As I mentioned above... Marcia's films were quite dramatic. She's given me permission to post them and I think you'll be impressed.
Look at the size of the disc herniation (not contained) at L5-S1. L4-5 has a bulge or contained herniation. L2-3 is flat and dehydrated (typically not painful, but can be.)
I do believe that her job and fitness level go a long way towards making this possible, but I know others with very big disc herniations, both cervical and lumbar patients, who've had excellent recoveries with no surgery. I think the lentgth of disability is significant. If you've been down for years, that is very different from someone who's had back pain on and off for years, but has only been very bad for a few months. (Although Marcia had been at it for a good while when she first contacted me. She had average pain level 7, 60% low back pain, 40% leg pain. Latest bout of chronic pain was 1.5 years old with it much worse for the last 6 months.)
My spine looked like hers. My discectomies had resolved the leg pain associated with the disc protrusions, but the endless low back pain continued to get worse and worse year after year. I know I couldn't have waited much longer... I think 5 years of pain and 3 years of disability... last year as a shut in was enough. The questions I try to get people to ask themselves are:
1. Am I bad enough to justify surgery?
2. Do I have any reasonable expectation that I'll get better without surgical interventions?
3. If I decide to wait, do I risk giving up options that I have now... that might not be possible later. (Do I already have marginal facets or marginal instability for ADR - if I let it det worse...do I give up options?)
These are tough questions that we face... especially #2. As I tell people... "We have very few options and they all suck. We are just looking for the one that sucks the least."
I'm so glad that Marcia contacted me and is willing to share. While our stories of surgical success give many hope, and the stories of less than successful surgeries add a necessary dose of reality... Marcia's story of success without surgery may help others to achieve it as well.
More later...
Mark