What do I do with bulging discs, small scattered nodes in the upper and lower lumbar spine, mild ligamenttum flavum and facet joint hypertrophy, mild bilateral lateral recess narrowing, and bulging disc with a superimposed tiny central disc herniation.Along with mild degenerative changes in lower lumbar.Treatment you would recommend? Thanks Christina
Hi, Thanks for writing in.There are degenerative changes involving more than one disc in your lower back or lumbar spine region. There are a set of 5 small bones aligned one on top of the other and have spongy structures called discs between them. These discs have started bulging and creating pressure on nerve roots on either side and therefore causing back pain. The recommended treatment for bulging discs is as follows(i) Patient is first recommended physiotherapy.(ii) Patient is asked to restrict oneself from doing heavy physical work and lifting more than 10 pounds weight.(iii) Oral over the counter pain relievers might work initially.(iv) Muscle relaxants and pain relievers in ointment form might also help reduce the pain(v) Some patients also show pain relief after taking steroid injections in the disc regions.(vi) If pain increases in severity even after a year of physiotherapy and medications then a surgical approach is recommended.(vii) Laser assisted minimally invasive surgeries are also available