((Echoes))

I have been there honey Sooo painful! Mine were lumbar discs 4 and 5 (or 5 and 6) and simply everything was incredibly painful. I did take off work for several months and went into physical therapy. There is a doctor who saw me before the physical therapy began, halfway through, and at the end. I can't recall his title. But it wasn't a neurologist. A long-arse title though!

I seriously recommend talking with your regular doc about this kind of doctor, because they have extensive experience in these types of injuries. Personally, I was very against recommended surgery to hopefully alleviate the pain endured. Surgery seriously limits future abilities ~ never allowed to lift 20 pounds again, and it doesn't always work to control the intense pain! I had injections, which didn't seem to make a difference. I temporarily used pain medications, but I have a high pain threshold, there isn't much that can control my intense pain (other than knock me out).

There are lower back supports (to use in car seats, desk chairs, etc) which are incredibly helpful to relieve the stress. Making the surrounding muscles stronger, with the help of a physical therapist was most helpful for me. The physical therapist watched as I did specific exercises ~ and noticed my back tweaked to the side (I didn't even notice that), and told me to take a break from leaning over. That's just one example. Had I been at the Y, I wouldn't have noticed and could have seriously damaged the area!

Things to think about....very best wishes to you!!