Okay......Aine's MRI shows disc dessication from L5 on down to S1. One of the few tests the ortho did perform involved an ankle flexing thing with which he confirmed what the MRI shows which is a disc herniation at the L5/S1 level with the protusion applying pressure at the S1 nerve root.....a portion of the sciatic nerve. At L5 it is still the sciatic nerve but a different sympton. Disc dessication is a natural process that happens as we age and the disc cushioning material tends to dry out. Herniation can result from this as well as from an acute injury. Combined with Aine's gardening accident, this may well have been the cause.

Manipulation can have some effect, albeit quite limited at that level (L5/S1) but so can bed rest and most docs agree that when the pain and the symptons are still present after 4-6 weeks, something more radical may be needed. Neither will be effective in the long term and neither will fix the problem because there is no way of "squeeze the toothpaste back into the tube." The ruptured portion of the disc may move slightly, eliminating the pain for awhile, but it will return with the next awkward movement which can be as simple as rolling over in bed. I went through this cycle repeatedly for several years. Things like traction and bracing devices are rarely effective. Neither too are steroids or anti-immflammatories in the long run. Since Aine will be seeing the Neuro on Thursday, perhaps some options will be more clear then.

Both Orthos and Neuros treat this type of problem. Many orthos restrict their practice to non-surgical treatment of the back and concentrate their surgery on joints and sports injury. Back surgery whether invasive as in a laminectomy or minimally invasive using scope techniques is technically more related to the nerve and spinal cord than it is to any joint function because the tissue removed is applying direct pressure to the spinal cord or the nerve root.

At this point, Aine's quality of life enters into the equation to a significant degree. If the ruptured discs protrusion is reasonably pushing on the nerve root, nothing short of removal will give any long term relief. Aine's MRI shows that the extrusion "displaces the S1 nerve root significantly."....(1 cm).... Let's all wait and see how Thursday goes and keep the good thoughts for both of them.

Spaw