Dear doctor,My mother has been experiencing little back pain for more than three years. So, she has been consulting some neurosurgeons for some time but no major problem has been detected by them. Recently, the pain has increased a lot. She had consulted a nearby orthopedic surgeon. He has taken an MRI. Now, he has detected a mild diffuse disc bulge in L4-L5 disc causing mild central canal stenosis and abutting bilateral traversing nerve roots with adequate foramina. He has suggested my mother take physical rest for more than two months and he has given some medication. He has been saying that the current issue with L4-L5 disc bulge is not very serious and can be treated with medication and physical rest. If the disc bulge does not get treated with medication even after some time like six months, then he said he would suggest a neurosurgeon who would operate on my mother for L4-L5 disc bulge. As I am not very familiar with medical terms, I wanted to take your help online to get better suggestions for my mother's treatment. Please suggest me the right treatment for the current condition. All the medical reports and MRI reports have been attached to this email. I hope for the best treatment for her in the current scenario.
Hello. I agree with her doctor that surgery should be postponed as much as possible considering the mild bulging. I suggest using painkillers and Amitriptyline (if no contraindications) for the pain. Consult your specialist doctor, discuss with him or her and start taking the medicine with their consent. Holding a lumbar brace and performing physiotherapy can help improve her situation. If the pain persists, surgery should be discussed again. Kind regards. For more information consult a neurologist online -->