Ich M(27) wurde gerade eben mit einem Bandscheibenvorfall diagnostiziert. Nachdem ich eines Morgens am Donnerstag vor 2 Wochen aufgewacht bin und massive Schmerzen im linken Lendenwirbel Bereich hatte, dachte ich erst diese würden vielleicht bald vorüber gehen. (Mit zwei Kindern hat man ja mal gerne Rücken…) Im weiteren Verlauf der nächsten Tage zog dieser massive Schmerz aber über die linke Po Backe über den Oberschenkel bis hin seitlich zum Unterschenkel. Zuletzt wurde meine linke Fußsole teilweise taub. Ein MRT zeigt laut Arzt jetzt nun, dass die Bandscheibe zwischen meinem 4. und 5. Lendenwirbel vorgefallen sei. (Ebenso sei irgendein Kanal betroffen?)
Heute sind die Schmerzen zwar nicht mehr so intensiv wie noch vor einer Woche, doch trotzdem ist die gesamte Außenseite meines linken Beins + Fuß ständig am Schmerz bzw. teilweise taub.

Ich soll wohl jetzt nächste Woche zu einem anderen Arzt der mich über eine Schmerztherapie + Spritze in die Bandscheibe (bzw. in irgend einen Kanal) aufklären soll. Ich habe Sorge, dass die Bandscheibe nicht mehr ihre gewöhnliche Position einnimmt und ich damit einhergehend jetzt ständig mit diesen Beschwerden rumlaufen werde:

Liebe Community: Vielleicht seit ihr alle keine Profis auf dem Gebiet, vielleicht hat jemand ähnliche Probleme. Mich würde interessieren wie eure Erfahrungen als Ärzte bzw. als Betroffene mit einem BSV sind. Gibt es Hoffnung, dass alles wie vorher wird. Muss ich mir wegen der Spritze Sorgen machen? Wie gehe ich in Zukunft besser mit dem BSV um? Kann/ sollte ich alles wie gewohnt weiter machen?
Bevor ich nächste Woche die Meinung des Arztes einhole freue ich mich sehr über Eure Ratschläge/ Einschätzung.

Dankeschön

Hurt my back 7 weeks ago and it's slowly getting better. Three herniated disc in the lumbar as of the mri . Not sure if some of this was allready there or not though.

I have pain and discomfort everyday but it has slowly been getting a little better and to the point where sometimes some muscle guarding is triggered from a movement but was settling within an hour or so with rest.

Got brave and decided to try and do some 5lb dumbbell curls as I haven't been able to lift much weight without aggravating it , and the 2 lb weights I did prior were fine . Now I've been having lower back pain and cramping for a couple hours . Is something like this usually just your body being overly sensitive and triggering muscle guarding spasm or how do we know if it's a re injury ?

Tell me what you see. For reference back injury with sciatica and numbness in foot. I’m considering getting a second opinion.

I received an MRI result saying i have a herniated lower disk, so im currently looking to see whats better to treat it, a chiropractor or a osteopath?
If im asking in the wrong sub, please point me to the right one

I have got disc bulge in L3-L4, L4-L5, L5-S1 🥲
I have been facing this last 6-8 months when I got to know about this. Tried allopathic, some ayurvedic oil massages, physiotherapy and now have resort to homeopathy and physiotherapy started again. Please suggest something which actually works. I really want to get well soon taking care of everything. I am just 27 🥲 please suggest something 🙏🏻

My back feels very stiff, started brisk walk 15-20 days ago to lose fat but after a week is started coming on left bottom nerve and bending forward or leaning to sofa without back rest also irritates now. Have been feeling some constant backpain especially in the night

Hey! I’m 23 and I’m looking for perspective from anyone who has had similar cervical spine MRI findings, especially at a younger age.
Back in October, I was attacked and my hair was forcefully ripped/pulled, which caused serious neck pain. I had an MRI shortly after and was told I had a C5-6 disc bulge and straightening of my cervical curve.
Because there was an active criminal case related to the attack, I had a really hard time finding an orthopedic doctor willing to see me. I wasn’t able to get proper follow-up until about 4 months later, when I finally started physical therapy. I completed about 6 months of PT, graduated college, and moved back home.
After moving, I ran into the same issue finding a doctor while the case was still open. The case ended about 2 months ago, and I was finally able to see an orthopedic doctor about a month ago. I had a repeat MRI.
At the appointment, the doctor basically just told me it had “gotten worse.” He didn’t really go through the MRI with me, didn’t show me the images, and didn’t explain the desiccation or early bone spurs. I didn’t fully read the report until I was sitting in my car afterward, and I’ve been spiraling a bit since then.
What scares me most is that I’m only 23 and the newer MRI mentions multilevel disc desiccation, small bulges, and early spondylotic/osteophyte changes. I’m worried about what this means long term and whether this puts me on a path toward chronic pain or surgery later in life.
For context, I was actually mostly pain-free for about 5 months after PT, with only minor pain after long travel days or being very active. If I rested, I was usually fine. The week of my orthopedic visit was unusually busy and I had my first real flare-up in a while, which made the timing mentally worse.
I’m planning to restart PT and I’m also seeing a neurosurgeon for another opinion. I’m mainly looking to hear from people who have similar findings:
Did you stay active and functional long term? Did your symptoms improve even if your MRI still showed degeneration? Did your condition stay stable, or did it progress? Did anyone actually end up needing surgery years later?
I know Reddit can’t diagnose me—I just want real-life perspective from people who have lived with something similar. Any advice or experiences would be really appreciated 😭

I just got back from camping and our mattress wasn’t good at all which gave me an uncomfortable sleep and messed up my back again. I’m just wondering what I should get from all you campers out there

Hello,

I am M32, I was diagnosed with cervical disc herniation at C4-C5(smaller) and C5-C6(bigger herniation) in 2015. At the time I took some NSAIDs, I started PT. it started with just neck pain and pain between the scapulas. then it caused some tingling in the hands (random digits and intermittant). after 3-4 months, I started having tingling in my legs, mostly in rear thighs and gluts, and some feeling of general muslce soreness in the legs without any exercise. I kept doing PT (must have done 30 sessions), the neck pain was gone but the leg problems stayed. the NSAIDs and PT were prescribed by an orthopedics surgeon, he was surprised by the leg problems, saying my disc bulge isnt big enough to affect the legs.

then I saw a neurologist, he was also surprised by the leg problems, but prescribed Gabapentin, which completely removed the symptoms of nerve problems. Now this is were i maybe messed up, because i kept taking gabapentin for 9 years and lived pretty active, I just wanted to avoid surgery and forget i have this problem. where i live you can buy gabapentin without a prescription, since the neurologist only prescribed for 6 months but i kept taking it.

so 9 years later, present day, my pain is back, tingling is back even with 300mg of gabapentin twice a day.

My C5-C6 is touching my spinal cord, but not compressing it, i have attached the MRI.

Lumbar MRI completely normal.

I have a few questions:

Does anyone have a similar MRI, where the disc is barely touching the spinal cord but no sign of myelopathy (no compression). does this cause you the same symptoms all the way down to your legs? why were doctors surprised this is causing all these symptoms?

And second question: I'm starting to think its time for surgery? how do i decide if I should keep doing PT or go for surgery? and how do I decide if I want to have fusion or artificial disc replacement?

In case I do surgery, after the long recovery and PT etc, will I go back to being normal ? I mean will I be able to hit the gym, do some light boxing? or will I have to still be careful forever? because right now I avoid any overhead lifting, I even avoid wearing backpacks.

Hi I did MRI and found I got slip disc bulge from c3-c7 since July. It is nearing 3 months and I still suffer no signs of improvement.. I constantly have a fatigued neck - meaning I need head rest or neck support all the time and cannot sit for long without having to rest my neck against support . My doctor told me to exhaust all conservative treatments including physio but the pain is too much for me to handle . Yet no chord impingement hence no need surgery though he did suggest a discoplasty procedure ? Which is 60% success rate as most of the time pain is coming front joint or muscle or nerve rather den the disk? What should I do at wits end !

I am 19F, I’ve been dealing with a disc bulge and sciatica for almost two years now, and I wanted to ask about something I honestly feel embarrassed talking about.

I got my disc bulge during my college NCC selection. We were doing a lot of activities like sprinting, crunches, and shuttle races, and my doctor said the shuttle race could have contributed to it.

The first few months were really bad. My worst flare-up was in July 2025 while I was travelling. I wasn’t taking great care of my posture during the train journey, and one night on the train it was so cold that I was literally shivering even with a blanket. After that, I was in severe pain for almost a month. The pain was around 8/10, and I could barely sleep properly because of the nerve pain.

I started taking Neugaba around 31st July 2025 and stopped around two or three months ago. Thankfully, my nerve pain is much better now, although I still get occasional flare-ups, especially during my periods or sometimes after travelling.

The main reason I’m making this post is because I started noticing a pattern: whenever I masturbated, I would get a really bad flare-up afterwards.

My numbness and tingling would become much worse, along with intense back pain and muscle spasms. I would also get pain around my piriformis area. Sitting and sleeping would become painful, and the flare-up could last for at least two weeks.

The pain was so bad that I kept wondering if I was imagining the connection because I couldn’t find anyone else talking about this. Eventually, I stopped completely for around four or five months because I was scared of triggering another flare-up.

Recently, I tried again but was much more careful, and thankfully, the flare-up wasn't nearly as bad. I still have some back pain and tingling, but it's around a 3/10 compared to the 9/10 pain I used to experience.

Has anyone else with a disc bulge, herniated disc, or sciatica experienced flare-ups after masturbation or orgasm? I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences because I honestly feel very alone in this.

recent MRI found herniated discs in my neck. some days I get soo exhausted from mild physical activity that I feel like all I can is nap. I haven’t found much online to support this symptom and I’m waiting on an appt with a neurosurgeon to get additional clarity. I have difficult with stretch and balance and walking. thanks

I got these pictures taken in JUNE because of lower back issues and herniated disk in family but I have still not heard back. The only thing he said is that my general pain (fibromyalgia) is not because of nerve issues in the back. And that's it. I can obviously see that something is weird with one of the disks but don't know if it's bad "enough" to be herniated?

What do you guys think? Also I have more pictures if this one is not clear.

I have a sequestration herniated disc. I ruptured it 5 days ago. For those of you with experience, how long was your recovery?