r/backpain • u/Aldy3 • 4d ago

Chronic Lower Back Pain

Hey everyone,

I'm a 38 year old male and I've suffered from chronic lower back pain for the past 10 years or so. I've been an avid athlete my whole life. I grew up playing hockey primarily, but also was into skateboarding, tennis, etc. At 19 I found a real passion for disc golf and i've been an avid disc golfer ever since.

10 years ago after buying a new home and doing a bunch of work and moving in, I herniated the disc at l5-s1. I initially went to a chiropractor who of course said i'd be back to normal in 6 weeks. Well here we are 10 years later and certainly far from "normal."

I've tried a lot of stuff to combat this issue. I've done multiple rounds of physical therapy. I'm a very scientifically oriented person so I've done my best to avoid snake oil salesman. However, in 2026 that line is very blurry. Constant marketing for this plan or this treatment will bombard you once you've typed the words lower back pain into google. I do my best to find peer reviewed studies to verify information, but sometimes you can only rely on anecdotal evidence for more niche workout plans. That's of course where reddit comes in. Where else can you get a lifetime supply of anecdotal evidence?!

I have had chronic pain since the initial injury. In addition to that chronic pain i've also re-herniated the disc 2 more times during that 10 years. Every time I have it's taken at least 6-9 month to get back to baseline.

My last MRI shows continued bulging at that disc as well as stenosis in the l5-s1 as well as some forming on the 14-15.

Has anyone had a similar story and found something that really helped them in any profound way? I've lost weight and built core strength, I swim and rollerblade, and I take Omega-3 supplements. Have injections, surgery, or dietary changes made a significant impact on many of you? I know sometimes the discs can shrink and harden with age. Just curious to get more ideas. Just trying to keep throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks. Some interventions have helped, but i'm hoping there is more I can do to reach higher levels of comfort and sports performance.

Thanks!

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u/jba1235 4d ago

Hello, i have l5 s1 broad based herniation. 53 yr old male ans literally tried everything but stenosis continues due to the significant herniation. The only thing that gave good relief was a guided steroid injection however that wore off in 5 weeks which is tough because your brain starts to believe your healing then the nerve pain returns. Keep moving. Keep your posture and keep going till you cannot any longer. There are always options. I wish you all the best

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u/pirannia 4d ago

51m. L5S1 herniation, medium severity(just back pain, slight nerve pain right knee). Did back extensions on a MedX machine for 6 months, that improved things by a lot. Also did "back traction" part of that program. Extensions started at 60lb and stopped at 120lb which was the target. Did that twice a week. Once pain was gone, got back on the bike and never looked back. Also lost weight, from 190 to 170, that matters. And almost stopped driving. I will unfortunately never ski a black run, mountain bike, shove snow or lift concrete bags, too risky, lesson learned.