First I'd like to ask if anyone can recommend a good back brace and where they got it from. Something that supports the low back and is not to big and bulky.
I'm currently suffering from a couple bulged/herniated discs L-4, L-5 S-1. Also have onset of arthritis with minor nerve impingement, and the L-5 is also dengenerative AND to top it off, have onset of stenosis. I have some minor tingling and numbness in my feet and if the sciatica is involved its minor. Been to an Orthopedic who prescribed conservative treatment to start and doesn't feel I'm a candidate for surgery right now, which I'm good with. That will be a LAST resort for me. With all that said I have a lot of discomfort and the stretches and exercises are minimally helping. I've also seen a chiropractor a few times but they have been conservative as well. I to afraid to be popped and twisted on. I can't go back to the pain I was initially in. Anyone else in this club?
My L3/L4 is blown and I've had a laminectomy done on the L3/L4. Additionally, when I was in my 20s, my L4/L5 and L5/S1 were all fused. At that time my L3/L4 was perfect and happy. Faced with 10 years of doing all the work of my L4/L5 and L5/S1, and my L3/L4 popped. I'm skipping having the L3/L4 fused as I've learned to live with it.
With bad backs, you normally find out the next day that you hurt yourself doing something earlier.
Things I cannot do.
Stand. Standing kills me.
Walk for a distance. I must take back breaks and am unable to walk or work for any length of time.
Ride any type of vehicle (jet ski/motorcycle/ATV/whatever) that asks my L3/L4 to transfer twisting torque (from like handlebars) down to my lower body.
Vacuuming and sweeping. Both kill me as the twisting causing pain.
Everywhere I go, I brace myself with my elbows to take weight off of my back.
When I wake up, I have back pain from not moving. A little bit of movement expands the L3/L4 disk relieving pain. Every morning I sit down in a Herman Miller Equa chair which as just enough "give" so that my back can move a bit and release some pain. I have four of these chairs in storage so that if I cannot find them in the future, I have my own stash of them.
Inside down table cause me more pain, but they work for a lot of people and so you may want to try that.
If you're fused, you will not want chairs with lumbar support. barrel-backed chair will be the most comfortable.
