re options before back surgery for protruding disc at l l subject options before back surgery for protruding disc at l l from alex miller amiller almaden ibm com date apr gmt in article coyote uucp alex miller amiller almaden ibm com writes after two weeks of limping around with an acute pain in my low back and right leg my osteopath sent me to get an mri which revealed a protruding and extruded disc at l l i went to a neurosurgeon who prescribed prednisole a steroidal anti inflamitory and bed rest for several days it s been nearly a week and overall i feel slightly worse i take darvocet three times a day so i can deal with daily activities like preparing food and help me get to sleep i ll see the neurosurgeon tomorrow and of course i ll be asking whether or not this rest is helpful or if surgery is the next step what are my non surgical options if my goal is to resume full activity including competitive cycling i should add this condition is in my opinion the result of commulative wear and tear i ve had chronic low back pain for years but i managed you don t say whether or not you have any symptoms other than pain if you have numbness weakness or bladder problems for example these would suggest a need for surgery if pain is your only symptom you might do well to find a reputable multi disciplinary pain clinic in your area chronic low back pain generally doesn t do well with surgery acute on chronic pain as only symptom doesn t fare much better e correlation between mri findings and symptoms is controversial don mackie his opinions um will disavow
