My adventures with a slipped disc and Amazon

[JohnnyTheFox]

Almost 2 weeks ago i woke up with a horrible pain in my neck and being that i had a slipped disc in my cervical spine about 9 years ago knew exactly the tell telltale signs, pain in the neck but what is worse is the pinched nerves and the pain/numbness and loss of strength that goes down{in this case the left arm/hand}.

Getting out of bed the last 10 or so days has been torture the pain running down the left arm.
Have tried everything from Epson salt baths/arthritis creams/oral steroids/tens machine/4 and half aleve before bed as well as doing stretches that i remembered from PT many years ago. Have been doing stretches from these guys the last couple days which believe it or not have brought small improvements.


I also decided to get a Inversion table and it arrived from Amazon this morning, upon opening the door i noticed 2 boxes on the front porch both identical, about 60 lbs each. I thought for a sec that maybe all the parts were in 2 different boxes but on closer examination it appears Amazon delivered 2 of the Tables. I immediately log in to make sure i was only billed for one{yes i was}. The whole thing is odd because i have never seen Amazon commit such a faux paus before, even the email i received where the driver takes the pic of the product on your porch for proof of delivery shows only one box. I am guessing the driver got confused maybe and left an extra one for w/e reasons. Anyways took me almost 2 hours to put the thing together and did about 5 minutes at moderate inverson which already feels a bit better

 

[Stash]

Almost 2 weeks ago i woke up with a horrible pain in my neck and being that i had a slipped disc in my cervical spine about 9 years ago knew exactly the tell telltale signs, pain in the neck but what is worse is the pinched nerves and the pain/numbness and loss of strength that goes down{in this case the left arm/hand}.

Getting out of bed the last 10 or so days has been torture the pain running down the left arm.
Have tried everything from Epson salt baths/arthritis creams/oral steroids/tens machine/4 and half aleve before bed as well as doing stretches that i remembered from PT many years ago. Have been doing stretches from these guys the last couple days which believe it or not have brought small improvements.


I also decided to get a Inversion table and it arrived from Amazon this morning, upon opening the door i noticed 2 boxes on the front porch both identical, about 60 lbs each. I thought for a sec that maybe all the parts were in 2 different boxes but on closer examination it appears Amazon delivered 2 of the Tables. I immediately log in to make sure i was only billed for one{yes i was}. The whole thing is odd because i have never seen Amazon commit such a faux paus before, even the email i received where the driver takes the pic of the product on your porch for proof of delivery shows only one box. I am guessing the driver got confused maybe and left an extra one for w/e reasons. Anyways took me almost 2 hours to put the thing together and did about 5 minutes at moderate inverson which already feels a bit better

Glad to hear that you're finally getting some relief, I hope it continues.

 

[CouchCoach]

I had to finally throw in the towel with mine and get a cervical fusion and if you consider that, go to a neurosurgeon.

I herniated L5 and 6 in my lower back and got an inversion table and it did provide relief while on it but it didn't last. Didn't think about that for my neck but you will need something to provide the stretch. I gave my inversion table away when I began to live alone. Make sure you have someone to spot you on that. I got too aggressive on the angle when I first got it as I am a "mo is mo bettah" idiot and I passed out hanging upside down like bat. It wasn't easy for my wife to get me back up and when I came to she said "well, I hope that additional blood to your brain worked". She had just read me the disclaimer about going slow and building up tolerance to the steeper angles but I was too busy trying to prove them wrong.

It's a pretty cool thing once you get it balanced right, you can move your whole body with just small shifts with your hands; however, you can't easily get yourself back up from the "bat position" without assistance and if you are passed out, it is even more difficult.

 

[Plankton]

Well, at least you now have a spare if the first table breaks or doesn't work.

I hope it helps you. I have two herniated disks in my lumbar (L4/L5 and L5/S1) region, and when they flare up, it's debilitating. Can only imagine how it feels when it's in your neck.

 

[Creeper]

Amazon has had a lot of problems lately. I love how they bill us for Amazon Prime but have not been adhering to the free 2 day shipping promise. I get how CV-19 has disrupted things but I get the feels that Amazon is taking a little advantage of the situation - except for you where you got two items for the price of one!

Good luck with your neck problem. Those are pretty bad.

 

[DanteEXT]

I ruptured a disc in my neck about 14 years ago. Some of the most excruciating pain I've ever felt down my left arm and couldn't feel anything in my thumb and forefinger. I thought I tore a muscle or something working out. I had a chiro appointment the day it started. She saw I was in pain and asked what was wrong. She knew immediately what happened when I told her about my arm hurting. Pretty deflating when she could pull my arm down with minimal force using her pinkie finger. She put me on a regimen of Aleve (I think)) and icing my neck. She directed me to get to a doctor, get the doctor to order an MRI (that part took some convincing with the doctor) and then a referral to a neurosurgeon. Doc wanted me to go to a local orthopedic surgeon but I insisted on the neurosurgeon. Finally got in to the same facility in Indy that worked on the Colts players at that time. Took a while and by the time I got there the pain was gone, the strength was back and so was the feeling. The surgeon did some strength tests and poked my fingers with a needle for a while to see if I could feel it. He told me the body has ways to heal/compensate and that while it was definitely a rupture he wouldn't recommend surgery at that time. Told me to avoid lifting heavy objects and not to lift things over my head so I have been following that advice ever since.

 

[Runwildboys]

Almost 2 weeks ago i woke up with a horrible pain in my neck and being that i had a slipped disc in my cervical spine about 9 years ago knew exactly the tell telltale signs, pain in the neck but what is worse is the pinched nerves and the pain/numbness and loss of strength that goes down{in this case the left arm/hand}.

Getting out of bed the last 10 or so days has been torture the pain running down the left arm.
Have tried everything from Epson salt baths/arthritis creams/oral steroids/tens machine/4 and half aleve before bed as well as doing stretches that i remembered from PT many years ago. Have been doing stretches from these guys the last couple days which believe it or not have brought small improvements.


I also decided to get a Inversion table and it arrived from Amazon this morning, upon opening the door i noticed 2 boxes on the front porch both identical, about 60 lbs each. I thought for a sec that maybe all the parts were in 2 different boxes but on closer examination it appears Amazon delivered 2 of the Tables. I immediately log in to make sure i was only billed for one{yes i was}. The whole thing is odd because i have never seen Amazon commit such a faux paus before, even the email i received where the driver takes the pic of the product on your porch for proof of delivery shows only one box. I am guessing the driver got confused maybe and left an extra one for w/e reasons. Anyways took me almost 2 hours to put the thing together and did about 5 minutes at moderate inverson which already feels a bit better

I'll give you my mailing address. The arthritis in my spine has been dying to try an inversion table.

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

I had to finally throw in the towel with mine and get a cervical fusion and if you consider that, go to a neurosurgeon.

I herniated L5 and 6 in my lower back and got an inversion table and it did provide relief while on it but it didn't last. Didn't think about that for my neck but you will need something to provide the stretch. I gave my inversion table away when I began to live alone. Make sure you have someone to spot you on that. I got too aggressive on the angle when I first got it as I am a "mo is mo bettah" idiot and I passed out hanging upside down like bat. It wasn't easy for my wife to get me back up and when I came to she said "well, I hope that additional blood to your brain worked". She had just read me the disclaimer about going slow and building up tolerance to the steeper angles but I was too busy trying to prove them wrong.

It's a pretty cool thing once you get it balanced right, you can move your whole body with just small shifts with your hands; however, you can't easily get yourself back up from the "bat position" without assistance and if you are passed out, it is even more difficult.

That's insane, i did 5 minutes at a moderate angle and can still feel it today. And idk, what are you supposed to do with your arms while inverted, let them hang? keep am at you sides? Good thing your wife was there to bail you out.

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

I ruptured a disc in my neck about 14 years ago. Some of the most excruciating pain I've ever felt down my left arm and couldn't feel anything in my thumb and forefinger. I thought I tore a muscle or something working out. I had a chiro appointment the day it started. She saw I was in pain and asked what was wrong. She knew immediately what happened when I told her about my arm hurting. Pretty deflating when she could pull my arm down with minimal force using her pinkie finger. She put me on a regimen of Aleve (I think)) and icing my neck. She directed me to get to a doctor, get the doctor to order an MRI (that part took some convincing with the doctor) and then a referral to a neurosurgeon. Doc wanted me to go to a local orthopedic surgeon but I insisted on the neurosurgeon. Finally got in to the same facility in Indy that worked on the Colts players at that time. Took a while and by the time I got there the pain was gone, the strength was back and so was the feeling. The surgeon did some strength tests and poked my fingers with a needle for a while to see if I could feel it. He told me the body has ways to heal/compensate and that while it was definitely a rupture he wouldn't recommend surgery at that time. Told me to avoid lifting heavy objects and not to lift things over my head so I have been following that advice ever since.

So what fixed it for you? Time or did you do physical therapy?
About a week ago i decided to do a quick workout just to keep things in working order as i know that muscles on the side affected will atrophy and die. Just to be safe i tried bench pressing 100lbs, thought id go light and do high reps maybe 50 or even 100 if i could. And no dice couldnt even do 1, ditto for shoulder presses.

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

I'll give you my mailing address. The arthritis in my spine has been dying to try an inversion table.

If no family members want it or i cant sell it, you have a deal. The thing got stellar reviews on Amazon and was only around 130 shipped with prime, try your luck maybe youll get 2 as well lol.

 

[Runwildboys]

If no family members want it or i cant sell it, you have a deal. The thing got stellar reviews on Amazon and was only around 130 shipped with prime, try your luck maybe youll get 2 as well lol.

For my neck I have a home traction unit, free through my insurance. It works very well. I should actually start using it again, because I've been getting a lot of tingling in my left hand and my fingers on both hands, especially when I'm sleeping. If I stand up it goes away pretty fast, but I'd rather it doesn't happen at all.

 

[Runwildboys]

That's insane, i did 5 minutes at a moderate angle and can still feel it today. And idk, what are you supposed to do with your arms while inverted, let them hang? keep am at you sides? Good thing your wife was there to bail you out.

Maybe get a velcro belt and wristbands? Lol

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

For my neck I have a home traction unit, free through my insurance. It works very well. I should actually start using it again, because I've been getting a lot of tingling in my left hand and my fingers on both hands, especially when I'm sleeping. If I stand up it goes away pretty fast, but I'd rather it doesn't happen at all.

The home traction units look painful and expensive. If you are having trouble i would suggest Bob and Brad's YT channel i posted above. I have been doing their stretches for c-spine issues/pinched nerves/numbness in arms/hands etc for 2 days and can already tell a difference. Also was contacted by Email from Amazon, seems there was a mix up blah blah blah here is a contact number you can call to set up a driver to come and pick up the extra table that was delivered. So seems tomorrow it will be gone, i did talk the guy into giving me a 20$ credit for my trouble though.

 

[DanteEXT]

So what fixed it for you? Time or did you do physical therapy?
About a week ago i decided to do a quick workout just to keep things in working order as i know that muscles on the side affected will atrophy and die. Just to be safe i tried bench pressing 100lbs, thought id go light and do high reps maybe 50 or even 100 if i could. And no dice couldnt even do 1, ditto for shoulder presses.

I kept going to the chiro though don't know how much she messed with my neck in that area really. Only therapy was the icing of the area affected and the pain pills for the anti-inflammatory plus rest/time.

Tried prescription pain med (Darvocet) for a couple days but it didn't stop the pain. Just made me not care so much. People at work said I looked drunk.

 

[Runwildboys]

The home traction units look painful and expensive. If you are having trouble i would suggest Bob and Brad's YT channel i posted above. I have been doing their stretches for c-spine issues/pinched nerves/numbness in arms/hands etc for 2 days and can already tell a difference. Also was contacted by Email from Amazon, seems there was a mix up blah blah blah here is a contact number you can call to set up a driver to come and pick up the extra table that was delivered. So seems tomorrow it will be gone, i did talk the guy into giving me a 20$ credit for my trouble though.

On the contrary, my traction unit is very relaxing, especially back when it felt like someone drove a railroad spike through my C7. I usually fall asleep when I use it, so I have to set an alarm.

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

I kept going to the chiro though don't know how much she messed with my neck in that area really. Only therapy was the icing of the area affected and the pain pills for the anti-inflammatory plus rest/time.

Tried prescription pain med (Darvocet) for a couple days but it didn't stop the pain. Just made me not care so much. People at work said I looked drunk.

Darvocet? What the......
They took that off the market years ago{maybe a decade?} due to its side effects. I had a few for an injury in the early 2000s and if i took a couple it was total euphoria. It was like winning the lotto and being with Angelina Jolie. Glad everything worked for you and you didnt need surgery.

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

On the contrary, my traction unit is very relaxing, especially back when it felt like someone drove a railroad spike through my C7. I usually fall asleep when I use it, so I have to set an alarm.

That's awesome that it works for you, i am going to investigate them further and keep them in mind for the future.

 

[Runwildboys]

That's awesome that it works for you, i am going to investigate them further and keep them in mind for the future.

I think the one I have would have been around $700 to buy. Of course, since it was through my medical insurance the price was probably jacked up.

 

[DanteEXT]

Darvocet? What the......
They took that off the market years ago{maybe a decade?} due to its side effects. I had a few for an injury in the early 2000s and if i took a couple it was total euphoria. It was like winning the lotto and being with Angelina Jolie. Glad everything worked for you and you didnt need surgery.

Yeah I heard. They will still on the market then. Did make you feel pretty good I agree. Not sure what the side effects were. I only took them for a day or two. Once I figured out it didn't actually make my pain go away I stopped.

Thanks, me too. The surgery for it sounds awful. Hope your injury gets better.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I question the use of an inversion table for herniated disk in the neck.

I have a herniated disk in my neck and between neck exercises and one of the neck cervical traction contraptions:

https://trenddealthings.com/product...MI3u-eyMHx6wIVA3iGCh31qQvpEAQYAiABEgLbbPD_BwE

Did that for 20 minutes twice a day.

Plus did a variety of neck exercises.

I was able to avoid surgery and while the herniation makes itself known to me every once in a while it's not debilitating at all.