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<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">I have been having problems with my back for almost a year now.(as of the beginning of February) Finally in June an MRI was done, and it was discovered that I have a diffuse bulge between L3 and L4, and bigger more prominent bulges between L4 and L5 and L5 and S1 (which is really the fused sacrum). These bulges are impinging on my sciatic nerve, which also causes pain, numbness and tingling down my leg to behind my knee, and occasionally down into the foot. This is all mostly contained to my right side, but as time has gone on, my left low back has become affected as well.</span></p>
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<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">I have undergone physical therapy at two different places over this year, including where I work, with no improvement. I undertook two different rounds of epidural cortisone injections, that were NOT remotely helpful, and the side effects were far worse than any benefit, so I opted out of the third. (You're generally allowed up to 3 per year.) I've gone for massages a few times, and chiropractic adjustments, with at most very temporary benefits.</div>
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<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">I've been managing the pain and inflammation for the most part with 800 mg ibuprofen which seems the most beneficial for me. Tylenol does nothing at all, and I have bad, bad side effects to anything with codeine. I still work and need to function, and my system can't seem to handle muscle relaxants, so I just deal. I have borrowed a TENS unit from a co-worker, and I wear that sometimes. It does provide a pleasant neuromuscular distraction from the pain, which is exactly what it's supposed to do.</div>
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<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Yesterday at my appointment with my back doctor in Chelsea, we decided that the next step would be to have an EMG on 1/26 to pinpoint exactly how much of the nerve pathway is affected. This is going to be a prelude to a minimally invasive surgical laser procedure called microdisectomy. (think arthoscopy of the back) It is usually done on an outpatient basis, but if I have a lot of pain afterward, I will be kept overnight. This has not yet been scheduled, but I will let you know.</div>
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<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Now, I am still running and biking though my pace has been slowed and my mileage has been kept down. For the first 10 weeks after this happened, I did not run at all, mainly because I could not. Literally. But as function returned I slowly (in all senses of the word) began my activities. again. My back doctor knows this, and yesterday we discussed it at length. He said in part:</div>
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<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"> "I am not going to tell you not to run for many reasons. This runs counter to the advice you might hear from other doctors, but I will tell you my thinking. First, I have reason to believe you'd probably ignore me anyway. (
) Secondly, though the argument could be made that your running and biking probably exacerbated the problem, I think that you would have had some back problems anyway. First, from what you told me, your mother had a history of back spasms and problems when she was younger. There is a predisposition to back issues. Secondly your gait is almost tailor-made to give you back problems eventually. That you run and bike probably hastened that a bit. However, and this is my big thing, most of the patients that I see are 50-100 pounds overweight and lead a nearly sedentary lifestyle. Their outcome post surgically is sometimes not as good, because they won't adhere to any kind of long term, or sometimes even short term strengthening and stretching program. You are already very fit and very strong, with an amazing base of core "girdle" strength. This will make surgery much easier on the surgeon and on you. Furthermore your recovery will be enhanced and hastened by that strength in your core muscles, and I know that you will be motivated to adhere to your post surgical program, to get you back to being ready for competition. So I'm going to tell you keep running. Don't go out and run a marathon, Saturday, but keep running. Run three, seven, up to ten miles, if it doesn't increase the pain to a point you can't handle. Don't go over 10, and I'd say to keep it between three to seven miles per run. Don't try to increase your pace (I'd been telling him how every time I try to get back to my normal pace that I'm used to, it hurts more). He also said to keep up with my weight lifting and calesthenics, but to eliminate the jumping jacks and plyometric exercises I do, which I had already, for the most part done, but I won't do any of those from this point until I'm cleared to again.</div>
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<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">So if any of you have been wondering why you haven't seen race reports in the last year, that's why. I've only done maybe three races this past year because I cannot compete to the extent I'd like to compete. I still enjoy my running and riding, but racing, to me is not quite as fun now. </div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"> </div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">So there's the update. ask any questions.</div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"> </div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">I have undergone physical therapy at two different places over this year, including where I work, with no improvement. I undertook two different rounds of epidural cortisone injections, that were NOT remotely helpful, and the side effects were far worse than any benefit, so I opted out of the third. (You're generally allowed up to 3 per year.) I've gone for massages a few times, and chiropractic adjustments, with at most very temporary benefits.</div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"> </div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">I've been managing the pain and inflammation for the most part with 800 mg ibuprofen which seems the most beneficial for me. Tylenol does nothing at all, and I have bad, bad side effects to anything with codeine. I still work and need to function, and my system can't seem to handle muscle relaxants, so I just deal. I have borrowed a TENS unit from a co-worker, and I wear that sometimes. It does provide a pleasant neuromuscular distraction from the pain, which is exactly what it's supposed to do.</div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"> </div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Yesterday at my appointment with my back doctor in Chelsea, we decided that the next step would be to have an EMG on 1/26 to pinpoint exactly how much of the nerve pathway is affected. This is going to be a prelude to a minimally invasive surgical laser procedure called microdisectomy. (think arthoscopy of the back) It is usually done on an outpatient basis, but if I have a lot of pain afterward, I will be kept overnight. This has not yet been scheduled, but I will let you know.</div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"> </div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Now, I am still running and biking though my pace has been slowed and my mileage has been kept down. For the first 10 weeks after this happened, I did not run at all, mainly because I could not. Literally. But as function returned I slowly (in all senses of the word) began my activities. again. My back doctor knows this, and yesterday we discussed it at length. He said in part:</div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"> </div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"> "I am not going to tell you not to run for many reasons. This runs counter to the advice you might hear from other doctors, but I will tell you my thinking. First, I have reason to believe you'd probably ignore me anyway. (
) Secondly, though the argument could be made that your running and biking probably exacerbated the problem, I think that you would have had some back problems anyway. First, from what you told me, your mother had a history of back spasms and problems when she was younger. There is a predisposition to back issues. Secondly your gait is almost tailor-made to give you back problems eventually. That you run and bike probably hastened that a bit. However, and this is my big thing, most of the patients that I see are 50-100 pounds overweight and lead a nearly sedentary lifestyle. Their outcome post surgically is sometimes not as good, because they won't adhere to any kind of long term, or sometimes even short term strengthening and stretching program. You are already very fit and very strong, with an amazing base of core "girdle" strength. This will make surgery much easier on the surgeon and on you. Furthermore your recovery will be enhanced and hastened by that strength in your core muscles, and I know that you will be motivated to adhere to your post surgical program, to get you back to being ready for competition. So I'm going to tell you keep running. Don't go out and run a marathon, Saturday, but keep running. Run three, seven, up to ten miles, if it doesn't increase the pain to a point you can't handle. Don't go over 10, and I'd say to keep it between three to seven miles per run. Don't try to increase your pace (I'd been telling him how every time I try to get back to my normal pace that I'm used to, it hurts more). He also said to keep up with my weight lifting and calesthenics, but to eliminate the jumping jacks and plyometric exercises I do, which I had already, for the most part done, but I won't do any of those from this point until I'm cleared to again.</div><div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"> </div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">So if any of you have been wondering why you haven't seen race reports in the last year, that's why. I've only done maybe three races this past year because I cannot compete to the extent I'd like to compete. I still enjoy my running and riding, but racing, to me is not quite as fun now. </div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"> </div>
<div style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">So there's the update. ask any questions.
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