how does a herniated disk heal?

how does a herniated disk heal?


I got a herniated disk (lumbar region) about 8 weeks ago and could hardly
walk for about 5 weeks. But now I feel about 95% back to normal. The
doctor said that it usually takes about 12 weeks for these to heal, so I
may have about 4 more weeks. How do these heal? The doctor said that the
herniation was pressing on a nerve causing sciatica (the MRI said so).
Does the stuff pressing on the nerve shrink? or dissolve? Does the hole
where the leak was heal over?

I was wondering if this is a "permanent" healing.

thanks,
Bob

Re: how does a herniated disk heal?

In article <jEoXj.5271$Kk3.27@bignews9.bellsouth,net >,
bob self <bself32979@yahoo,com > wrote:
>
>I got a herniated disk (lumbar region) about 8 weeks ago and could hardly
>walk for about 5 weeks. But now I feel about 95% back to normal. The
>doctor said that it usually takes about 12 weeks for these to heal, so I
>may have about 4 more weeks. How do these heal? The doctor said that the
>herniation was pressing on a nerve causing sciatica (the MRI said so).
>Does the stuff pressing on the nerve shrink? or dissolve? Does the hole
>where the leak was heal over?

The disk has an outer layer that's something like a radial tire in
structure, and very tough. Inside is another layer that's something
like an inner tube. Inside that is a sort of stiff gel material.

What's happened to you is that the outer layer has ruptured and the
inner layer is bulging out, putting pressure on the nerve. The bulge
gradually shrinks and the symptoms disappear. It's not uncommon to
have such herniations without symptoms. It's only when they compress
a nerve that the person finds they have a problem.

>I was wondering if this is a "permanent" healing.

This sort of thing is very common in men in their forties and women
in their fifties. You can do it again to that disk or others. Your
best bet to avoid further trouble is to learn how to lift safely, and
to learn exercises that will help your back and abdominal muscles better
support your spine. In elderly people, disk problems are less common
because the disks shrink and harden.

Sounds like you're healing well. Chiropractors get a lot of credit for
'fixing' this common problem, but it usually resolves in 6-8 weeks without
any treatment at all as long as you don't aggravate it.

N.B. I'm not a medical professional, but I learned a lot about this
stuff when my husband had a more severe form of disk problem that
eventually required surgery. See if you can find a book by Hamilton
Hall, an orthopedic surgeon who has written several popular books that
clearly describe common back problems and how they are diagnosed and
treated, including descriptions of simple exercises to strengthen support
for the spine.