Prolapsed Discs - Sharing Stories About Your Experiences

Sharing Stories About Your Experiences - Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

Welcome - share stories of your experiences suffering from a prolapsed disc(s), an excruciatingly painful and debilitating condition.

Latest Activity

Sam Ward updated their profile Sep 1, 2010

Mick is now a member of Prolapsed Discs Aug 26, 2010

Welcome Them!

elizabeth brown commented on John's blog post 'Air Beds and Support Aids'

hi john, Ive not heard from you so i hope this is a good sign of improvemnt..as this site is about to close soon i want to thank you for all the chats and if you like to keep in touch you can contact me at my e.mail address of which i shall private…

Aug 21, 2010

Ronne Randall left a comment for Sam Ward

Hi Sam, Now that you have your MRI results, have you seen a spinal specialist? That is very, very important. Also, I’m surprised you haven’t been referred yet for pain management. This is available on the NHS, and you should be offered…

Aug 18, 2010

Sam Ward commented on Jude Robinson's group 'Pain Management'

Hi all, I'm also new to this. I was diagonosed with a bulging L5/S1 disc and a herniated L4/L5 disc a little over a month ago, after suffering for 3 months now (The majority of my pain down my left leg). I'm currently waiting to filter…

Aug 18, 2010

I've just been woken up by the shooting pain down my left leg (I can only assume that the cocktail of drugs I'm just wore off).

Status posted by Sam Ward Aug 18, 2010

My baby grandson arrives

Hey members,Im proud to announce the arrival of my baby grandson..Lucas,ian,alexander,taylor..now 1 wk and 3 days old and both mother and lucas doing well..His arrival was a surprise as he entered into the world a week early and weighed 5lbs14 ounces..If ever there was a reason to have my mind taken off back pain his early entrance did..If i could bottle and sell it i would be worth a fortune.lolWelcome to new members as i like to do when see new faces join the site..I type away at my keyboard…See More

Blog post by elizabeth brown Aug 17, 2010

0 Comments

Pain Management

Sam Ward joined Jude Robinson's group Aug 12, 2010

6 Comments

Forum

Prolapse..yet again! 1 Reply

Started by Hayley Storrow. Last reply by elizabeth brown May 7, 2010.

Surgery 3 Replies

Started by emma. Last reply by Sue Costello Nov 12, 2009.

Prolapsed disc and Osteopaths??? 2 Replies

Started by Zafar Aslam. Last reply by Zafar Aslam Oct 20, 2009.

Pop Up Chat

Popup chat

Groups

Sharing Personal Updates

6 members
Useful Links

3 members
Pain Management

12 members
Facing A Discectomy

9 members
Patient Choices

6 members

View All

Introduction

Thank you for becoming members of Prolapsed Discs, the first dedicated social network where people can share their experiences of this excruciatingly painful and debilitating condition. This group has been set up by a fellow sufferer and a post-op (micro-discectomy) survivor who is still in recovery and is passionate about supporting others through this difficult time.

Here you can talk about your condition, the pain you are suffering, your diagnosis, your treatment, the prospect of an operation, how to manage post-operatively or anything else you wish to share with us.

What is a Prolapsed Disc?

The spine is made up of many bones called vertebrae. These are roughly circular and between each vertebra is a 'disc'. The discs are made of strong 'rubber-like' tissue which allows the spine to be fairly flexible. A disc has a stronger fibrous outer part, and a softer jelly-like middle part called the nucleus pulposus.

When you have a prolapsed disc (commonly called a 'slipped disc'), a disc does not actually 'slip'. What happens is that part of the inner softer part of the disc (the nucleus pulposus) bulges out (herniates) through a weakness in the outer part of the disc. A prolapsed disc is sometimes called a herniated disc. The bulging disc may press on nearby structures such as a nerve (sciatic) coming from the spinal cord. Some inflammation also develops around the prolapsed part of the disc.

Any disc in the spine can prolapse. However, most prolapsed discs occur in the lumbar part of the spine (lower back). The size of the prolapse can vary. As a rule, the larger the prolapse, the more severe the symptoms are likely to be.

Symptoms of a Prolapsed Disc

Back pain

The pain is often severe, and usually comes on suddenly. The pain is usually eased by lying down flat, and is often made worse if you move your back, cough, or sneeze.

Nerve root pain (usually 'sciatica')

Nerve root pain is pain that occurs because a nerve coming from the spinal cord is pressed on ('trapped') by a prolapsed disc, or is irritated by the inflammation caused by the prolapsed disc. Although the problem is in the back, you feel pain along the course of the nerve in addition to back pain. Therefore, you may feel pain down a leg to the calf or foot. Nerve root pain can range from mild to severe, but it is often worse than the back pain. With a prolapsed disc, the sciatic nerve is the most commonly affected nerve. (The term 'sciatica' means nerve root pain of the sciatic nerve.) The sciatic nerve is a large nerve that is made up from several smaller nerves that come out from the spinal cord in the lower back. It travels deep inside the buttock and down the back of the leg. There is a sciatic nerve for each leg.

Other nerve root symptoms

The irritation or pressure on the nerve next to the spine may also cause pins and needles, numbness or weakness in part of a buttock, leg or foot. The exact site and type of symptoms depends in which nerve is affected.

Blog Posts

My baby grandson arrives

Hey members,

Im proud to announce the arrival of my baby grandson..Lucas,ian,alexander,taylor..now 1 wk and 3 days old and both mother and lucas doing well..

His arrival was a surprise as he entered into the world a week early and weighed 5lbs14 ounces..If ever there was a reason to have my mind taken off back pain his early entrance did..If i could bottle and sell it i would be worth a fortune.lol

Welcome to new members as i like to do…

Continue

Posted by elizabeth brown on August 17, 2010 at 3:42pm

Air Beds and Support Aids

Well its been somewhat of a busy week for me, still suffering from the bad back but at least I am now getting gaps between the pain and I can hobble around a bit better (still feels like a marathon though) and do relatively short visits to the local shop or chemist without the whole 'military operation'...

I still need the pain killers but not as frequently and mainly just at night (I use ibuleve through the day if i need it)...which I think is a positive step as I think that… Continue

Posted by John on August 4, 2010 at 12:23am — 1 Comment

update on visit to gp today.

Had a walk down to consult with my gp today..This walk when i was fit used to take me 5 mins max at steady pace and now even 4 yrs down the line still takes me a good 25 mins to half hour..Im now sitting at my laptop feeling ive run a marathon and probably set back for rest of day..I could have used a taxi but even now i push myself to walk to prove to myself that im capable of something..

I enjoy my 4 weekly visits to see my doctor and when read others profiles im so…

Continue

Posted by elizabeth brown on July 29, 2010 at 2:41pm — 2 Comments

hi

hi all,i am maruf.patient of plid.pray 4 me .i am very afraid.

Posted by maruf on July 24, 2010 at 6:00pm — 1 Comment

moan time

Hi everyone...Not been on much due to fighting my own demons again...So fed up with pain 24/7 and i can hear all you all say ( aren,t we all )...Someone reminded me not so long ago that they wished the legs would just shut up..Thats the stage i have been for last week or so...i read an interesting blog recently called the spoon theory...its a letter to the normals of the life we once used to live and to describe to them the everyday life of a chronic pain sufferer...

This then…

Continue

Posted by elizabeth brown on July 22, 2010 at 4:05pm — 6 Comments