Pain in lower back, hips, buttocks. Using meloxicam. Ultrasound shows bulging herniated discs. Pain relief?
Patient: Hi , I am 65 years old and I have been suffering from lower back pain for several years. I am on pain medication (meloxicam) which just dulls the pain. I found that I have severe pain in my hips , back and buttocks . My doctor checked for cancer but this was negative. The pain is now constant and walking or sitting is now very painful. I have seen a doctor in the US also who said that I have bulging, herniated disc in the L5 and L4. Please advise of what I can do to relieve my pain without surgery. Thank you. Doctor: Thanks for the query. You have disc prolapse which is causing back pain and leg pain. Initially it is treated with medicine and physiotherapy. In case of persistent pain one need to consider intervention such as pain block or surgery. This is usually decided on the MRI findings. In your case we need to see correlation between MRI findings and clinical symptoms to decide the course of treatment. I hope this information will help you. Thanks.