Herniated Disc / Help is on the Way

[Guest guest]

Hi Victor,

 

I'm in process of writing a book on " ruptured/herniated disc "

recovery. After learning about this malady 15 years ago when I went

through 8 months of intense pain and inability to sit upright for any

legth of time, I hate to see anyone else have to learn about this the

hard way. This is going to be a little long. It will help.

 

By the way, I have followed research over the years and do not see

any difference in the amount of time or ultimate healing that takes

place between surgical and non-surgical procedures for dealing with

this problem. My preferece would be non-surgical.

 

You face 3 stages in your recovery:

 

1. State One is not to re-injure yourself. This means not carrying

anything / not stretching your toes outward when you stretch / not

getting out of bed the way you used to (roll to your side, don't sit

up straight)/ or anythng else that causes pain. The pain is your

guide that you should not be doing something. Sneezing or hard

coughing can undo weeks of healing. If you have to sneeze, brace

your back against a wall or whatever necessary to keep it from

jarring. First stage of healing is at micro level -- micro fibers

reconnect with each other. Remember that the problem is a small

bulge in the ligament tissue between the discs. This bulge is

pushing on a nerve that runs down you pelvis, into the back of the

leg, down the leg, crosses over at the knee and eventually ends up in

the big toe. First stage of healing is to reduce the bulge, allow

any torn ligament tissue to heal.

 

Ligament tissue is very, very sensitive to changes in temperature,

weather, humidity, etc. I found that going into the shower first

thing out of bed and letting warm water run on my lower back was

extremely effective for me. I could move without pain. Some people

find that cold helps and some find that warmth helps. Remember that

your body is a 1 million year old healer and knows what is best for

it. Go with those feelings.

 

The only effective exercise I know of that you can and should do at

this stage is water walking. I used to have someone drive me to

local Y where I went into water with a waterboard, headed to 4-5 foot

section and slowly walked through it. I also found it very soothing

to go to deeper section, hold onto the side of pool and let my body

relax -- seemed to take off a lot of pressure on nerve. I followed

this with sitting in whirlpool for 15 minutes.

 

Other types of exercise contend with gravity and can do more damage

than good. Later, you can get to those. I also came to understand

there was something mystical about water that went way beyond its

physical properties for helping.

 

One of the ways to know when you are truly getting better is to do

the Toe Test. First place your finger on top of the nail of the toe

on the foot on the leg that has no pain. Push on the toe with your

finger while lifting the toe up. See how much pressure it takes to

push the toe back down. Now do the same thing with toe on foot of

leg where you feel the pain. You might be surprised to discover that

you have very little ability to resist with the toe. As you get

better, the amount of resistence from both toes will again become

equal.

 

Medication: Anti-inflammatory to reduce bulge in ligament / OTC pain

killer (check to make certain that the OTC pain killer is not

canceling out the effectiveness of the anti-inflammation medication.

I'm not certain what herbal alternatives there are. Note: It takes

several days of regular use of anti-inflammation medication for it to

show effect. Be sure to eat food prior to taking or you'll really

get an upset stomache.

 

Oinments: There are several good oinments to have someone gently rub

onto the back. I found that creams which brought on warmth were very

effective. Perhaps other readers have some natural recipes to offer.

 

Stage Two: Learning Your Limits and Not Pushing Them

 

It's going to take some time -- the amount depending on you -- to get

through Stage One. I don't know how serious your condition is. The

toe test will help but the fact that you have pain going down the leg

is usually an indicator that you're nearly at the point of actually

tearing the ligament and you don't want this to happen. It takes a

lot longer to get through a tear than a bulge. You'll know when

you're getting better by some or all of the following: pain in leg

recedes to hip and then just to lower back / toe becomes stronger /

able to sit longer upright without pain / start to think about taking

longer walks, maybe getting out of house for first time, etc.

 

Stage Two is where you complete the healing in the ligament and

change what you need to change in your life so you don't reinjure.

You need to pay attention to everything from how you put on your

shoes, to make love, to brushing your teeth, to washing dishes, etc.

If it hurts, don't do it -- find alternative way of doing it. I

found, for example, that having a small footstool by sink, and

lifting one foot on it while I stood there, relieved pain I felt by

just standing at sink and washing dishes. Now would be a good time

to get a back belt for additional support when you go out. I also

wore mine when I was afraid one of the kids or dogs would forget not

to jump at me.

 

Medication will probably be same as in stage one with possible need

for less. You have to determine this.

 

State Three is where you put together all of the things you've been

thinking about why this happened to you / learn whatever lesson you

need so that you don't have to go through it again / continue to

strengthen the muscles that support and protect the discs (stomach

muscles play a big role so if you're carrying a bulge in the belly,

you'll want to lose it). I haven't worked with a single case of

ruptured disc, including my own, that was not also a case of person

having some things out of balance in life -- so out of balance that

only by lying on back in pain could we take a look at them.

 

Medication -- Fox-walking / a way to walk practiced by all ancient

tribal people that proves very effective for correcting problem and

preventing future problems. When you get to this point, I'll teach

you how to do it.

 

What I Would Not Do If I Were You:

1. Don't let anyone do anything in way of " manipulation/admustment "

regardless of how good they are. Bad news and only will do damage.

2. Don't take prescription pain killers.

3. Don't take advice from anyone who hasn't gone through this.

4. Don't place your healing in the hands of others, me included.

Determine what is best for yourself.

5. Don't believe for a second that you will not get completely

better because you will.

 

I went through this twice, about 3 years apart -- the last time was

in 1992. Since then, I have become a type of wilderness skills

educator. I've been on a dozen wilderness canoe trips, portaged 18

foot cedar canoes past waterfalls, hiked the 13,500 foot high

mountains in the Wind River Range of Wyoming, raised 4 children and 3

large dogs and made love with my wife enough to keep me very happy.

My point is -- you will not only get better but in a way that will

make you better. Let me know how it's going.

 

If you are someone who does or want to do meditation as part of your

healing process, let me know.

 

walking softly,

gabe