r/Microdiscectomy

Been about 5 months since my microdiscetomy. I wake up everyday with minor sciatica in my left leg (where my herniation was)

My herniation was only 7mm. I have ddd which I understand is kinda a benign diagnosis. When I rest too much my sciatica is worse. Once I get walking and moving it's mostly back pain that bothers me. I have a lot of clicking in my back, my back feels so unstable 24/7. There's not a moment of the day that goes by without me wondering what the heck is wrong with me.

I had a very weird and slow onset of sciatica, then one day my whole back popped picking something up, I was walking hunched over and then about 2 weeks later severe sciatica started.

I have a history of psych problems, along with health anxiety. I fear I could've healed by myself without surgery, but I could barely walk, I was very scared. I can walk now, but I'm in a weird pain 247.

Did anyone else have a slow recovery, am I just screwed for life. I am so mad at myself for getting back surgery at 25 years old. I am very upset. Only thing I do to distract myself is working. I miss waking up and feeling good, worrying about bills, not my health. I just feel at my end of ropes.

Nearly 10 weeks post op (L5-S1 endoscopic discectomy) and still struggling getting used to bending down like pre op

I have made good progress in starting to hinge down to pick up stuff/get back to normal but I still can’t help but feel some tension in my lower back even though I’m ensuring I have perfect form. Is this normal?

Also when does bending (flexion) if ever becomes normal?

I was asked to grab a 15 LB dumbbell (off of a rack close to the ground) for an exercise by my PT, so I got down on one knee, picked it up, and lunged back up, bc I was afraid of putting my spine into flexion under load. My PT said I should be able to comfortably grab the dumbbell without thinking about it too much, and that the problem is in my head and I need to learn to trust my back.

When did flexion for you guys become normal again without having to over analyze it?

I had my surgery on Monday for L5/S1. Since the surgery the only pain I’ve really had is the actual incision/back feeling tight when I move but my right leg (problem leg) has felt amazing.

I woke up this morning and my right leg is feeling very stiff. I tried to do a straight leg raise but I can’t raise it much off the floor at all.

How long did it take you guys before you felt better? When did you start exercises? I’ve only done very minor exercises since.

I’ve read that pain related to the leg usually goes straight away post surgery so I’m getting a tad concerned. Any insight into your recovery would be helpful.

Thank you all

35 days post opp.
Yesterday i Sat in the car for 4 hours to Sydney (got out each hour for a 5/10 min walk) .
Then went shopping, then sat at the dinner table for hours drinking, chatting and eating.
Now today walking along the beach, playing some games in time zone. More shopping, lunch, and a pub crawl.
There is light at the end of the tunnel guys!

My case wasn’t mild either by far, for the guys that a really struggling in the depths of hell currently!

I remember reading post likes these and them bringing me to happy tears, i just hope i can give at least 1 person the same feeling of hopeful relief!

10 weeks PO and only just received my recent MRI images. I was honestly expecting to see NO prolapse at all, so I was freaked out to see it looked almost the same as before!? I still have a pretty big prolapse at L4/5. The surgeon clearly removed just enough disc to decompress my nerves (both left and right were squashed), but the disc itself is still very much prolapsed and actually impinging a tiny bit on the left nerve root.
I feel like I logically understand that this must be because you can't remove too much disc without compromising it and creating a potential whole new host of problems etc - but I just wanted to find out if other people had the same? Did your post-op MRI also still show a bulge?

On March 29, I started feeling pain in my right buttock, thinking it was just a muscle spasm, but it got so bad that I couldn’t walk or sleep because of the pain. It turned out to be a herniated disc at the L4-L5 level, which required surgery on April 10.

The surgery was a success; to date, I haven’t had any similar symptoms, and the sciatica pain has completely disappeared. However, the recovery has ended up being more exhausting than the sciatic pain itself. A month of complete rest, physical therapy, and only walking as exercise. Five weeks after the surgery, the doctor examined me, had me move around, and declared that I was ready to resume a normal life, recommending swimming as a sport and lifting light weights at the gym (hell no!), but warning me that "post-operatory synthoms could last until 3 months, in average".

And now, twelve weeks later, I’ve started swimming again, but my back—specifically the left side of my hip—is still stiff, to the point where I feel pain and sharp twinges when I stand up, which have persisted since my surgery so i have to get up like in week 1. Although these discomforts only occur on the left side where I had the surgery, they’ve made me paranoid that the hernia will return or that I’ll develop another injury just as terrible.

Is this a cause for concern? Could it be due to muscle healing now that I’ve resumed physical activity? I wish I had some experience with this, because I’m really scared.

I had a microdiscetomy at the end of March, followed all of the protocol and didn’t do anything physical for the first six weeks. I went back to PT. Nothing major, the stuff you do in the McGill Big 3 + other core strengthening. I did a lot of walking, and started doing modified cardio classes 10-12 weeks post.

I have a 21 month old who weighs about 30 pounds. I avoid carrying him a lot, but it’s hard to ignore those few times he asked to be picked up. Yesterday was one of them. He wanted picked up outside and I just carried a few feet across the yard. As soon as I put him down, I felt like a twist or pain in my back.

I did more walking later that day, but toward the night my back started to get stiff, and the next day (today) I can walk around OK but feel slightly off balance and pain in my lower back as well as tightness around my hip. Terrified that I reincarnated or I’m wondering are these just humps I’m going to need to get over as I continue to heal?

I'm almost 3 weeks post op and the back of my leg and calf are super super sore. They did an ultrasound on my leg and didn't find any blood clots. I was pretty immobile for about 2 months before I had my surgery, but the back of my calf and leg so incredibly tender. Trying to roll them out is super painful. To preface, it felt like I had a knife in my leg/calf/foot for a out 7 weeks straight. Is there some sort of muscle stress that takes time to go away? Maybe I've never felt this kind of pulled muscle before in my calf/leg, but this is even tender to lightly grab/punch. Does it take a few weeks for the stagnant dull pain to go away?

Hello. After suffering from sciatica for a year in my left leg. I had l5-s1 MD on 25th June 8 days ago. I was discharged the next day and been mostly resting at home.

I get few walks only when using the bathroom and meals and always wore braces when walking. Taking all the pain meds prescribed. The incision pain seems to be manageable so far.

Today after 8 days I feel a bit of pain on my left glute area when I stand up/ walk. It’s fine when I lie down. I got terrified if the left sciatica is back again but it was just a tiny nudge pain and not the one before.

I’m worried if I did anything wrong and need to talk to the surgeon again.

Has anyone felt like this in their recovery? Please let me know. Thank you <3

Have you after your surgery felt pain on the opposite side? I started have lower back pain on the opposite site of my effected side. My surgeon said it might because of mybother worn out discs. Should I ask for a MRI?

Pain come and goes, more at night time, less on morning. It goes away when I rest with a hot water bottle.

Bought an IKEA Valevag mattress that was supposed to be extra firm, but after they inspected it, it had no firmness whatsover. They agreed to take it back and gave me the option to replace it with another one, and pay the difference if any. Which IKEA mattress would this community recommend for post microdisectomy? Thanks in advance and if this question was asked before please share the link.

In 2016 I had an MD on my L4/L5 at 25 years old. Before surgery my herniation was horrific but the result of just bad genetics as no serious injuries caused it. After years of trying to resolve my pain with PT I ended up dragging my left leg around and my left leg severely and visually atrophied. Surgery was an easy choice for me as I had exhausted all other options ( tons of PT, acupuncture, cupping, massages, chiropractor, etc) Neurosurgeon told me my L5/S1 was also on the verge of needing surgery but wasn’t quite ready for operation.

Flash forward a decade now and I am 35 years old, I have birthed two huge babies, and have lived a pretty normal pain-free life. I have had no operations since the first surgery and my back feels strong. Every now and then I overdo it and my back reminds me but no serious injuries and absolutely ZERO sciatic pain since waking up from surgery.

I am currently waiting for a surgery date for a microdiscectomy and I’d love to hear some experiences (hopefully very successful ones) from people that have had the procedure.
I’m 30M and almost looking forward to the surgery due to various back issues over the years but since the neurosurgeon explained that he’s be removing the full disc rather than just the protruding portion, I’ve been second guessing almost if it is the right decision to get it done.
Any advice or stories from people that have had similar would be very appreciated.

6 weeks after my (59F) surgery for “severe herniation” at L4/L5 (MD and laminotomy) - don’t know the measurement but dr notes said a large piece of disc was removed. I have faithfully read hundreds of your posts throughout my first 6 weeks (thank you!) so I thought I knew what to expect for my follow up appt. I was told no PT and no restrictions. A follow up MRI had been done and I was told it looks great and to listen to my body. I asked many questions and was told my 600 mile drive was fine for vacation (I did it the next day) and I might be sore, but no restrictions. This is a well-respected practice and surgeon, but it was the PA who saw me (and who assisted with all previous appts and the surgery.) Has this happened to anyone? I am super nervous!

So my dr cleared me to go on holiday, he was even smiling a bit, saying I'll be fine as long as I dont cut down trees...

Still... how have other experiences been? Maybe earlier postop? Or even later?

Ill be travelling by plane to Milan, sightseei ng a bit (not sure how much I can handle as I can walk about 6k steps per day + normal stuff around the house). There is also the concert System of a Down... I'm inclined not to go... then I'm taking the plane to Sardinia and hopefully spending time on different beaches not more than an hour's drive away from the accommodation.

Does it sound feasible? Im planning to skip things if I cant do it. Im also travelling with my lumbar pillow, daughter and husband:))

LE: long story short I survived. 12 hours out and about, 9k steps, walking alternated with sitting and my gorgeous lumbar pillow in the plane and the car. All the replies helped boost my optimism, thank you so much! SOAD pic soon

3 months PO and still have some sciatic pain on the right side of my body when I stretch the nerve root (E.g. by leaning to the side or slightly forward - so it's not constant, just flares in provocative positions). Surgeon wants to do a steroid injection to see if that calms things down, but it feels too soon - I'm worried it may further irritate the area, and it may be good to wait to see if it resolves naturally? My physio also freaked me out a bit by saying she's never had a patient have a steroid injection AFTER surgery.

TLDR: If you feel a sneeze coming, press your tongue firmly against the roof of your mouth, right behind/above your front teeth. For me it stops the sneeze about 95% of the time.

I’m exactly 1 month post-op today and I still wake up multiple times a night with a sore lower back and super tight muscles. I thought about making this post at 2am last night lol

Anyways, I wanted to share a weird little trick that’s saved me countless times over the past couple of years.

I honestly don’t remember where I learned this prop Reddit tbh, but I’ve been doing it ever since my sciatica started 2 years ago. Still now actually, every sneeze feels like getting stabbed in the lower back, so being able to stop em has been pretty nice.

I’m also curious:
Does this actually work for anyone else?

How many of you already knew this trick?

Also… I feel like this is probably the only subreddit where people willingly try to stop a perfectly satisfying sneeze 😂