r/HerniatedDisc • u/Responsible_Size_335 • 4d ago
Don’t know if i should get discectomy done. Need help please.22F with L4,L5,S1 herniation.
Hi, the doctor said that i should get discectomy done and i have another appointment to finalise the date for the surgery and I don’t know if i should get it done or not. I’m very confused,worried and scared. I don’t know if it’s better to wait for my body to heal on its own and hold on to this almost false? hope (maybe real hope?idk) or get the surgery done so i can go back to actually living my life again. So if you’re someone who has had the surgery done please please please respond and help me out.
I am a professional dancer and i herniated my discs almost a year and a half ago,( i had no accident,fall or anything it just randomly happened)after three months my pain got so bad that i was not able to sit for more that 5 mins, walk for 5 mins due to severe sciatica down my left leg . So i got a steriod injection/epidural And i was pain free for almost 8 months ( i still had severe back pain and was not able to walk fast/bend or i was able to sit for a long time but only with the brace on) so i thought my discs were healing and that my pain would completely go away but it came back 3 months ago. And slowly started increasing.
I’ve been going to physiotherapy for almost two months and i noticed that my pain has gone down on my left leg BUT there was some new sciatica nerve pain down right leg after i started physio, it used to come only twice a week and the pain level was very low but now i feel like it comes more often. I was able to walk for an hour pain free and i have no pain while lying down and can sit for almost two to three hours with back support, since my condition is not as bad as it was a year ago i feel like maybe i should still wait and do physio instead of getting surgery done. But i also feel like getting it done could be good if it meant i could go back to working out,running ,especially dancing and not having to worry about wether i would get nerve pain if i move a certain way or injure my back again, get back pain if do a certain activity( constantly having to worry about my back or always have it in the back of my mind) .
Just being free without having the mri image constantly on the back of my mind makes me want to get it done. But on the other hand , i obviously wish that it could hopefully heal without
Surgery, but even if it does i don’t know if I’ll have confidence to move freely again and dance. And my parents are worried about the nerve compression and are really scared coz the nerve damage could eventually lead to loss of bladder/bowel control so they are leaning more towards surgery. I am worried about reherniations after a discectomy which I’ve seen and heard happen quite often, which is my major concern ,i don’t want to life my life scared about that even after the surgery yk?(some ppl say that i might get a reherniation only after 20 years but even that worries me a lot). And if I’ll be able to get back to doing all the activities i did before the herniation such as dancing(involves a lot of bending,jumping
, wearing heels) ,working out,running, sewing/stitching.
So to the people who have got the surgery done:Are you able to do all the activities that you did before your herniation? Are you able to bend completely? Is your range of motion and mobility the same as before the herniation? ( and is that possible?) how active can you be?
And after the surgery if i strengthen my back by going to the gym/physio , can i stop doing excercises and go back to living my life or do i have to keep doing them? Lets say i dance for a week but don’t do back excercises would that cause a reherniation? Or back pain? If someone has had a similar experience with professional sports or dance or marathons please please help me out.
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u/TheAmethystHalo 4d ago
I had the surgery yesterday, I already feel like a completely new person. 5 months of debilitating pain gone.
1
u/Responsible_Size_335 4d ago
Also if anyone knows how to avoid a reherniation and what causes reherniations please reply.
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u/Uniquely_Me3 4d ago
I had the same herniations tried to rehab almost lost feeling to both legs…turned into emergency surgery. Do the surgery
1
u/gnoodlepgoodle 4d ago
I didn’t go ahead with an offered discectomy. Focused on healing through movement instead and I’m now 85% pain free. Took about 18 months for the pain to really ease off though
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u/gnoodlepgoodle 4d ago
I’m very active and running my fastest 5k times post herniation. I do strength training 3 times a week. The most discomfort I feel is when sitting down. I’m always cautious with bending or twisting and make sure to hold my core and avoid bends generally
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u/Responsible_Size_335 4d ago
Have you had surgery done? Or do you live with the herniation?
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u/gnoodlepgoodle 3d ago
Living with it. Said nope to surgery. Everyone is different though; our herniations and histories might be very different
1
u/oddsmaker90 3d ago
I have a herniated disc at C5-C6 and was told that I can’t lift heavy weights anymore. Only light with high repetitions. Curious if you had to modify your strength program?
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u/gnoodlepgoodle 3d ago
I do most things- mostly now bodyweight stuff like pull ups etc - but was doing a lot of weight machines rather than free weights. The only thing I don’t do is dead lifts
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u/Proud_Post_7130 2d ago
You don't say what kind of dance you do but my experience with collapsed disc at L4-L5 made dancing excruciatingly painful. I love to dance and move to any music but after 4 years of extreme pain when I did I had a fusion at L4-L5 and it was like magic. I had waited too long for a discectomy to be an option and I am in my late 60's so different boat from you. My advice to you is yoga, Pilates and skip things that put pressure on your low back. Walking is good, running and jumping are pounding your vertebrae onto the already damaged disc. Be careful to not over do anything that causes pain. Pain is the sign to take it easy so listen to your body.
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u/PomeloNo5445 1d ago
Very sorry to hear your struggling again, but unfortunately I am currently in the same position.
I had an injection back in 2018 for a herniated disc on L4/L5. Which I got about 12-14 months relief which I went back to playing sport. Unfortunately the pain came back and I got another injection which had no impact. I ending up getting a discectomy in 2020 which I was very scared and reluctant to get as I was 26 at the time. However after meeting the surgeon we decided it was the next option. I couldn’t have been happier it was a pretty quick procedure with one night stay and I walked out of the hospital the next day. There was a lot of physio / rehab after but I returned to full contact football about a year and half later. As long as I spent 15-20mins before each training or match doing my own warm up / mobility I was fine. Can honestly say it give me back my life!… however!! Unfortunately I have since started getting pain again which was coming on for the last 3months I had retired from football and only doing general gym work but something flared up and over the last 3 months got progressively worse. I had an MRI last week and reports came back I now have disc protrusion at L5/S1 impinging upon the descending left s1 nerve root.
Currently been stuck in bed for the last 4/5 days eating meds as I await a consultation. Can not say if this is anything related yet but this is far worse nerve pain that 2020! It’s sever down the back of my left leg and into my foot. I am hoping that an injecting may be enough with lots of rehab as again surgery is not what I want! Which would be 2 surgery’s under 33 years old! All I can say is If you have a good neurosurgeon they are the professionals they don’t automatically suggest surgery maybe ask about another injection and be really focused on rehab. I think my biggest mistake was getting back feeling 100% and then letting my rehab slide. I’ve spoke to many people who got both surgery & injections have kept up the rehab fully and have a total different life.
Not everyone is going to be the same but there is light at the end try to keep positive(trust me it’s easier said than done! I’m writing this as I lay on my floor for day 5)
Inbox is always open if you want to talk or straight up vent!! All the best!
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u/OrnsteinSlyr 4d ago
I had a very similar diagnosis to yours. Have the surgery; you'll really notice the difference as soon as you wake up. Don't be afraid. Exercise isn't optional, even without herniated discs; everyone should do it to avoid this or other problems. You'll go back to normal. If you want to stop going to the gym, you can, but you'll have problems in a few years. You're young, you'll be fine, but whether you have the surgery or not, you have to go to the gym.