Hi. Sorry you are hurting so bad.

I was 17 when they first found the DDD in me, same issue---black black black on all three levels L3-S1. I was told I was too young, I was told that it was no big deal and I was also told that I should not be in that much pain.

Thanks...I will take that into consideration before the next spasm hits!

So...DDD is basically a drying out of the disc. Think of a nice marshmallow and put it between two crackers. It is all soft and pliable. It bounces back when you push on the crackers.

Now...put your cracker/mallow combo on the counter for a month and then go back. The marshmallow is all dried out and shrunken. It is no longer springy and no longer pliable. This is the basis of DDD.

There have been many, many studies done where hundereds of people (in total, not per study) have been given an MRI. A great majority of them had DDD and had no idea, no back problems and no pain. It is only a lucky few that suffer as we do. It is, IMHO, generally related to having a congenitally short spinal canal or other spinal related issues like scoliosis.

The stabbing, shooting, lightening bolt feelings in your butt and down your legs are sciatica...lovely isn't it? I wonder...did you herniate the disc originally in your accident???

So...as for fusion...Only you can ultimately decide. My research in speaking with many people on this site, looking up case studies through Peer reviewed scholarly medical journals of quality and standard and, through speaking with some docs here....I would not have a fusion.

When a fusion happens....the chance of sucess is never more than 50/50 that is will relieve in part or all the pain that you feel. The probability that you will need further surgery not far off in the future is very, very high. At 22....You could probably expect your next surgery by 30.

I lived through years and years of what you are dealing with...I am truly sorry.

I would see if a "diet" of good muscle relaxers (flexeril = NO. Baclofen=YES, Ativan=YES) and good pain medications AND physical therapy---water is best....this combination would be the most advantageous to get you up and moving on a regular basis.

You will never be the same and you will always have issues...however; if you strengthen your core, learn to live with a certain amount of pain and do things that are protective of your back...you should probably be ok to live a "normal" life.

HUGS to you!!

They did X-Rays when I was first injured and didn't see anything, thus the "it's bruised muscle" diagnosis. On the previous MRI's that I've had haven't shown a herniated disk, only the DDD and two slight bulging disks in L4 and L5 again, although all the doctors, even this new one, say it's not causing the problems.

I was getting up from the toilet (embarassing, hehe) and this lovely popping (think bubble wrap) happened in my lower back and my right leg immediately started burning. My Mom drove down and made me go to the ER where they said it was most likely a herniated disk but because I had just had an MRI the month before they didn't want to do another one, also because I'm going to be seeing this other doctor and he would be the one to do it. Well, a few days after I got back I had another popping and now the left side is flared up as well.

Thank you for such a timely response! And letting me know I'm not alone in this.

The doctor is right - almost EVERYONE has DDD to a certain extent. It's just a fact of aging -- but some of us get it sooner than others. All DDD is, is the drying out of the discs. That's it. DDD by itself doesn't cause pain -- it's just when the discs bulge or herniate, they push on nerves that cause the pain. There are thousands of people walking around with bulging & herniated discs but they don't know it -- their discs aren't pushing on nerves!!

Sweetie, I hate to tell you but you ARE too young for this kind of surgery. When you have spine surgery, it changes your life forever. And surgery WILL NOT guarantee that your pain is relieved. Most often patients come out of surgery with the SAME pain or worse. Not very many get 100% pain relief. Surgery ONLY corrects the mechanical problems -- it does not correct pain very often.

Physical therapy is the best way to go -- along with aqua therapy. So you're on the right path. Best of luck & God bless. Keep us posted on your progress. Hugs, Lee

I have a 2 prong response for you....

As a health care professional:

Surgery is the the treatment of last resort. I have worked in hospitals that regularly do spinal fusions, and my experience is fusion surgery is at best 50/50. Many people that have a fusion end up getting a revision at some time, and pain management seems to be an issue even after surgery. Most doctors and PTs push for conservative treatment even beyond the point reasonable because 90% of the patients get better without surgery. Sadly, it sounds like your in the other 10% :(

As a back patient myself:

Nothing makes me angrier than a health care professional that does not have back pain telling me DDD shouldn't be a problem or most people that have DDD are fine. Is there pain.....is there DDD....is there pain where there is DDD....ITS A PROBLEM! I am sure most are fine with DDD, but there is also the people, like us, that make the exception.

I am sorta at the same crossroad that you are at with surgery. I'm not convinced I would take it if it was offered knowing the risk. I think the important thing to accomplish is setting a reasonable treatment expectation with your doctor, and if your meet with "it shouldn't be a problem" then fire them!

Hello! I've been a member for some time, but never posted. I agree with the other posters. I had 2 spinal fusions. One when I was 16, and again when I was 46. After the first fusion I did well for about 10 years, then I just put up with the pain till I gave in to fusion again at 46 y.o. The second time around they fused 8 levels and now I am much, much worse off; pain wise and with function. The decision to operate is ultimately yours to make. However, just remember to do your research and go to forums such as this one. So you are doing good so far!! Also remember that fusion can make a person worse off, and could you live with that? Also, surgeons often don't tell you this and sugar-coat this major, major surgery. It has been compared to open heart surgery. Last but not least, because you are young, if the surgery still leaves you in the same pain or worse, Pain Management Doctors or any doc's for that matter will probably not likely prescribe you pain meds. But like I said earlier, it's really your decision in the end. Hope today finds you pain-free or close to it...sarah

Leeall :
DDD can actually cause severe pain. There is a lot of information available about DDD, causes, treatments and the reasons why it can cause pain. There is also a support group on DS with information about it as well. I'm going to add a link about Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease, which is what I have.

http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/degenerative-disc-disease/lumbar-degenerative-disc-disease

You sound alot like me! I am 39 and my back starting going downhill 15 years ago, with the last 5 being the worst. Long story short, My MRI's were like that. From L1-L4 the discs were black and vertabre's were basically bone on bone. All the discs from L1-S1 are degenerated and buldging. I spent the last 5 years doing EVERYTHING I could to avoid surgery. Meds, pain management, injections, epiderals, and nerve burns(rhitzotomies). Last summer got unbearable and I knew I had all I could take. I had been keeping my eye out for a good surgeon for a few years and the same dr kept being reccommended. He is really hard to get in to and they pre-screen their patients so you have to be bad enough to even see him. I saw him in Oct and of course he said it was really bad. Which I knew because of all the pain even on pain meds and the rhizotomies were not helping anymore.
So he was booked until June of this year which I was happy about because it gave me plenty of time to do reshearch on him, get more opinions and basically pray my heart out that I was doing the right thing. Several things lead to my decision....I found not one bad thing about him, talked to a few of his patients that had he same surgery and are doing well. Other medical professionals said he was the best there is and would go to him if they ever needed. I had another rhizotomy in March and it did nothing at all for the pain. That was the first time in 3 years that had happened. And we did another scan late may and it showed more damage and progression of degeneration since Nov. I felt I had my answer and on June 16 I had a 3 level (L1-L4) fusion.
Just being honest...the first few days are beyond awful. These last few weeks have been pretty much the same. My back isn't too bad But I have alot of right leg nerve pain. That is horrible. My surgeon said when they got in there they realized it was worse than they thought. The nerves had been impinged for sooo long they were awful. If I had waited any longer they may have totally died off and not been able to be repaired....even at this point my right leg may not completly heal...too soon to tell.
OK.....I have rambled on long enough, just wanted to let you know my story. I hope it helped and good luck with what you decide to do. I know how hard it is and the decision is so hard to make.

Hey Autumn
Thanks for the post, sorry you had to suffer so much. Might I be able to get this doctors name and location? Surgery is the last thing I want to do but if I do have to do it my parents want the best of the best. Thanks!

i feel your pain, i dont really know much about your condition but i do know how hard it is to get correct treatment to find a doctor that takes you sereously about back pain, especially in younger people. im 20 and ive have to jump through hoops since i was 16 about my back and knees. just keep pushing and telling doctors what happens when your hurting,i hope everything goes well for you

My dr is in Michigan! I think your from CA right?? not sure if that would work for you but if you still want his info I can get it for you. I hope your well!!

Yes, I'm from California but my family and I are willing to go across the country if we have to. I'd love that information!

Do you have any MRI's or other scans? They pre screen all their patients and you have to have a severe enough issue for them to see you.

Yes, I've had a couple of MRI's, tons of X-Rays and I'll be having some other tests done hopefully soon.

Ok..I am going there tomorrow for my 6 wk x-ray. I will mention the situation to them and see what they say. Has any dr recommended surgery to you yet? That was one of the questions the y asked me when I tried to get in there.
Autumn

The pain in your leg is called Sciatica. It's not a diagnosis, but a symptom. Anybody who has dealt with a sever case of sciatica will tell you it is the most painful thing a human being can handle besides having a life threatening disease likes cancer or HIV. Basically, its the most painful thing you could ever feel, without being on your deathbed at the same time. I am 21 years old. About 7-8 months ago, I was working construction. I never had a major accident, but I did a TON of heavy lifting, and carrying of odd shaped pipes up and down flights of stairs. One day, outta the blue, I began feeling a slight discomfort in my left leg. It started out so little that I had no clue how serious it was. I went for about a month with a slight discomfort in my leg, without a clue as to why it was hurting. My back did not hurt what-so-ever. Just my leg. After a month, as I was getting out of bed one morning, I tripped and fell over some items on the floor. When I hit the ground, I felt an immediate searing pain shoot down the back of my leg. It became unbearable in the blink of an eye. 7 months, two epidurals, and 2 months physical therapy (with traction), and I still feel the pain. Though its gotten to a manageable pain level, it really puts a damper on my whole life. I was training to be a professional fighter, I am the drummer of a band whom is close to getting a record deal... So at any time while we're on the road, my back could go out again and I'd be screwed. I have considered surgery, but definitely NOT spinal fusion. The have new operations to replace the disc completely with a metal or hard rubber disc. In the last few years, they have apparently made enormous breakthrough operations that are far safer and far more effective than fusion, or removal of the bulge by cutting it off. I feel like my whole life is ruined. All I've ever wanted to do in life is be a pro fighter and a pro musician. Being that both of these require a healthy back, I may never be able to do the only two things I've ever been good at...
I do not have DDD, as all of my discs looked absolutely perfect, except the L5-S1 was dried out, but was caused by the tear and bulge in the disc, so it was not DDD. But my best guess is that you are experiencing sciatica, which can be practically crippling in severe cases. Hot to cold treatment works great over time. Try jumping in a hot tub and stretching as much as you can possibly handle, then immediately after, lay on your stomach with an ice pack sitting on your lower back to release some inflammation caused by the stretching. The stretching is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART!!!! There are several sciatica stretches I found online, that were exactly the same as the ones my PT told me to do. You need to stretch your hamstring out as often as possible to relieve pressure that a stiff muscle can put on the disc, which causes more inflammation, leading to more pressure on the nerve, leading to the pains you feel in your leg. Also, re-align your pelvis (months of not being able to be active throws off the alignment), by sitting down, placing both fists together between your knees. You make a barrier with your fists together, and push inward with your knees as hard as you can. You should feel a pop in your groin area. It feels really weird the first few times, but its worth it. You should also have a massage therapist massage out ANY tense muscle in your back, as only one tense muscle can lead to a series of things that lead to more pressure on the nerve. And don't even go the rout of taking pain killers. If your sciatica is anything close to as bad as mine was, it is so tempting. But I tried muscle relaxers, over the counter pain medicine, prescription percocet, and even went as far as getting crap off the street like Oxycontin. I only tried this ONE time, and it did NOTHING for me. This pain can NOT be regulated by pain killers. All that will happen is if you don't have strong will power like I do, you could become addicted to pain medicine. All I can say... STRETCH STRETCH STRETCH, and STRETCH SOME MORE! Every day, 2-3 times a day. There are lists of good sciatica relief stretches all over the internet. I've been dealing with it 7-8 months now.... the only time I get relief is when I stay on top of my stretching. When I stop, the pain slowly comes back. It is not an IMMEDIATE relief, but over a day or two, you will start feeling the relief of using the stretches. Hot and cold treatment.... stretching. It will not cure the herniation or DDD, but it WILL take any unnecessary tension off the nerve ending. It will help you maintain a manage pain level. Unfortunately, there is no other cure for this problem.