About 8 months ago, I had unbearable lower back pain and was diagnosed with an L4–L5 herniated disc. My doctor wasn’t too concerned — prescribed B12 and painkillers — and within a few weeks, I felt almost normal again.
Unfortunately, I didn’t fix my posture or lifestyle. I was careless.
Three months ago, I slipped. I ignored it, assuming it was just temporary soreness. Then 1.5 months ago, I took a 14-hour flight. After that, my back pain flared up badly. I started medications again and began physical therapy — where I discovered my body was extremely stiff.
During therapy, I developed sciatica. It was scary — pain shooting down my leg — but surprisingly, within two weeks both the back pain and sciatica completely resolved.
I finally felt like I was turning a corner.
Then… last week, while I was cooking, I sneezed really hard.
And instantly, I felt a sharp electric-like pain shoot from my lower back down into my leg. I could barely walk. It felt like everything had reset back to square one.
It’s now been 5 days. The pain has reduced compared to that day, and I’m able to walk short distances. Walking actually seems to help a bit. I’m doing light physio exercises without pushing myself.
But I’m honestly anxious.
Has anyone experienced a flare-up like this just from sneezing?
How long did it take you to recover from a setback like this?
Would really appreciate hearing similar experiences — especially positive recovery stories.