A while back I was waiting to hear from the Hospital
regarding my MRI scan for my lower back, and you guys
gave great input and sound advice.
Now I have been told that no surgery needed and that I
Have one buldging disc an L5 But now NHS Physio seem unsure
as how to treat this.
Does anyone know how long before the disc stops touching the
Siatic nerve and what have you done to get over this and how
long was the recovery period and excercises you had to do.
Mines been over 3 years - don't panic - it's a full prolapse and I had a numb, powerless foot for weeks. The disc will 'dry up' and shrink. Pilates core strength exercises. Go to a good osteopath, not physio (£50 first time then ~£30 for follow ups).
Try MacKenzie, but go easy - Here
Riding eased/eases mine. 
Treat it as two separate problems - a bad back and then sciatica.
Joss Naylor has lived with it for over 50 years (though he had surgery)
View surgery as a last option - I nearly went for it, but now sooooo glad I didn't.
Good luck - it will get better, but look after it.
Just reading the Joss Naylor biography at the moment
Consider alexander technique and I have also had this book reccomended to me.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Treat-Your-Back-Robin-McKenzie/dp/0959804927
Mine settled after a time - I never had a solid diagnosis but did have siatica
Ok thank you for the advice and help
And will be buying the McKenzie book
I went through this in 08, thought it was the worst debilitating pain I have ever experienced over a prolonged period. It did take months to get comfortable, and a year to feel real good. I still get some tingling in my foot/leg but no pain since recovery. My NHS physio was great, I think I struck lucky there.
I've had to change my lifestyle a wee bit, cut out anything silly (lifting heavy stuff etc). I still ride lots, and I'm as fit as I ever was, still go to the gym. You will get there but it is a slow process, it's worth taking it easy as the recovery, in my case has been very good, far better than I could have imagined at the time.
+1 not physio.
I'm sure to be offending someone on here, but my experiences (of a few physios) has been one of a brutal 'massage' trying to force the muscles to pull my back straight. Never again will I subject my poor tortured body to that kind of pointless pain...
Of course everyone's different.
And will be buying the McKenzie book
You can have mine for a couple of £ to cover postage.
Six years for my L4-L5 ad L5-S1.
Spent a year with a numb/tingly foot and still get some sciatica to this day.
To be honest, it gets worse the more I work on it.
If ignore it and just do a little running/riding, it's OK.
If I go to phsyio and do all the back exercises I'm supposed to it hurts like hell.
(Right now I'm eating donuts ad drinking coffee and it feels great)
Thanks Boxelder can you e-mail me grantway01@hotmail.com
Woodsman/papawheelie does this siatic pain ever go?
and when or how long before you guys was back in the saddle
Plus does it still hurt when you ride hard trails?
Mate
I had a prolapse (big, L4-5) diagnosed on the 31st Oct. I had the usual siatic pain all the way down, plus pins and needles and loss of strength in my right leg. First 6 weeks it eased slowly and i kept going to spin once a week but put the saddle about 1 inch lower than normal, and only stood up once in a while. HOWEVER Mrs Berry reccomended accupuncture (bad hip during pregnancy) and in the subsequent 5 weeks i am now doing 90% of my normal activity, no painkillers, very little tingling and the odd bit of discomfort in my calf, but i would 100% put my speedy recovery down to Dr xing in Halifax.........now going once every 2 weeks just for a tune up. Hope this helps. alex
Grant,
The sciatic pain was severe, it did fade with time, a matter of weeks, 6 plus from memory before any noticable decrease, and gradually decreased over six to twelve months from there. Now I have some discomfort from time to time, but not pain. I can normally alleviate this with glute and hamstring stretching - lightly! I still get some sensation - tingling in foot, but it's not even a discomfort now.
I did ride probably too soon, but lightly and I remember it did antagonise things, but the pain was so sevre I couldn't really over do it.
It will get better, it may not seem it now but, in a matter of months you will be riding again, and your body will regulate what you can do. I feel as strong as ever now, I hope that is some encouragement for you!
I found just a general back massage by a partner was just as effective/therapeutic as a physio.
Oh, I had some muscle relaxing drugs when things were acute, they help a little - can't remember what they were though.
You will ge there, all the best.
Pete
Thanks for that guys
Have been visiting Osteopath and been doing running
on a tread mill and balance excercises and core stregnthening
Dont know if this is slowing doing recovery period as its been
nearly 5 months of this. I dont have the tingle pain Just Siatic
stabbing in the right leg.
So what happens to your disc after you kind of recover
Glad to hear you guys doing well
Thanks again for info
keeps me looking forward
Grant
You guys are crazy. I had a lot of pain (and attendant depression) for about 6 months, tried physio, chiropactor, steroid injections etc etc. Doc recommended surgery but I wasn't sure and wanted to wait. One day the pain was so bad I went to his office and said "either you arrange the surgery now, or I do it myself with a Stanley knife on the kitchen table". He said "probably better we have a surgeon do it".
Best decision I made. It was on BUPA at a private clinic, but I would pay with my own money to do it.
Can't you tighten a decent adjustable spanner over it and gently bend it back into position?
Oh hang on... ...wrong type of disc 
I couldn't imagine running whilst going through that sort of pain - each to their own.
The disc shrinks back enough over time, to relieve the pressure on the sciatic nerve, although it will never be as good as it was pre-problems, and possibly a weakness will remain. Also, the nerve can become 'tethered' as a result and some symptoms remain. According to my doctors.
Take it easy and re-evaluate the running IMO. Stretch the glutes to eliminate pireformis (sp) syndrone - where the path of the sciatic nerve travels a slightly unusual path, through the glute muscles.
I have a bulging disc at T1/2, which has been interesting. 
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