Question
Saturday while cleaning, I felt a pop in my back and it hurt, but not so bad, Sunday a little worse, by Monday I couldn't walk or stand. I called my pcp and asked for a MRI- long story short and much run around I got it. I'm in intense pain and don't want to head back to the "specialists"  I had a bad experience with chiro's when a similar "degenerated disk" L5/S1 occured about 15 yrs prior.  I assumed it had healed.

The MRI says on sagittaln images the vertebral bodies are normal in height, alighment, and marrow signal. There is mild disc desiccation at L4/5 and L5/S1 without significant loss of dish height. The conus terminates at L1 and is normal inappearance. There is a small hemangiomain the T12 vertebral body.

On axial and parasagital images there is no significant neural encroachment at L2-3 and L3-4.  At L4-5 there is a mild disc bulge w small annular tear.  There is no significannt neural encroachment. At L5/S1 there is a small to moderate sided right disc protrusion which does not abut or displace the hecal sac or the existing nerve root. No significant spinal stenosis is seen at any level and the paraspinal soft tissues appear normal.

Conclusion:
1. Small to moderate sized right central disc protrusion at L5/S1 w/out significant neural displacement.

2. Mild disc bulge at L4/5 w annular tear.

The drugs I'm taking are valium 2mg, celebrex 200mg 2x,
Tizanidine and tramidol.  I'm starting on two patches of Liorizine?? on for 12 hours off for 12 hours.  The dr wants to start steroid injections.  I don't want to go back to that office and I'm unsure what the MRI means, how long will I feel this pain and be out on my back? Is the MRI not that bad?? I have three kids, 8-6-4 and need to be up moving soon.  Should I concider PT?

Any advice would be so appreciated!

Answer
You definitely need to be doing some physical therapy and rehab. The meds you're taking will help with some of the symptoms, but you need to follow it up with some rehab. Disc injuries do get better if you give it enough time and do the right things.

In short, the disc is like a jelly doughnut. The disc can degenerate, bulge, or herniate. Degeneration is when the doughnut dries out. A bulge is when the jelly pushes out on the dough and can pinch a nerve. A herniation/protrusion is when the jelly leaks out of the dough and can press or irritate a sensitive nerve root causing back pain and burning pain or shooting pain down the leg.

I can't give you any specific advice on what exercises and stretches to do, but an appointment with a qualified physical therapist or chiropractor should point you in the right direction.

There is an article in the April 2008 issue of FIGHT! magazine (Back Pain in MMA) that explains all about what you have going on. It may give you some more information as well.

Good luck and be patient. Sugery and injections aren't always necessary to manage disc bulges and herniations.