Thanks Dr. Corenman for your explanation of diagnosing a patients symptoms related to the annular tear vs a ruptured disk. I am 63 and a hardwood floor contractor. I have been treated with Epidurals at L-5.S-1 left sided for about the last 10 years related to the symptoms of annular tears. Oh! My back went out with instability in the vertebral L-5 area. Usually the left muscles lock up and radiate around the left groin area. This last one which started last Wednesday when I started to stain a staircase was like a minor electrical shock across the L-5 meridian. Within minutes I was in complete spasm. I went home as my employees completed the stain work. All I could do was sit in my Danish Back chair and go to bed laying on my sides. I had to get out of bed to turn over. Lol my pain management specialist got me in Monday for an 80mg Depo Medrol injection. When I got off the table with no sedative I had no pain so the diagnostic aspect says he injected into the heart of the inflammation. It usually takes me a full month to full recovery and during that time I may have a few minor back aches and then none for up to one year. I had no injections from 2008-2013 as the recession had me working part time, I assume. My last MRI stated that I has moderate to severe nerve compression from L-4 to S-1 with 1-3mm bulges. 3mm at S-1. My question is if I did nothing most likely I would be back to normal in 14 Days. The epidural took 70% of my vertebral pain away in 24 hours. I am back walking normally and no gait in 48 hours. I still have some soreness in the joint if I walk too much. Sitting in my back chair with an ice pack seems to release that tension. Also do Annular Tears heal left untreated? Am I possibly in a tear, back spasm, epidural and healing of the Annular Tear process, one to the next, year after year?
