Question
Dear Sir,
I have lower back pain since 15 years. My most recent MRI states,
"There is a posterior central disc protrusion at L5/S1, with indentation of thecal sac and mild compression of both the existing nerve roots. No spinal canal stenosis."
Kindly tell me what it means and what should be the treatment. I live in pakistan and here the orthopedics have opinions diverse enough to confuse me b/w surgery, medication or only few exercises. I will be very much obliged.

Adil Farooq

Answer

Hanna Somatic Educatio Hello, Adil Farooq,

Disc protrusions commonly result from excessive muscular tension in the neighboring back muscles over a long period of time.

Although surgery and medication are common treatments, central to the situation is the muscular tension and the central question is how to bring the tension back to the normal range.

To answer that question and to provide a method for bringing the desired effect, I have written some articles and prepared an instructional webpage.

The pages to view are:

http://somatics.com/back_pain.htm
http://somatics.com/chronic_back_pain.htm
http://somatics.com/emergency_back_care.htm

These items will answer your questions and clarify medical opinions you may receive.

regard,
Lawrence Gold