Bulged Discs

[Spartan]

I bulged two discs - L3-L4 in 1987. What generally happens with bulged discs? Do they ever heal, continue to flatten irregularly, leak, etc...

Never had surgery to 'fuse' the vertibrae together as I have heard of some results that were less than anticipated as a satisfactory outcome for some who had this done.

Any comments from any SF Docs or others who have experience with bulged discs appreciated.

[Eagle5US]

HNP's (herniated nucleus puplosis)'s never really heal, they do somewhat "firm up" over time. You can liken the material inside of your discs to that of bathtub caluk. Compression of these disks causing a bulge can then put pressure on nreve roots and generate fluctuaions in temperature sensation, pain thresh hold, tremors etc...
Some do continue to degrade while others stabilize. You may want to consider haveing an MRI done of the region and compare it to the ones taken after injury to see if there has been any negative progression of your encroachment.

The Eagle