u/Fun-Flounder-9186

I’m not sure if anyone has had a similar experience, but I’m honestly feeling really discouraged and could use some hope.

I’m a 23-year-old female, and I’ve been dealing with an L5-S1 disc bulge and an annular tear for over 2 years. According to my MRI, I have very minimal nerve compression, but my symptoms have gotten progressively worse instead of better.

I’ve tried just about everything: 6 months of physical therapy, chiropractic care, medications, and most recently a steroid injection, but nothing has helped.
When I first injured my back, I actually didn’t have sciatica. About a year later, I developed severe sciatica, so I had another MRI. Interestingly, it showed that my disc bulge had actually gotten a little smaller, but it also showed an annular tear. That made me wonder if the tear could be causing my symptoms.

I’ve been reading about chemical sciatica (chemical radiculitis), where inflammatory chemicals leaking through an annular tear can irritate a nerve even without significant compression. My orthopedic surgeon basically dismissed the tear because he didn’t see enough nerve compression to explain my sciatica, which left me feeling like I still don’t have answers.

To make things worse, I had an epidural steroid injection last month, and instead of helping, my sciatica went from about a 5/10 to a 9/10. I don’t know why, but it made everything significantly worse.
Has anyone here dealt with something similar? If you had an annular tear causing sciatica, did it eventually heal? Did anything actually help, whether it was time, physical therapy, or another treatment?

I’d really appreciate hearing any success stories because I’m starting to lose hope

Backstory: I have been dealing with a bulging disc at L5-S1 on my Left side for about 2 years. I also have a mild 21 degree scoliosis curvature since childhood. I am a 23 (F)

I initially went to the orthopedic doctor 2 years ago because I was having very localized pain from my disc being bulged. It was mainly in my back and I had no numbness. They took an MRI and they kind of just threw me into the system of we’ll do physical therapy and come back if it doesn’t get better.

Well long story short a year later it has developed into more of sciatica now and less off a centralized pain. I have extreme weakness in my left leg, my foot has been constantly numbed for the past 6 months especially when I start walking. I have had to quit lifting weights because of the pain and honestly it just keeps getting worse. Currently I am going through the worst sciatica flare up I’ve ever been through to the point where I can’t walk, it hurts to sit, and any movement causes an electric shock to my heel.

Saw the orthopedic surgeon today and got another MRI and this time it shows that my body has begun to reabsorb my bulging disc and I’m healing. Weird thing is though, I am in more pain than I was when the bulge was worse. AND to top it off the doctor said that he sees no compression of the nerves. So I am wondering if there is no nerve compression how am I feeling sciatica pain? Is this pain I’m feeling even related to my bulging disc or is something else I’ve missed completely?