update:

Got a call from the doctor's office yesterday and they told me not only do I have the problems mentioned above, but it's inflamed as well... so they just prescribed me a 6 day pack of methylprednisolone steroids...

I'm still wondering, am I too young for this or what?

I also have degenerative disc disease but am much older than you. I have tried everything and nothing really works 100%. I had to go on full-time disability from work two years ago because of the pain and spasms.

I do believe it's unusual for someone so young to get DDD unless you have had a severe injury of some type. The discs dry out as we age (that's my problem) and the discs compact pinching the many nerves that surround the spinal column. It's not a pleasant thing to contemplate for the future.

No one who doesn't have DDD can even imagine the pain....not even your wife, parents, gf or even your doctor. I have tried almost everything in the past 7 years (injections, nerve blocks, heavy pain meds, etc.) with little success.

Now I am trying massage and acupuncture but have not had enough treatments to get relief yet. I have heard that spinal stretching might help ease the pressure on the discs but I have not tried it yet.

Good luck, I hope you find something that works for you and I just have one piece of advice for you: "Don't get old because it gets worse!"

Thanks for the reply lonestarguy... yes I agree that it is odd for someone like me to have this problem... I really can't imagine a time where I have gotten actually injured for my back to get to the stage where it's at currently.

When I was younger I skateboarded and biked a lot but can't remember every really hurting myself badly doing so.... I also haven't done that in about 5-6 years... and it's just been worse as of late.

I was talking to someone who had back surgery because they had herniated discs (l4-l5 / l5-s1... I THINK) and they told me that prior to surgery they had shots in their spine which gave him some relief temporarily... up until surgery anyway. He said now w/ the surgery he has no problems at all but it took him about 2-3 months to recover from it. He recommended that I ask about the needles to the spine to see if they'll give them to me... I've also only seen my primary care doctor about this problem. Anyone recommend going to a specialist? That's probably what I'll do anyways...

I also heard that a chiropractor COULD help but at the same time, possibly make things worse... so I'm skeptical about doing that.

I thought about massage therapy / acupuncture as well but I don't know how well it could actually work... if you do it, let me know... I'm very interested to find out if I can relieve this as soon as possible.

Sorry to hear of your misfortune at such a young age. We have a young athlete who is an extreme snow boarder and has herniated 2 discs at the tender age of 19. This is not a good sign. What this means for you is that once you rehab from this injury you are going to have to be extremely careful and make certain lifestyle changes, such as not smoking, keep your core strengthened, maintain a healthy weight, get plenty of weight bearing exercise, take calcium and glucosamine supplements. I would be very hesitant to have any kind of spinal surgery at your young age, as that has a tendency to weaken the discs above and below the surgical site. My advice to you is to stick with conservative care, get into some good physical therapy, and seek the help of a non surgical spine doctor. You can always see what approach a surgeon reccommends, and save that for the time when you feel you are not progressing. I hope you can get through this without the need for surgery.

thanks for the info sillyakchick...

i actually am a supplement freak... i probably take more than necessary... one is called "bone strength" and has a bunch of different supplements in it such as the ones you mentioned... i've NEVER been overweight at all... i've been working out off / on for the past 2 years and have maintained a decent physique... i was actually going to the gym 3 days on, 1 day off, 3 days on etc. until my back started hurting more and more (mostly on leg day)... so i've only worked out about 4 times in the past month and a half... i did some light cardio yesterday and i'm sore today... but oh well... i guess i'll have to deal with it and hopefully figure out a solution as soon as possible w/ the help of doctors and anyone else that can provide sufficient informative knowledge for me

well... it's been over a year... and the pain has only gotten worse... today has probably been the worst day for back pain that i've had... it feels like every time i move standing up its like a sudden jolt of pain goes directly to the lower right side of my back... when i'm driving it hurts too... thing is, it's not ALL the time, just occasional and it's extremely annoying... think i should get another MRI? i really don't know what i should do at this point... i've had back pain documented ever since i've been 19 years old... it's been 4 years and it's only getting worse...

As you said, "it's been over a year that eh pain has only gotten worse."

Now it's time to stop the thought process of "I'm too young for this" and swallowing supplements and yourself to a doctor to find out what is really going on.

It really isn't as uncommon as you think for teens and early 20's to have spinal problems.
Spinal problems can come from a genetic component as well as many other things, but at this point the why is not relevant, the diagnosis is.

So here is what you need to do.

You need to so a top rate spinal surgeon to get a proper diagnosis and see what is suggested.

If I where you, I would seek the opinion of a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon who specializes in spines.
the reason I say sports medicine is that you are very young, and sports medicine spinal surgeons are the most conservative of all types of spinal surgeons and they will only do surgery if there is no other alternative and they always start with the very smallest incision needed and enlarge it if they have to.

You will need a new MRI as well, and maybe some other tests, depending on what the MRI shows and what the spine surgeon says.
The accuracy of an MRI is only good for a few months and things can change very, very quickly.

The fact that you are getting worse is not a good sign, you need to see a spine specialist as soon as possible to determine exactly what is going on and what to do.

4 years like this and getting worse, is 4 years to long.

Get yourself moving and get a spinal surgeon, a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon who specializes in spines and find out what is going on.

And don't be afraid of the name spinal surgeon. A good spinal surgeon will always go with conservative treatments before even thinking about surgery, unless there is strong evidence that there is serious damage going on that will result in very serious complications.

I, myself have had 2 spinal surgeries, the most recent June 2008, and I use a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon. I wouldn't use any other kind of spinal surgeon and I had quite a few other opinions with other types of spinal surgeons.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing and what the spinal surgeon says.

Fran

Hi Fran,

Thank you for your reply and I will definitely take your advice into consideration... This upcoming week I will focus on trying to find a good doctor that can look at this kind of stuff seriously and point me in the right direction

Thanks again

Hi pcrayon,

If your still hurting after all this time you should go straight to a spinal surgeon,if you keep putting it off by the time you go it may be too late..

You sound like me years ago when i was first hurt,i had pain in my lower back(bothsides)and it would go down both legs.they waited too long to do surgery and now i have nerve damage in both legs.

I've had 2 Discectomy's that worked for about 6 years,but i still had pain everyday i just learned to live with it and in May of this year i had to have a spinal fusion on L4/L5-L5/S1 with cages and bone graph and i can tell you i still hurt like hell and they can't figure out why..

so my 2 cents woud be stop waiting and go see someone so they can do a MRI and decide what's best for you.get a few opinions before you decide what to do...

Mitch

Im going through the same thing you are infact im going into get my second dose of epidural steriods in a week the first didn't help at all.. infact it made it worse I am 21 too.. i saw an orthopedic and sport medicine doctor both of which specialize in spinal cord and spinal cord injuries. I have the same problem with my L4-L5 Discs as you do but with some nerve damage and arthritis in it, but like i have had no accidents or trauma to the area which is hard for the doctors to understand. They told me it most likely is given to me from one or both of my parents. It sucks a lot and the pain has been constant down my whole leg which scares me to death. I go back to my doctors march 5th and they will decide the next step

I also have protrusion at L4-L5 with spinal arthritis. After a good 6 months of waking up so stiff I couldn't get out of bed, LITERALLY!, I spoke to my primary dr. She ran x-rays which showed the arthritis. My cardiology office subsequently requested an MRI as x-rays can't show everything and found the "3mm midline disc protrusion" with 'facet arthropathy". I was scheduled for physical therapy which I have to say was the best thing I've been able to do for myself. They taught me exercises to strengthen the necessary muscles. The PT I went to uses the robotic muscle massage machines, they work twice as fast as human therapists. I also went to my rheumatologist for opinions/help (I have bursitis in my hips). He put me on a muscle relaxer at night (Flexeril) and an anti-inflammatory (Meloxicam) in the morning. I now take these as needed but if I skip too many days of the exercises they gave me (which are really simple, 10-20 minutes twice a day), I really pay for it. I ache most days but only have muscle spasms a few times a week. One dr wanted to send me to a pain clinic which injects cortisone into your spine...no thanks! I believe my issue was caused by an epidural I had when delivering my second child, it didn't close up after removal. (I lost a LOT of spinal fluid, all over the bed. Looked like someone poured a gallon of water in my bed.) I still wonder who exactly I'm supposed to see, too. I don't want/need a surgeon, as you've heard surgery should be your last choice as it. Spinal surgery has greatly improved but can cause more problems and pain in your back. I go through spells now and have to remind myself that I have to be careful, take care of myself, and do what I've been instructed to do if I want pain-free days. Sheryl

I am 28 and have been dealing with the same issue for 10 yrs now. I am coping with 1 hydrocodone in the mornings just to aleviate the pain to get me moving. I am better after a couple of hours of movement, but getting out of bed and climbing the stairs in the morning have proven to be nearly impossible. I even went out and bought a brand new $3000 sleep number mattress (which I couldn't really afford) to try and help with the pain. have finally had enough I am getting ready to start injections, but thus far the most help I've had is my sleeping position. It determines how the next day will pan out for me. I've found that sleeping on my back with a pillow slightly wedged under my butt (as to tilt my pelvis forward, eliminating the arch) and pillows under my knees, keeping them bent, I can actually move when getting out of bed! It still hurts, but minimally, comparatively speaking. I follow up with a hot shower in the mornings to relax the muscles, then a little bit of stretching seems to help. I understand what you're going through and hope that maybe this will help a little bit, but this is no way to live life. Go to a good specialist because this doesn't seem to go away on it's own and progressively gets worse.

---Good Luck,
10 Yrs and Waiting

The correct doctor for you to see froggemama is a spine specialist, either an orthopedic surgeon that specializes in spines or a neurosurgeon that specializes in spines only.

Don't be concerned with the fact that they are spine surgeons. They do not jump to do spine surgery without trying conservative measures first to treat your spine issues.

I can understand your fears about having steroid injections into your spine, after your experience with an epidural for pain relief during you labor and delivery with you second child.

My own experience with an epidural wth my first born, my son, was also a very poor one as well.

But, there is a huge difference between the epidural given for anesthesia during labor and delivery and the kind given for pain relief for spinal issues.

First of all you are not being given an anesthetic, you are being given a numbing agent and a steroid that helps to relieve the inflammation in the area of the spine problem you have.

It is also not given into the same area of the spine as the epidural given for spine issues.

Also, given properly and ESI, epidural spinal injection, is done under florscopy so that the doctor can see exactly where the the needle is going and is placed right where it is needed to go. Floroscopy is a type of x-ray that is a live x'ray done while the injection is being given.

You do need a full spine evaluation done and to have that done you need to see a spine specialist.

The longer you wait, the worse your problems will get and will eventually cause permanent damage to your nerves and spine, some of which could include loss of bowel and bladder function along with drop foot and nerve pain and weakness that will never go away.

Go see a spine surgeon and get that evaluation that you need.

Good luck

Fran

Thanks, Fran. My mother-in-law has osteoarthritis and has had 5-6 surgeries on her spine, including an H-rod and the use of coral to refill bone. She went to the best spine specialists nearly anywhere, at the Florida Spine Institute in Clearwater. She has been taking the spinal injections for a few years and has 10% lidocaine patches tht she has to wear. She gave me some and they do not help me at all. My issue with the shots is that you cannot take them forever (my mother-in-law has been cut off), I know my issue will get worse over time so I do not want to take the injections 'too soon' and not be able to receive the when I really need them!
My BIG issue is my left sacroiliac joint, it feels nearly fused most days, making me question the arthritis being spondilitis. My pelvic bones actually hurt, I can feel them just aching! I have had cortisone injections in my right hip for the bursitis and wonder if it would help with the pelvic pain.
Sheryl

True that the steroid injections can become less affective over time with some people, on the other hand I do know people that will get them once or twice a year and be fine for many, many years.

It's an individual thing, they help some people with a series of 3 shots and they don't need any more ever, others they provide temporary relief for 6-12 months, and others, like myself, they either don't help at all or last only a month.

That is why I chose the option of surgery for my disc problems and stenosis.

You need to ask an ortho spine doctor about the steroid into you S1 joint. I don't know if it will help. I had one done into my right hip for bursitis and will never get another one. No doctor would give me one since I temporarily lost bladder control from the injection. It lasted about 12 hours. That makes it too big a risk to give me the injection again as the bladder control loss could become permanent.

I have never known anyone to get any spine relief from seeing a chiropractor, but do know many people whose spine problems where made far worse and more complicated by seeing a chiropractor.

Fran

Just a quick note....I had surgery for a herniated disc, L-5, in Feb, 2009. Actually, I had 2 surgeries. The first went unbelievably well! However, 2 weeks post-op, I developed an infection and was hospitalized for 2 weeks with the 2nd surgery.
My back still is not right. I too, am stiff in the morning. Lying flat in bed is horrible!!! A pillow under my butt or legs helps, and a muscle relaxant helps sometimes. But, the pain is terrible! I have an appt. next week with an "excellent" neuro-surgeon in Boston to see if he can perform a miracle!
Hang in there gang!

Debbie

Fran, thank you for clarifying the epidural difference. I've been really worried about this as I'll be having this done in a couple weeks. I am 43 yrs old and been in constant pain for 2 years being sent to all kinds of doctors. 2 years ago I twisted and bent to do something as simple as change the garbage bag and felt a twinge in my low back. At that time I did not have insurance so I just suffered for many months. When I couldn't stand up straight any longer, I finally went to see my primary care doctor. The MRI revealed several things including Herniation of L-4 & L-5, Degenerative Disc Disease and I have a 6th vertebrae which only 1 in 6 people have. Both my brothers have the 6th vertebrae, weird huh??? And, both brothers have major back problems. One of my brothers has had 3 back surgeries and he is worse than ever now. She gave me Flexeril, Motrin & Darvocet as I cannot take most commonly prescribed pain pills. This stuff helped some but only temporarily. When I finally got insurance I was still experiencing pain daily & it had actually moved into another location-my neck & left shoulder. I was sent to a Sports Therapy Clinic which was a joke! He had me doing exercises I could do at home & he would rub my back down with a therapy "hot" cream & charged me and the insurance an unseenly amount of money. Needless to say this Sports Clinic did NOT work! I quit going after a month. I was then referred to a Chiropractor & Massage Therapist which seemed to help short term 3-5 days at a time. I was going once per week. My body got used to this and I could definitely tell if I missed a week! But, the pain was always there just not as bad. My insurance told me they would only pay for the Massage Therapy & Chiro twice a month since it had been two years with no real change. During this time, I've had all kinds of health scares and honestly my back & neck although causing me severe pain at times wasn't my first health priority. I've continued the Motrin & Flexeril but my doctor rarely prescribes it. I have to get it from my sister in law. Now I know you aren't supposed to do this but my doctor is so hard to get anything leaning towards pain medicines which makes me mad because I have health problems-verifiable and I don't ask for medications often! I had surgery about 6 months ago and the surgeon lived in another town. She gave me Darvocet (souped up tylenol) and when I asked my doctor for a weeks supply (as I was told to do by the surgeon), she acted as though I was a drug fiend or something. Very appalled! Anyway, recently my back, neck & left shoulder have been killing me to the point I can't hardly get up in the mornings and missing work regularly so I go back to the doctor. She sent me for another MRI which revealed the same as before the L4-L5 has worsened, lots of inflammation and in my neck it now shows I have a disc Protrusion which is a lot worse than my back according to the doctor. Now I understand why my neck & shoulder are always hot to touch and hurt so bad. I was sent to a Pain Management Clinic where I can say I wasn't real comfortable going in there. I felt "out of place" there. The doctor was nice and informative. He said I needed the epidural injection into both neck and back and will be done at the same time. This freaked me out and I told him I had a bad reaction when my son was born to an epidural. He chuckled and told me that wouldn't happen. I asked him about possible risks and he told me that I would not be put to sleep. I'll be given "5" Xanax (is that even safe)and the epidural injections will be given to both places at the same time. I've really been freaked out about it so it's nice to know that is different than child birth epidurals. So, thanks Fran! I know I am tired of being in this much pain daily and having to miss work. I'm surprised I haven't been fired yet!

Do spinal decompression (DRX9000) before doing a surgery (I have done both and decompression helps more). I had my back cut open at 24 and what they don't tell you is that when they shave off one disc, all the discs above it have to take on it's load. So this leads to more disc protrustions, ruptures, etc. If you get relief from surgery, it usually only lasts a year or two. Most people end up with a second surgery within 5 years. Try decompression - most people rave about it and it doesn't hurt.

I have had back problems so long I don't remember a time without pain. I have a herniated L4 and L5 with a tear in L5. I have suffered from fibromyalgia for years and learned early on to just 'deal' with the pain. However, after having stage 3 renal cancer 2 years ago and having my right kidney removed, it seems the pain has gotten worse. The pain in my right hip is so severe that I get up some nights to sleep in the recliner because lying flat is too painful. Turning over in bed is horrible. I take motrin as needed and even have hydrocodone if it gets too bad, but don't take them often for fear of dependency. I have reached the point now that my entire spine cracks and shifts with every movement. I know I have to do something, but have been to so many doctors that I am hesitant to even think about it!!