Lower back diagnosis with MRI

I don't know about DDD but I do know I herniated L5/S1 and eventually had a chunk of it removed.

This hasn't stopped me at all, other than more of a focus on back health, which comes with benefits of its own, e.g. learning healthier lifestyle and pedalling habits!

I would say though that the biggest improvement and most freeing advice I've received from physio has been on the mental aspect. Co-inciding with taking medication after a chronically stressful few years at work I'm gradually learning to relax tge back muscles and stop 'guarding' them. A lot of my pain and issues were due to chronically tight low back muscles, in part because they were over-user (lazy glutes) but in part because I was always unconsciously guarding and tensing up every time I made any sort of low back movements.

My physio taught me safe ways to teach my back that bending is OK, and breathing exercises to consciously relax it when I feel tension growing.

I'm now able to comfortably deadlift, am gradually lowering the stem on my road bike as I get used to it, and did 14hrs on the MTB at the weekend, so it's no barrier at all.

Just prepare yourself to spend a wee bit of money finding a good physio, I think of them as much as therapists as physios and some just won't speak your language. I've found (HUGE generalisation) that recently qualified or PhD female physios seem to be more on board with the more holistic/mental side of things, but that's only based on 2 that I've seen over the last ten years (out of maybe 10 physios in total).

Well lumbar degenerative disc disease is probably just a sign of ageing - IIRC 50% of asymptomatic 50 year olds will show it on MRI (by age 60 it is more like 90%) - and that is in people with no symptoms. I don't think we can confidently attribute a specific person's low back pain to degenerative disc disease per se.

Without knowing the details of your case specifically: most of the time MRI in non specific low back pain is used to rule out causes (cancer/inflammation etc) rather than to make a positive diagnosis of cause. So we might use MRI only in select cases where we actively want to rule these out (certainly most people with back pain don't need an MRI). I would pre-empt these scans by saying at the beginning that we are hoping to only find some degenerative disc disease.

I'm not sure I would limit any sports based on a MRI finding of lumbar degenerative disc disease in someone over 40-50. I would just go against symptoms. If it is still limiting then a good physio can be helpful as per 13thfm post. 

Or in other words - once the MRI has ruled out any causes of concern so that person is generally free to do what they want, depending on their symptoms. In most cases the symptoms are just symptoms - they don't indicate more damage etc is happening. So it is up to the individual to decide how much they want to tolerate. A physio may advise if this is not the case.*

*I am a GP but not your specific health care professional. This does not constitute directed medical advice to you etc.

Had a herniated L4/L5 disc diagnosis in 2007 after an MRI scan. Mine is not affected by cycling and at the time it was the only exercise I could do for any length of time. I had a nerve-block spine injection in 2007 and went mad on core stregth exercises plus bouldering and climbing. Touch wood it's not recurred though bridging climbing moves are no longer an option as they aggravate the injury.

For clarity - a herniated (bulging/"prolapsed") disc is not the same as a degenerative disc - though the latter does make the former more likely. A herniated disc is managed in a similar way unless the bulging bit also presses on a nerve (giving nerve pain elsewhere - most common would be affecting the sciatic nerve hence "sciatica") in which case if the nerve pain doesn't settle over time, or the nerve is being damaged by the pressure, then an injection or surgery might be considered. These wouldn't usually be sensible options for degenerative discs.

I've had lower back problems for many years, including at least three episodes where my back spasmed, causing me excruciating pain and the back locked up.

I've seen many physios and had various treatments (I find IMS works best). I'm old enough (61) that I've almost certainly got some element of prolapsed disc in the mix as well.

However, none of this has stopped my cycling but I will caveat that statement by saying I now do a LOT of stretching as lack of flexibility was a exacerbating my back problems.

So...make sure you ask your physio to guide you. They will almost certainly have you doing lots of flexibility tests and will advise you accordingly (my main problem is/was too tight hamstrings causing my pelvis to tilt forward and straining my lower back)

I've two herniated discs diagnosed by MRI scan back in 2000.  I do need to stretch and do yoga 5 days to of 6 orals I do start walking 'funny', but find cycling the best thing for it.  On occasions I can have trouble actually getting on the mtb, but after 2-3 hours you wouldn't know I have anything wrong - it's like the movement of my hips while pedalling greases my lower back.  I am a mtber so maybe the moving around on the bike and more relaxed pedalling position helps.  As my mileage heads up towards 150-200 miles a week then I do find I need to stretch more.  So no, having had herniated discs for 25 years now, it certainly hasn't stopped me riding, I've even been first in my age category in the Coed-y-brenin enduro and regularly top three in age class in other events.  I'm 61 by the way.