Question
QUESTION: 2 years ago i hurt my back at work. due to lack of space in the small office i work, i had to sit on a non cushioned, backless, uneven stool for almost ten hours,  at about the 8th hour, i was in extreme pain, had to keep standing up. my question is. is the stool i was sitting in at fault for this? i may have twisted but cannot pin point when it happened exactly. i have never had a back injry prior to this. ive had 4-5 different tests all showing positive for herniation, also have left leg and foot numbness with foot atrophy. had cortizone inj x's6 and months of therapy, and many different meds. heading towards surgery now. i was just wondering, could a stool be responsible for this kind of injury?

ANSWER: Joy;

This is one of the most difficult questions to answer as a doctor; we get this kind of question a lot when we work on worker's comp/ labor and industries type of case.

The important thing is understanding what I like to call the nature of the disc...how it works, how it is injured.  

There is a great discourse on the disc on my website: www.dynamicclinic.com.  There you will see that the disc decays over time, but is accelerated by bad posture (stools do count), trauma, and some diseases.  

The bad part of this is that it has gone on so long, improperly treated, that now it is affecting the motor part of your nerves, the part that makes your body move.  This is the point at which the neurosurgeon needs to be brought in.

I wish I could have gotten your email years ago; I would have told you to come and see me and we could help you out.  There is still hope for you, though... traction can help reverse these effects, as can extension exercises.  Your local chiropractor can help you with this.  It certainly doesn't have to be an online expert like me!   

At six injections you will soon reach your limit for them, if you haven't already.   DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN BEFORE YOU GO UNDER THE KNIFE!!!!

All you have to do is Google "Failed Low Back Surgery" to see how low the expectations are for lumbar disc surgery--- AS GOOD or BETTER THAN...  that's not the greatest.

If you are in Seattle, give my chiropractic office a call.   If not, go to chiroweb.com, they have an exhaustive database of chiropractors in the world.





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: one more question. thank you for your time. if poor posture plays a big role, would having to try and keep myself upright for such a long period of time, without lumbar support contribute to it? please try to give more insight and thank you again! joy

Answer
It is really the curve of the back that makes the difference.  If there is a forward curve, the disc is in a protected state, where the nucleus is driven forward.  I like to sit on the edge of my seat, allowing my spine to bow out.  You can do this on a ball, on a stool, or on a chair.  Obviously, having a level surface helps.  This is a structural problem, with a structural fix.

Hope this answer helps!

Dr. Carr
Seattle Washington