists don’t spend time or focus on identifying the physical dysfunctions that are responsible for the condition so most people end up jumping from one useless traditional treatment to the next and suffer for months or years unnecessarily.
If you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc, or are wondering if your back pain may be caused by a herniated disc, either way you must identify and address the physical dysfunctions that are causing your pain.
Dr. John Sarno caused quite a ruckus back in 1990 when he suggested that back pain is all in the head. In his bestselling book, Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection, he claimed that backaches, slipped discs, headaches, and other chronic pains are due to suppressed anger, and that once the cause of the anger is addressed, the pain will vanish. Relieved Amazon.com readers call this book…
No one is immune. For people from champion athletes to desk-bound white-collar professionals, many simple acts of life–a relaxing evening stroll through the neighborhood, an exhilarating run along a sandy beach, just bending down to tie a loose shoelace-are often acts of torture. The walking wounded suffer from torn rotator cuffs, tennis elbow, jogger’s knees, bad backs, stiff necks, sore feet, a…
Healing Back Pain promises permanent elimination of back pain without drugs, surgery, or exercise. It should have been titled Understanding TMS Pain, because it discusses one particular cause of back pain–Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)–and isn’t really a program for self-treatment, with only five pages of action plan (and many more pages telling why conventional methods don’t work). Accor…
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