Ruptured disk - anyone else suffering?

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hello! I am new to this site, but hope that someone will be able to help

I’ve had a ruptured disk for about 2-3 years, which has been recently diagnosed. I’m fairly experienced in Sivinanda yoga, but have let my practice slip. I’ve cycled all summer which has kept the pain at bay, but now the pain has returned as winter sets in, and I find myself less active. I am seeing an osteo for intensive treatment, but I would love to hear from others who have similar painful disk injuries and use yoga as part of their pain management.
I wonder if there are certain postures I should avoid? I did a session on Monday night and found the plough and the locust painful. Everything else seemed fine.
I totally refuse to give in and accept this as a permenant scenario - I’m sure I can beat this and be a fully functional yoga practitioner!

swoose

#2

Hello Swoosie,

Welcome to the board.
More info on you please. Obviously you are female, but could you please provide some other pertinent details like your age, work, level of exercise, and the nature of the MRi that revealed the disc rupture? What disks please? You see the protocols, yogically speaking, for rehabing a rupture at C4 is very different from the protocols with the same injury at L4.

I can provide more for you in the way of a reply when I know these details. Until you re-post I can tell you that recovery from disc ruptures do happen. It is more than possible. It requires significant lifestyle changes. The work is very specific, must be adhered to rigorously, and should be executed with a highly skilled senior teacher.

#3

Hi Innerathelete,

Thank you for responding, sorry for my late answer.

I am 31, I weigh about 70 Kgs, and am pretty fit, and fairly flexible, I powerwalk every day. I used to practice Sivinanda yoga for about 1 year, about 1 year ago, but have let my practice slide.

I cycled about 70 miles a week, until the winter set in here.

The injury is a posterial rupture of the disk between L4/5 which also bulges.

I work in the arts, which can involve 3 day truck journeys, or standing and walking around a gallery for a couple of weeks.

I am seeing an osteo every week, and she has given me exercises to do, which I am following rigorously. She has re-taught how to get out of bed, walk, sit, sneeze etc using my stomach muscles, instead of my back.

I’ve bought the Rodney Lee DVD for back care, but at the moment that looks a little too advanced, and I am worried about overdoing it.

Any assistance would be very gratefully recieved, and I would love to get back into the routine of yoga, and live pain-free

swoosie

#4

You’ve mentioned the injury is in the lumbar region of the spine.
Are you having any pain in the legs or numbness?

A posterior (toward the back body) rupture is very common umongst the ruptures. I believe the numbers are upward of 90% of all of these are posterior.

The natural curve of the lumbar spain, assuming you have a natural curve, can be a 'hinderance" to the healing of this disk issue. The protocol I am familiar with (and I am not a doctor nor am I prescribing a particular plan for you or anyone else) in yoga is to reduce the lumbar curve, create the necessary space for the disk to move back from whence it came, and then reintroduce the apprpropriate lumbar curve.

Now this can take time but it circumnavigates surgery. To me it’s worth the time because, after all, where am I going <lol>.

You would want to work directly with an alignment based senior instructor who is trained in therapeutics. I was doing this very work with “Janet” (not her real name), a 20 year old collegiate athlete with a similar situation.

I’m guessing you are in the UK since you stated your weight in kilograms.
If you tell me your location, generally, I may be able to point you.

Namste.

#5

I’m near Stansted Airport, in Hertfordshire. I would do anything to avoid surgery. My spine is pretty normal i.e. curved.

This weekend I have been using a topical gel containing the anti-inflammatory diclofenac, and I have to say, even though it is early days, I have not had any stabbing pains in my back for a couple of days. I have been taking this drug orally for over 12 months, but I think the effectiveness had wained. This is a tremendous step, lets just hope it lasts. I’ve also not lifted a thing, which may also be contributing.

I have had pain in my left leg, but I haven’t suffered with this for a few months. I’ve not experienced any numbness.

Thank you again for your advice and support

Swoose

#6

Drew Stallcop is a peer of mine there in the UK. But I must tell you I don’t know his exact location relative to you.

Contact him and tell him one of his Purna colleagues in Seattle mentioned him.

#7

Dear Innerathlete,

I have looked up his website, he is about a 2 hour drive away, but I will email him and see if he can help, or suggest someone else.

Today is another good day - regular twinges, but no searing pain - amazing after weeks of agony. Fingers crossed…

warm wishes from sunny chilly England

swoose

#8

Do you have power my dear?
No sun here in Seattle this time of year. My friend in Newcastle rather likes it here:-) Cold? Well it’s been unusually cold. And then last week a very brisk wind of 60 miles per hour which I’m guessing is 80km or so. KNocked out power.

Saturday on my drive over to Yoga Centers the entire area was “dark” and the studio, alas it was closed.

Tonight I was to sub my first class there at the studio of my teacher.
Little did I realize the power, three days later, is STILL OUT. So I drove in the rush hour traffic to get there and had to finagle my way back.

Some days a twinge IS a good day:-)

#9

Well, been back to the doc, and I’ve been signed off work for two weeks to rest, and have been refered to an orthopaedic surgeon.
I’ll have time to catch up on my reading, while lounging around!

Hope you had a fab Xmas and New Year, we certainly did!!

Warmest, and I’ll keep you informed

Swoosie

#10

did you contact Drew?

[QUOTE=swoosie;3771]Well, been back to the doc, and I’ve been signed off work for two weeks to rest, and have been refered to an orthopaedic surgeon.
I’ll have time to catch up on my reading, while lounging around!

Hope you had a fab Xmas and New Year, we certainly did!!

Warmest, and I’ll keep you informed

Swoosie[/QUOTE]