L4, L5, S1 Disc Damage Often Caused by Tight Iliopsoas Muscles

L4, L5, S1 Disc Damage Often Caused by Tight Iliopsoas Muscles
My friend has been diagnosed with bulging L4, L5 disc, and an annular tear or herniated disc in L5, S1. She is only 15 years old so the prognosis is excellent for a full recovery, over time and with the proper treatment. This article is for her and for others with this problem. It is also for everyone else who might like to avoid damaging these discs. DISCLAIMER: I'm not a medical professional. This is presented for information only. Your care is your decision and your doctors' opinions should be included in your choice. One of the few benefits of aging is experience and knowledge gained from experience. I learned of the Ilopsoas muscle when I found myself nearly crippled for a couple of years. I didn't want to take steroids, the medical profession's method for preferred treatment for many things immune deficiency related, so I launched a long research journey. That is how I discovered the iliopsoas muscle. I got a lot of pain relief from having the illiopsoas deep tissue massaged and stretched. To this day, I still do the exercises I learned and have no back pain. I would venture a guess and state that most of us would be well advised to make sure our illipsoas muscles are not too tight. I will address how to do that below. Again, in good conscience, follow your own intuition and include your doctors' opinions and advice as you craft your own therapy. Again, this is directed to my 15 year old friend. Forgive me for not going into more detail for older people. You will find that information in the links included below. Too many people suffer back pain without knowing the root cause. An MRI is needed to see if there is damage to the disc(s) and what kind of damage there is. Sadly, the co-pay for MRIs is pricey, but the consequences of not knowing the root cause can be greater. The common disc disorders for L4, L5, and S1 are bulging discs, annular tears, and/or herniated discs. A picture is worth a thousand words. This is an MRI of an older patient, but we can see the different types of injuries. There are three different colored arrows for each of the following. If you print this out use the numbers 1 - 3 that list from top to bottom in the picture: 1. L3/4 disc - Top and Blue Arrow = Healthy disc 2. L4/5 disc - Middle Green Arrow = suffered a smaller 4mm disc protrusion, bulging disc 3. L5/S1 disc - Bottom and Red Arrow = suffered a 9mm disc extrusion (red arrow) that is not contained by the PLL (posterior longitudinal ligament) called an annular tear. ASK DOCTOR For the measurements of damage. Also note that the L3/4 disc is white in color, which indicates it is non-degenerated (i.e., full of water and healthy proteoglycan). L5/S1) is "black" on this MRI image, which indicates disc desiccation (lack of water and proteoglycan)... which is usually a precursor to disc herniation for it weakens the annulus which contains the pressurized nuclear material. Many people just take NSAIDS to reduce inflamation and help with the pain. Few realize how dangerious this is if NSAIDS are taken often over a long period of time. Here are a few quotes from The Politics of Pain: Stop the Madness, by notkarkyet acetaminophen may be the most common cause of acute liver failure in the United States NSAIDS are also one of two main causes for BLEEDING ULCERS. The other is H Pylori. "Major adverse gastrointestinal events attributed to NSAIDs are responsible for over 100,000 hospitalizations, US $2 billion in healthcare costs, and 17,000 deaths in the US each year. The pain associated with bulging and/or herniated disc is chronic. People go for years with this pain. The medical field treats this pain as follows; however, if you ask people with bulging and herniated discs few will report a CURE from pain even after surgery: Rest and lifting restrictions are common, and a doctor may recommend a combination of heat and ice therapy and anti-inflammatory medications or cortisone injections. Medication may be prescribed to deal with any associated pain. Recommended Treatments for a torn or herniated disc are: Heat and cold therapy Stretching Physical therapy Exercise Weight loss Steroid injections Painkillers and anti-inflammatories More My 15 year old friend is thin, has danced for 10-20 hours a week so is very dancer stretched, and has spent many weeks in physical therapy. However, when not dancing is quite sedentary with no interest in any sports or aerobic exercise. She's probably too tired. Well, now she will need to take a break from dance for a while and will need to choose her cure. Pain killers and NSAIDS are not an option. Btw, LorTab and hydrocordisone include NSAIDS. Steroid injections are not a cure and often don't work. Spinal decompression is another treatment often recommended. My logic and previous experience told me that, if the Iliopsoas is tighter than a drum that the spinal decompression wouldn't work, so I am calling my friend's physical therapist. Well, I just got off the phone with the physical therapist. The good news is that little to no work has been done, to date, on her Iliopsoas, which refers to the combination of three muscles: psoas major psoas minor iliacus I asked him if decompression would work if the Iliopsoas muscles are tighter than a drum. He said "No" My theory was confirmed by a professional. She will start treatment to loosen these muscles, right away. It requires deep muscle tissue massage by a trained physical therapist, stretching, and some specific exercises. Of course, I went looking for some confirmation on line, too: yes, it's possible...if you have a disc bulge or minor herniation it could only be symptomatic under certain conditions (poor posture, weakened core, fatigue, low pressure/weather). A tight psoas is another smart observation. You can palpate it, but it's difficult to describe...I'll look for a prior description I posted. A tight piriformis could also contribute to the problem. Google for some basic stretches. There's also the possibility you have a tight QL, or SI joint issues, etc. Strongest of the hip flexors (rectus femoris, sartorius, and tensor fasciae latae), iliopsoas is important for standing, walking, and running. It is, however, a typical posture muscle dominated by slow-twitch red type 1 fibers, and is therefore susceptible to pathological shortening or contracture (especially in older people with a sedentary lifestyle) and requires regular stretching to maintain normal tone. Such shortening can lead to increased anterior pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis (unilateral shortening), and limitation of hip extension. (bilateral weakness) So, with the tight illiopsoas theory confirmed, I went looking for more information. Here's a video that explains it very well Psoas Muscle Causes Herniated Disk L4 L5 S1 YouTube link http://www.youtube.com/... CONCLUSION: Lower back pain and or disc problems? 1. MRI Most insurance will cover most. Check with our insurance provider. You can find some pricing information here. Make the calls and Shop around. I saved $1,350 on a foot Xray by shopping around to get a good price if I paid cash. I learned that a Doctor's referral saved $1,200 which is what the charge for emergency room would have been. 2. Illiopsoas work by professional trained in deep tissue work and physical therapy 3. Talk with Doctor about less harmful pain relief and or other medications that aren't addictive and don't destroy your liver, etc. We are all on our own here. I research any med before I take them. I don't take any. 4. Strengthening techniques, once you get the go ahead from your team of professionals. 5. Healthy lifestyle thereafter to include regular aerobics. 6. If weight is an issue, think about reducing. Weight causes huge stress to our structure. 7. Diet. Original article and pictures take http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/02/1061097/-L4-L5-S1-Disc-Damage-Often-Caused-by-Tight-Iliopsoas-Muscles site