Slipped Disc It Is

After months of excruciating lower back pain, an episode of inability to walk and ebndless physical theray sessions, my doctor confirmed that I have slipped disc. After seeing my MRI plate, she said that I have multipled slipped discs. OMG! A simple physical therapy session will no loger be enough. That's why I am being referred to another hospital with a traction machine. It's going to be 8 sessions for a month until I see my doctor again for evaluation.

Hay, another illness added to my long list of ailments. True signs of aging. Ahahaha! My doctor. it's a non-threatening ilnness. According to www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk:

"A slipped disc occurs when the outer part of your disc ruptures, allowing the gel inside to bulge and protrude outwards from in between your vertebrae. The damaged disc can put pressure on your whole spinal cord, or on a single nerve fibre. This means that a slipped disc can cause pain both in the area of the protruding disc and in any part of your body which is controlled by the nerve the disc is pressing on.

A slipped disc occurs most frequently in your lower back, but any disc can rupture, including those in your upper back and neck.
With most slipped discs, pain is caused when part of the disc starts to press on one of the nerves that run along the spine. The sciatic nerve is the most commonly affected nerve. This large nerve is made up of several smaller nerves that pass from your spinal cord in your lower back. The nerve travels deep inside your buttocks, and down the back of each leg.

If you have pressure on the sciatic nerve it can cause:

a lasting, aching pain,numbness, and a tingling sensation in one, or both, of your legs. These symptoms often start in your lower back, and then travel down your buttocks and into either of the legs.

Muscle spasms and paralysis tend to occur in your arms, legs and buttocks. The pain you experience when a disc presses on a nerve is often worse when you cough or sneeze. This is because these sudden movements can put more pressure on the nerve. The pain can also be worse when you go to sit down because, again, pressure is put on the spine and nerves."

Since I don't have a scanner to show my actual MRI plate, here are examples of MRI images of a slipped disc:

Pretty scary huh? But my doctor added that we just need to manage the illness before it gets worse. meaning in due time, I could do all my usual activities without having to worry about my lower back. I could be as bibo as I used to be. As the emergency doctor said in May (she happens to be a schoolmate), malikot daw kase ako back then and it's a consquence of my kakulitan & being a performer back then.

Anyway, I'm hoping the traction machine works for me. The lower back pain can be really tough. It just saddens me when I'm not able to move around like I used to.