Thanks Mitt, I've done the PT route many times, for many durations, and could probably teach it if I had to
, and have tried numerous other treatments, and different types of PT. (Everything short of the holistic stuff and acupuncture stuff)
The disc started getting bad and muscles started spasming 6 years ago now. I was at the time in a good fitness program myself, and was in great shape. I woke up one night and it felt like my hip was out of joint, and in severe pain. No idea why, or how it happened. Don't remember doing anything that would have caused it. The muscles were seized up and I couldn't get out of bed. Doc sent me to a chiropractor, and he did the crack thing, and it still hurt like hell. After some meds and PT, the pain went away, and it returned to semi-normal. I went to PT off and on for 3 months at a time, many times, and would then get back into my own PT routine when I felt better. It seemed to relieve the problems at first. There were a few episodes where the spasms returned. One of them when I was bending over the sink washing my newborn daughter. Glad the wife was there to get her. I figure it was just a bad angle, and with the weight of her, I crumpled to the floor, and couldn't move for a couple hours. Another incident happened when I was walking in deep snow, on a hunting trip. Same thing, back seized up, and crumpled, crawled 500' back to the house and lay in the doorway for 5 hours until the wife got back, and drug me to the car, and a trip to the hospital.
I've tried the chiropractic route, and even tried the Lordex spine decompression. It felt good at first, then after a week, the muscles were spasming so bad on the table, it was very difficult for me to get up afterwords. I could live with it, if it were only a matter of doing PT and feeling better. Since the disc got worse, PT aggravates it and the muscles will just lock up or spasm if I try to do much at all. Even trying to go slow, stretching and using stim, and heat, it relaxes it for an hour at the most, then it's right back to hurting. I use flexarall and Hydrocodone 10/650 when the pain gets unbearable, and hate using it at all. It's been a rough 6 years, and the last year has been the worst. Big problem with the meds is, I can't take them and work, so my department says if I "choose" to take them I can't work within 8 hrs and if I do, I have to use my sick leave... So I can get relief using meds when I get home, to get to sleep, but have to be in pain all day. (Another reason to avoid the meds)
As far as the discectomy goes, I have two brother-in-laws that had that done, one down in Bethesda MD at the back and spine institute. His was the worst, and they had to go in twice, to remove more disc pieces from his spine. (I guess it shattered?) He is laid up now, and they just told him that due to scar tissue, they can't operate on him again. The other in-law is almost in the same boat, and is back to the pain. They felt better at first, and recovered pretty fast, but they are both in rough shape now, and they are 37 and 40 yrs old. I don't know if I like the idea of fusion, as I've heard it is hard on the discs above and/or below the fusion. My L4 is already bad and bulging. I think a fusion would just move the problem up in my particular case, that's why I was looking at the replacement route.
Unfortunately, I know I need to get something done, just concerned about being able to function afterwards...
I value everyone's opinions, and thanks much for your input. GROG
...oh, and I attribute all this to too many parachute jumps...
Haven't lost my sense of humor yet.