Hello everyone - New member
 

Hi Everyone,

Here is my introduction, i am a 38yo male and previously pretty active. I do mountain biking once a week and workout in the gym 3-4 times a week. I am a service tech on heavy automation machine, so need to able to bend, twist and lift 15-20kg. So BLT is a must on this job.

2010 - I injured my back during upgrading project, as i try to pulled and pushed some metal crate weight 30-50kg. Immediately after moving the metal crate, my back was very sore. Next day, i am unable to move without some serious pain. I tried to rehab myself for 6 months, and i am back to normal.

2012 - I re-injured my back again without any memory of having any drama as i recalled. I think my back was getting weaker. So i rest and rehab my core and i am back to normal after 6-9 months. Since then, i am getting stronger as i build my core.

2014 - I went to do XRAY and MRI as i have intermittent back problem such as stiffness and slight sore on back and legs. MRI showed L5S1 DDD, bulge and annular tear and L4/5 seem to be good. I am still normal in my condition as i able to workout at the gym and function my work.

2015 to 2016 - After some busy and heavy work during this year, my back was out again during December 2015. As per normal, i tried to rehab myself again. In Feb 2016, i made a big mistake to go CHIRO and then my condition became worse with sciatica on my legs after hearing a pop on my back while he did a manipulation on my lower spine. Since then, i have not been better and got worse and worse till Sep 2016. I went to a Spine rehab centre which was conducted by the neurosurgeon to rebuild my core strength and rewire my pain signal.

2017 to now - My rehab did work and sciatica was gone and my pain level did went down. I am able to sit, stand and walk for anytime to an hour without much discomfort or pain. But somehow, i still unable to lift anything more than 3kg and bending forward which causes burning & stabbing pain on my lower back. Although, it will get better after 1-2 weeks of bed rest.

I really hate it, as it affect my work and my normal activity during this 1-2 weeks as the pain level can shoot up to 7/10. Then my tolerant of sit, stand and walk turn from 5-10mins before the pain start to crawl into my back.

Then March 2017, i went to do a DISCOGRAM and CT which found the dye leak through my L5S1 torn annulus fibrosus and pain & pressure is similar. During the test, i have slight pain and discomfort as i did not have much pain before i went in. Since i have some been doing rehab and prevent myself from hurting, i will said i am normal. I think my case is very unique and strange as my pain only comes when i BLT. My L5S1 is pretty DDD with drop height, bulge and annular tear has not heal up properly with scar tissue. Therefore, when i load my spine and you can imaging it squash and crack the fibrosus which i will felt burning or hot liquid pour into my lower back.

So, after a long tough rehab journey and my decision is to replace with ADR LP-ESP on June 2017. My surgeon think that i have tried my best using all conservative treatment. Therefore, the only way to get back to my job and normal lifestyle are through surgery intervention. Let hope, it will goes well from there.

Note, I will like to hear from anyone who has done ADR/fusion on L5S1. Please input your thought, as i will deeply appreciate.

Thank you
Cheers
Don

Your MRI looks kind of similar to mine. My tear is smaller, but you can never tell how big it is with MRI. Your DDD doesn't seem too bad aside from the tear though. Your height looks OK and the signal intensity isn't nearly as bad as some I've seen. I'm wondering if you've consulted with Regennex? They have some success with annular tears with their stem cell treatment.

Hi FutureRobot,

I did ask Regennex Australia, they said can help me. But i am thinking more on the surgery to permanently get the damage disc fix so that i will not have to think about my back all the time. I am sure if you let it heal for a year or two, if nothing work then i guess there is no point of wasting $$$ and time into some treatment from Regennex.

About the tear, i agree as you need a discogram CT in order to see the dye on the disc. I have a clear cut on my dye where it is leaking out but i do not have much pain as i went in without much pain also. So my case is strange and my surgeon also agree. But i am sure that my L5S1 affect some point in my life now. I also believe my L5S1 did heal with some scar tissue and overall the quality is not reliable. I also believe my strong core did help to stable the condition.

So futurerobot, what is your plan for yourself? Hope to hear from you again.

Cheers
Don