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I have a herniated disc. I am also TTC.
My doctor suggested Epidural Steroid Injections as these can be done as long as I'm not pregnant and the drugs are class B so minimal effects if I were to get pregnant shortly after the injection.
The first injection I felt immense relief after 2 days. The relief lasted about a year. I recently had a second injection. This time, it did not help - so I am going to a surgeon for a consult.
Also - acupuncture has helped!

I had back surgery in 2000, at 17, to trim a herniated disc in my lower back. No idea how it happened, I started having terrible hip pain in my sophomore year and it took three years of agony and countless doctors appointments before someone thought to look at my back, as numerous doctors kept telling me there was no problem with my hip.

I was in excruciating pain before the surgery and do not regret the decision to have it done at all. I had limited mobility for a few months- I had it done 2 weeks after high school graduation and left to go to college 4 hours away from home 2.5 months later.

I'm now 33 and had two pregnancies without any back related problems. Occasionally my back will "go out" for a couple of days to a couple of weeks at a time. (I never had actually back pain before the surgery, just hip pain. I have slight nerve damage in one of my feet from the pressure the bulging disc put on my sciatic nerve for 3 years.)

I fucked up my L3-L5 really bad after having E. At its worst, I bent over to tie my shoe and I just fell over. It took awhile to get better and I still struggle-I have compression of those discs. I'm seeing a personal trainer to help me strengthen the appropriate muscles. I also take a lot of Advil, which helps, because a lot of my spasms are now muscular. Nothing but time helped me with the discs, unfortunately. I was scheduled to get a cortisone shot, though!

@LovelyPlum: I'm so sorry you're dealing with this, friend! I hope you're able to get some relief without surgery!

Look into IDD Therapy. It works by decompressing your spine and realigning everything. Some chiros know about it. We have seen it work for many people.

My pain level was at about a 6.5 pre-pregnancy. I didn't have any steroid injections prior to pregnancy. I went to acupuncture for pain (1 treatment) and it helped a ton. Pain was down to a 2-3. I went a second time about 3 weeks later and I felt awful! Turns out that the first acupuncture had stimulated ovulation for the first time in 3 years and I was pregnant! Shocker!

I was worried how my pain would be during pregnancy but actually it was almost non existent. I think this might have just been all of the other stresses on my body! I would say it was about 6-9 mo post partum when the pain came back with avengence. It was about a 9 on the pain scale and probably due to carrying my son. I tried PT and chiropractor for about a year before moving on to Epidural Injections. I've had 2 now, and we are TTC2.

Oh and I'm not totally opposed to surgery....id actually like to give it a shot, however at my last appointment they said it wasn't "bad enough" for me to be a candidate for surgery.

I have had a herniated and bulging disc in my lumbar spine since I was about 16 from 10 years of competitive gymnastics.

I will say that chiropractic and Pilates has changed my life. Yoga helped but Pilates really changed my life. And I never did a class or anything - I just bought some DVDs and did them at home on a yoga mat. I also had the epidural steroid injections and they made a HUGE difference in my life. My pain was probably at a 7-8 and two rounds brought the pain down to about a 2-3.

And I will say that chiropractic care is not a one time thing - when you have chronic pain your care needs to be chronic. You have to take care of yourself.

I carried my first baby with no big back issues and actually I believe the relaxin helped my sciatica while I was pregnant.

Having been to a million pain specialists and being afraid of narcotics I will tell you what I have been told by countless doctors: the only way to manage pain is to find the exercise that works for you. For some people it's swimming, some it's cycling, some it's walking. For me it is a combo of modified yoga, Pilates and walking. I can use an elliptical but even running is out of the question.

For me surgery is inevitable but I want it to be my last resort. I would definitely try the injections first because they're outpatient. I had two rounds when I was 16 and my pain has yet to get back to that level of intensity.

But I do still throw my back out a few times per year. But The inflammation goes down with ice and stretching and rest and I get back to my normal. I'm not in constant pain but I do definitely have reduced flexibility and movement (I can't do a proper down dog, for example).

If I were to give you simple advice it would be this: see a chiropractor you like, find the exercise that works for you, use ice not heat when you throw out your back, don't push it when you throw out your back because you'll make the inflammation worse, and try not to rely on narcotics for long term pain management.

Sorry this is so long and disjointed. Invest in a foam roller. When you have intense pain you may not be able to get up off of it, but I use mine all the time and love it. I also tend to do some gentle stretching at night before bed. And it's a long process. I've been dealing with this chronic pain for half my life and I barely even think about it anymore.

Sorry you're dealing with this. Back pain sucks.

Oh and one last thing: my sciatic pain radiates down my legs and I've found that Icy Hot and Tiger Balm type things help my pain if I put them on my leg. I don't know why it works because it's not a muscle pain but it helps. There's also this spray called Muscle Mist which is basically liquid Tiger Balm that I like for sciatic pain. Just remember that when you throw your back out you have increased inflammation so Advil or Motrin and ice can help.

Again I'm sorry this is basically a novel. But I've dealt with this for a long time and I have learned a lot over the years. And I'm on my phone so it's hard to formulate a truly coherent response. Sorry and good luck!

@LovelyPlum: I'm glad you're doing well! I hope the rest of your recovery goes well too!

I'm glad the surgery worked for you!

I've been dealing with recurring back pain since 2012 or so that flared up again pretty bad about this time last year during my second trimester. In December, when I had a 3.5 month old, it came back so bad I couldn't move at all, was in pain almost as bad as labor, and had to go to the ER.

That's when I finally had an MRI done and found out I had a badly herniated and extruding L5-S1 disc. All the orthopedist would do was refer me to a neurosurgeon. My chiropractor, who I've been seeing all along, recommended some alternative treatments first. I was just 3.5 months post c-section, had only been back at work 1 month, had exhausted all my leave, and wanted to be able to lift/carry my baby as much as possible. So I was in no hurry to go through another surgery and recovery.

I've been doing IDD decompression treatments twice a week since right after Christmas. They basically harness me to two sides of a table and stretch my back out with counter weights, creating some room in my spine for the disc to retreat back to its normal spot. It's been a huge help! I went from not being able to pick my daughter up at daycare because I couldn't lift her to now being pain free most days. Even on days when I am sore now, it's usually not bad enough to hinder my motion.

I'm not done with treatment just yet and have an evaluation next week to see about adding some physical therapy sessions. I also still see my regular chiropractor every couple of weeks. That means some weeks where I have 3 different appointments, but it's made a world of difference in how I feel. I would highly recommend the treatments to anyone who's trying to avoid surgery. My decompression dr is trying to work with me so I get down to zero pain all the time. We'll see...

In the meantime, when I am sore, I manage the pain with ice and anti-inflammatories like Motrin, Salon Pas, or Icy Hot. Those seem to be pretty effective.

I've been considering switching to a more anti-inflammatory diet, like reducing or eliminating gluten, to see how that helps, but it's such a tough switch to make. Staying hydrated also helps a lot, since the disc is supposed to be filled with fluid. I'm also trying to add light exercise back into my routine, starting with walking.