Question
hi my name is Eoin mcdonagh im 21 years old im from ireland.before my back would get weak and crack when i bent over slightly after a minute or two i went to the gym i trained my back and abs the next day when i got up i had a very sharp pain in my lower back i went to my doctor he said it was cartilage damage he puts a vibrating pad on my lower back 3 times a week its doing nothing for me is there a way to fix this?thanks

Answer
Dear Eoin,

I am not sure how the doctor came to his conclusion of cartilage damage in your low back, and at what spinal level did the damage occur?  Damage to the cartilage that lines the endplates of the vertebra or the joint spaces?  Did he actually perform an orthopedic evaluation with range of motion and physical testing of your low back?  By the way, what kind of doctor did you go to?  Did the doctor take any x-rays to look at the disk space, the joint spaces, and the structure of the spine?  Also how is the vibrating pad supposed to fix the supposed cartilage damage?

Please give me some more details, and I can make a more accurate assessment of a more appropriate course of action.  by the way, I will be out of town for 2-3 days, so I will not be able to respond till next week.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net