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Had Hit On L5 Vertebrae. Does The Spinal Cord Decompression Help But Only Temporarily?
Question: Hello, I am a 49 yr old healthy woman, 5 feet 6 inches, 145 pounds. 20 years ago I fell off a horse and landed on my coccyx. I have been seeing a chiropractor off and on for the last 10 yrs. I was just told by him today that the disc below L5 vertebrae has dramatically thinned down and the vertebrae has calcified on one side which explains the recurring pain lately (I saw the X-rays myself) I have been exercising 2 to 5 times / week for the let 5-6 years (no jumping, mostly pilates and lately, yoga) and he wants me to stop for at least week saying I am disrupting the treatment doing on me. I have to admit, the pain is just not going away this time even though I've seen him 3 times in the last week. He is against removing the disc & explains it incurs others problems down the road and is a very delicate surgery. He wants me to consider a spinal cord decompression treatment ( no surgery - About 20 sessions over a few months) My questions: Should I stop exercising and stretching for a while? Does the spinal cord decompression help but only temporarily? And most importantly is there any way to rejuvenate a disc to give it back its thickness and elasticity ( like some kind of ''botox'' or filler for the disc!!)? Are there excercises I can do to help this situation? I don't want to be in pain for the rest of my life!!!
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!
Hi,
thank you for sharing your problems with me.
1.Should I stop exercising and stretching for a while? I don't think so, motion is life and you could do all sorts of exercise within your pain tolerance
2. is there any way to rejuvenate a disc to give it back its thickness and elasticity ? Well, there are certain forms of treatment but the success rate is not uniform and they are not routinely accepted as a treatment modality.
3.Are there excercises I can do to help this situation? Yes, there are 2 broad groups of exercises-one flexion and other extension type, a physiotherapist would be able to help you with that
To add, please get your standing lateral xray of lumbar spine- flexion and extension views and also MRI to know more about your condition that would further determine the final treatment plan for you
thank you
Dr XXXXXXX
thank you for sharing your problems with me.
1.Should I stop exercising and stretching for a while? I don't think so, motion is life and you could do all sorts of exercise within your pain tolerance
2. is there any way to rejuvenate a disc to give it back its thickness and elasticity ? Well, there are certain forms of treatment but the success rate is not uniform and they are not routinely accepted as a treatment modality.
3.Are there excercises I can do to help this situation? Yes, there are 2 broad groups of exercises-one flexion and other extension type, a physiotherapist would be able to help you with that
To add, please get your standing lateral xray of lumbar spine- flexion and extension views and also MRI to know more about your condition that would further determine the final treatment plan for you
thank you
Dr XXXXXXX
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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