prolapsed disc

[captainsmiffy]

Have recently had a lot of back pain with muscles in spasm and the doc got me MRI'd pretty quickly, the results of which show a bulging of the disc. However, am now pain free and she said that it has probably popped back in, as a lot do. Anyone any experience of this at all? Doc said that if it kept recurring she could refer me to a spinal-neuro surgeon for his opinion and that the disc could be removed/replaced. Instinct says stay away from this where at all possible! Anybody had this and now flying? Am rather concerned with the long term picture.

[Loose rivets]

I'm a retired pilot, not a doctor.

If you have one disc simply bulging, you are miles away from requiring surgery. Do you have any other symptoms? Pain in legs etc..

You don't mention your age and that's highly relevant.


Sitting causes the highest sustained inter-vertebral disc pressures. Bad news for aircrew.

Traction and exercise will probably help...though traction has to be very carefully administered to target the right level(s).

Some simple traction can be self administered. Lifting your torso - on straight arms, while standing at a strong table - then letting the edge press into your lower stomach can give good focus on the spot. Doing this gently, but lots of times, helps with the 'pumping action' that the disc needs. Remember, if you're in a sedentary job, the fact that it doesn't have a blood supply per se, means that it relies on being pummeled in some way.

It is almost impossible to simply hang, by any means, and relax the spine enough to do any good. Furthermore, the wrong levels will often move--to the limits of the facet joints--causing the wrong signals to be sent back to HQ. In short, don't just traction because it feels good at the time. This is a false indication of well-being.

Dieting when over-weight is important.

[captainsmiffy]

Thanks, Loose rivets. I am currently flying and am 46 years old. Do I take it, then from your experience that a bulging of the disc is fairly common? I have always been a bit wary of my back since 'wedging' a couple of vertebrae many moons ago. This has apparently healed very satisfactorily but my back has always ached since; this recent episode took the pain to whole new levels though and cost me some flying for a few days. The pain has abated now, nicely, and the doc assumes that the bulge has popped back in. Presumably you have suffered the self-same? Are recurrences likely?

[Loose rivets]

Yes, though mine was largely self-inflicted by thinking I was still young at 60.

I used to do heavy building work for a hobby, then use the kids weights before my shower in the evening. Felt great...until one day I didn't.

Nobody told my spine that it was supposed to be 30, and the (several) MRIs showed spurs, stenosis, bulging, and supposedly one herniated disc. I carried on with a flying job because I didn't want to let the ailing company down. It became an inflamed mess...the all important telemetry from that area, probably totally corrupt, caused spasms up to low thoracic number discs. Remember, the computing going on is vast...keeping all those parts in line like a simulated flexible rod. Corrupt that data, and all hell lets loose.

I felt so good after stretching my spine, that I wrongly assumed that it must be doing good. Bad mistake.

I think in the mid 40s range, it's time to start the spinal exercises in earnest. But anti-inflammatory drugs, and rest, are often essential. The problem is, getting drugs to the spine, because of the absence of blood supplies.

This thing about targeting the right height for a stretch on a table edge. I find that I can't lift my 220lbs accurately by bending my arms, so, the table has to be the right height. I'm working on a do-upper at the moment, and a work bench I have is exactly right. I use it maybe 10 times a day really trying to find the right level. (L5 S1 feels much lower than you'd think) Now I don't over stress it, but just feel for a little movement in that area.

Bear in mind, I'm talking about battered old bones here.

Anyway, three yeas ago I was trying to walk 3 ill-disciplined dogs while on crutches, and taking a cocktail of very strong pain-killers. Life had become a real drag. Now, with more emphasis on keeping the inflammation at bay, I'm leading a fairly normal life.

Some people become more and more defensive about back pain, but keeping strong is vital. I dug irrigation pipes into a large garden, by using my knee as a fulcrum. I felt sooooo much better than when sitting at a computer all day. Where there's a way....

I've mentioned before, flying is not good for a lower back. While sitting the pressures are at their highest, and then added to that, there's hundreds of small movements in a normal day, that cause a bulging disc to be attacked by the edge of the bone, or to push back towards the chord. Not much, but over a period of years...

The spinal chord has three layers covering the nerves, and before this, there is a long and very strong ribbon of fiber running down the back of the vertebra - in front of the chord. Even with all this protection, any rubbing of the nerves due to restricted space, causes unwanted reactions. The spine tries to protect itself by going into spasm, and the cycle begins.