Thank you for your email. I agree with what Dr Chung or Dr Dinesh have said. It is an extremely common problem seen in people, whether young or old. First line of treatment is always medication and physiotherapy to strengthen the core and paraspinal muscles.
If that does not work, and the pain is persistent, and if MRI does show a disc bulge and/ or annular tear, another option that you may want to consider is a nucleoplasty, annuloplasty and facet block of the affected levels. It works very well, and may patients do find symptomatic relief. Of course not all conditions are suitable, and some patients may well require open surgery. But nonetheless, it would be a good option to explore with your orthopaedic surgeon. Alot of my patients do very well after this procedure, and I think it is something that you may want to consider if your pain does not improve with conservative managment methods.
Kind regards
Dr Sean Ng
