Microdiscectomy for sciatica

I did it about 6 years ago. My back felt absolutely horrible when I came out of it and I still had the pain in my leg for awhile. It took me an entire summer of sitting on the couch watching everything on HBO while getting high as a kite every day before I recovered. You've got to try to take walks throughout the day as much as possible even though it hurts.

I thought I had fricked myself by having the surgery but I was wrong and now I feel great. I'm still careful with it though. This year was the first time I've deadlifted or loaded a barbell on my back since. If you want to stay in the gym just go slow, work on bodyweight exercises at first and do single leg work for the lower body so you don't have to load as much weight. Also make sure you learn to breathe and brace properly before squatting/deadlifting again. Leg presses are the hardest for me bc of the position it puts my spine in so I generally avoid them or do single leg but if you brace properly you should be ok.

Try a better PT. Find a fitness forward clinic. My first rec is Delta PT and my second would be either Matt in Prairieville or Matt in Walker, both work at Moreau.

Every therapist is different in their own right. Not all chains are the same, and these two dudes are studs in helping treat not just your back, but your life

Had it bad in my leg with a numb foot as well. First injection was great, and then after a few weeks the pain came back. The doc said that happens some times and went back in with a different med and injected in a slightly different spot (don’t know the details, but he mentioned by slightly changing the injection the second time he had seen good results). I did not have the same immediate relief, but went back to PT and the pain began to slowly reduce until it was gone. Biggest thing for me, lost weight and really worked on the core muscles. That was 12 yrs ago, and have been mostly pain free. It took probably 2 years before all the numbness went away completely. I would definitely feel it if I did a lot of yard work or when I moved a lot stuff around. Everyone is different, but it really is about getting that swelling down and reducing stress on the spine (lose weight and strengthen the core muscles). Also, I now have a timer that I get up every 15-20 min for a 15 second back stretch. Sitting down and driving are the two worst things for a herniated disk.

Have they done any form of traction on you? If not, you need to try. Unfortunately, sometimes you can try all the right conservative treatments and may not respond. I had surgery 11 years ago and it was the best decision I ever made. Everyone is different though but generally microdiscectomy is successful.

I’ve been dealing with sciatica for years, thankfully it only really flares up a few times a year but a little numbness and tingling in my thigh is usually a daily thing. I’ve noticed the more I stay active the better it feels, if I go several days without doing anything it starts to act up. I’m not letting anyone cut on my back unless it’s the last resort because I’ve seen what happens when it doesn’t work out.

Find a better PT. Stim is done as a time filler more than anything. The research doesn’t support it and neither should you PT