I Thought It Might Be Early-Stage Disc Herniation, So I Went to the Hospital
For the past two months, whenever I sat down, one side of my lower back would sting with a sharp pain, and sometimes I felt numbness down my leg. When I searched online, everyone said it was a "disc," so I got scared and went to an orthopedic clinic.
The result was mild myofascial pain. The X-rays showed no major issues, and the diagnosis was that the main cause was likely my habit of sitting for long periods. I got a prescription and a few physical therapy sessions, and the only advice I got was to stand up every hour.
I don't feel the hospital visit was a waste of money. What I'd been worrying about for two months based on internet searches got sorted out in a single day. If you have similar symptoms, it seems better to just go get it checked.
7 answers
Agreed—searching the internet really seems to make illnesses worse lol. I also looked up my knee pain and even started suspecting rheumatoid arthritis, but it was just early-stage frozen shoulder.
Being told to get up every hour is really easier said than done... how are you supposed to stand up in the middle of a meeting? That's why I'm looking into standing desks—if anyone here uses one, I'd love to hear your review.
Well, I’m not so sure about that. X-rays can’t distinguish disc problems, so it can be risky to feel reassured just because you were told there’s “no big problem.” If the numbness in your leg keeps continuing, it’s a good idea to get an MRI. I lost two months that way and eventually ended up discussing surgery.
Is there a source? I’m curious which guideline the recommendation to “stand up every hour” comes from. Is it just the director’s rule of thumb, or is there evidence behind it?
I was scared too because I had the same kind of sharp, poking sensation, but after reading this post, I’m just going to go. Thank you.
I totally agree with the part about not feeling like the hospital bill is a waste. If you think of it as the cost of peace of mind, it’s actually cheap lol
For myofascial pain, just a few physical therapy sessions and some posture correction can make it improve quickly. I also had manual therapy at a Korean medicine clinic, but that’s probably a love-it-or-hate-it thing. Anyway, good job catching it early.