Besides the disk problem at L5-S1, which does not sound all that bad, although it could easily be the cause of pain, your MRI indicates that there is a possibility that you have ankylosing spondylitis this is a rheumatological condition have you had blood tests? you need to talk to a doctor about this. who is advising surgery a specialist or a doctor? The results you describe don't really indicate surgery but your doctors probably have more information.

thanks for the reply

I had bloods test there no problems with them . i have spoke to my doctor i got refer to a consultant spinal surgeon he holds a dual qualication as a spinal srgeon and a chiropractor.

as i said had this pain from april 2007

I had 8 sessions of physio first had all the things possible done there nothing work

then i had a Caudal Epidural that never was still in pain

then had the Discogram with no positive result, also 10 session of physio.


now i worried what do i do

im in so much pain all across my lower back 24 hours a day

do u know any advice

thanks

sorry i can not really give you any advise, all i can say is listen to your doctors hopefully they are good, its not unusual for many treatments to fail until a successful one is found, get a second opinion before surgery if you can.

Are you on pain medication, if your pain is really bad you might want try pain medication, let us know what your spinal surgeon says if you like.

good luck

My husband had an MRI almost 3 yrs. ago, with the above finding. His back "goes out" as he calls it (he goes to the chiropractor for this). Repeat treatments do not seem to be helping anymore. He has an ICD / pacer so he cannot have an MRI now. Any suggestions?

I have that they have tears in them it only took a year to find that out after physical therapy epidoral discogram if anyone has to get these done be prepared it aint a fun procedure... i passed out durring it.... i have to have a taking out of the disc put in a graff cage the two. i thought about laser but i have seen less happy people with that. doctor asked me can i have a normal life right now my answer NO I HAVE NO LIFE THAT INCLUDES SEX TOO... after this procedure it will be a 1 year recovery time max... may god be on my side

Good luck in whatever you choose. As bad as things are now, I would ask the doc:
1) what are the chances of you being even worse after this procedure?
2) Get a second opinion.
3) Is the doc sure your problem is this disc?
4) What has caused this disc to go bad? And if that is corrected will the disc symptoms go away?

Is surgery right? Here is what one doctor has to say:

"Those patients who have straightforward pain that correlates well with the level of the spine for which surgery is recommended are more likely to develop pain relief following surgery. Prior to surgery, these patients generally can become comfortable in certain positions (for example, lying down), and develop pain in other positions (for example walking). In addition these patients have pain that has persisted for months, as opposed to years.
On the other hand, some patients present with chronic pain of many months or years' duration, and the pain is seemingly independent of any activity. The patient may be diagnosed with a degenerative or herniated lumbar disc, and he may be offered the hope that corrective surgery will alleviate pain. However, herniated and degenerative lumbar discs should not cause chronic, essentially constant pain. Patients with chronic pain require intense nonsurgical treatment with a pain medicine specialist or within a pain center. Surgery for such patients usually is not only disappointing, but may lead to a marked worsening of preoperative pain."