Question
My clinical view: Strong pain in the right leg only during some activities (bending or sitting for long time)
The finding of my MRI was as follows:
Right posterilateral disc protrusion at the L5/S1disc level with moderate compression of the right descending S1 nerve root.

I am 2 months after the origin of the problem and i am following the conservative method of treatment with laser and electrotherapy.
My question is how long it takes for a disc like this to be healed? Any tips?

Answer
Dear Adonis,

The short answer is that it takes months to years for a disc to heal.  The truth is that when a disc is injured and bulging or protruding, it never really ever returns to normal. This does not mean that you will have pain forever. The degenerative changes that will come as a result of the disc injury are not always painful, although they do make you more prone to having pain.

The main thing that I recommend is that you continue conservative management of the  condition as long as you feel that you can. Sometimes epidural injections are helpful. Surgery is the last resort.  When you start to feel better, you must remember that the disc is still not "normal", and that you can easily re-injure yourself again.  When you are feeling better, continue with your exercises. Do them every day for the rest of your life to help restore strength and flexibility to the spine.

Give yourself time. Do not go out and re-injure the back by being impatient.

I hope that this helps you.

Dr Biggs
www.eastmesachiropractor.com