Question
I recently had an Electromyography which showed my right ankle having 1/2 of the strength it should have.  My MRI showed a bulging disc and nerve damage. It stated in their words: "Unchanged concentric disc bulge and facet hypertrophy causing mild bilateral neural foraminal/extra foraminal broad-based protrusion encroaches upon the postganglionic right L3 nerve root.  Also unchanged spondlyosis with neural foraminal & subarticular spinal stenosis, worst at L5-S1 on the left where the L5 dorsal root ganglio remains impinged. First, what does this mean?  I have received 1 epidural injection to date approx. 6 weeks ago, a cortisone injection 3 weeks later and now another epidural injection tomorrow, surely followed by one more 3 weeks after that which will be the final 3 shots in a 6 month period as allowed.  If this does not work, will I need surgery to stop the pain from the rear end down through the leg?  I just had disc surgery in May, 2006 and once prior in November, 1996.  This is also causing my right ankle to roll over due to the weakness showing in the electromyography, it is not broken but obvious nerve damage, correct based on the MRI along with the Electromyography results? Can all of this be corrected solely with Epidural Injections or is Surgery more likely, how do you correct nerve damage?  Any other alternatives to Surgery such as Accupuncture or is that fruitless if the Epidural's don't work?  

Thanks again,

Dean

Answer
Hi Dean,

You have foot drop secondary to the disc pressing against your spinal cord. For the last 20 years it has been widely known that 95% of low back surgery is unnecessary and of those, 70-80% fail. Epidurals are useless, they don't fix anything, they can and do cause however arachnoiditis and anaphylaxis from the steroid. Run, don't walk from your present care giver. He will butcher you if they cut. Research this online, it's amazing these people aren't in jail.

All you need is spinal decompression or preferably, flexion/distraction therapy.....Call around and ask if your local D.C. performs this technique. Research F/D on line and you will find it is the treatment of choice for herniated discs. You may not be a candidate if you have stabilization screws in your spine. I do it on some post-op patients but some may not. Whatever you do, stop the epidural madness and have a spine expert look at it, not a spine surgeon. If you go to a surgeon, you'll get just that, surgery.Even if you need it or not!    SAD!

Dr. Timothy K. Durnin
drs.chiroweb.com