Has anyone experienced a spinal disc bulge, hernia, and/or or stenosis/radiculopathy and how long did it take to recover?
Canopyflyer @ Canopyflyer @lemmy.world Posts 1Comments 255Joined 2 yr. ago

Canopyflyer @ Canopyflyer @lemmy.world
Posts
1
Comments
255
Joined
2 yr. ago
54M with a L4/L5 bulge here. Happened 4 years ago.
Been on 900mg Gabapentin ever since. The bulge is non-operable as it is not large enough. I know what you're thinking, if it's so small, what's my problem? The bulge is sitting perfectly on the nerve (sciatic?) going down my right leg. Ever since, my right leg has felt partially asleep and with out the gabapentin I get a lot of lower back pain.
I have a few other issues due to it as well. Using the full strength in my right leg results in painful cramps throughout the entire leg. I don't have the full control over the leg. Walking over rough ground can be interesting, because the leg isn't doing exactly what I tell it to do. It's not enough to stop me from doing things, but it can make hiking interesting at times.
Yes, I did physical therapy. Even to this day, I still do the exercises the therapist had me doing.
I'm about 15 pounds overweight, but I am active.
This is the way I'm going to be for the rest of my life, barring some procedure being developed that makes correcting a bulge like mine safe to correct.