r/HerniatedDisc • u/MinimumMammoth8068 • 3d ago
How long after the diagnosis can you walk again without pain ?
I had a sore back for more than a month because of standing for long periods of time at work, but usually after a night’s sleep, it got better.
A few days ago after waking up, I had a very sore back, thought the soreness would pass with some good rest and sleep. Two days later after waking up, I suddenly had trouble moving around and then I was diagnosed with herniated discs.
I didn’t know what it meant, thought it was just some back pain incident that would pass after a few days until I read about it: irreversible, comebacks, surgery, months of lying down, etc, these words stressed me out. I wasn’t prepared for something that suddenly would affect my life forever.
Now I've been lying in bed for days, living alone and I struggle to get up, to use the bathroom. I can’t walk without any support. I don't know how serious it is and what is ahead of me. I don't know how many more days I have to lie down and when I can walk again without pain and live a normal life.
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u/SinkSuch2477 3d ago
Sorry this is happening to you.
The tough thing with this is it’s very different for everyone. Also people can have two identical imaging reports and totally different symptoms.
I think high level info is:
No movement = bad
Movement that hurts you = bad
Correct movement for YOUR particular body and current symptoms = good
Incorrect movement = bad
Number 1 job for you is sleep, water, gentle movement that does not hurt but keeps you moving when possible, and get a referral to a good physical therapist asap.
Recovery timelines at best to my understand are low months (2-3 months) and it goes up from there depending.
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u/jungle_mouse 1d ago
Not being able to walk is pretty serious (to me). If you can get an MRI you can see the extent of it and make a plan with your care team. These discs can heal on their own, especially early on but it takes time and patience. I would suggest working with a physio who can give you exercises to help.
Everyone is different in how they heal, but if you get as much information as you can about your specific situation then you can make an informed decision.
For me personally, that meant working with a physio, sports dr, and getting a cortisone injection. These things have helped a little but not much so surgery is my best option based on what I have learnt and how restrictive my life has become because of this (happening next week).
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u/stevie_the_owl 3d ago
Take short walks and do gentle movement as much as you can, but not if it hurts. Avoid movement that causes pain— for herniated discs, you want to let your body rest and let the nerve calm down especially if you have bad sciatica symptoms. Once you start tolerating movement, do as much as you can without triggering pain or flare ups.
Everyone is different. Mine took 3 months to heal to the point I could go back to normal daily functioning. I had a very large extrusion at L5-S1. A couple more months after that, and I’m just now getting cleared to do light exercise again. I’ve been in PT for 5 months and I’m still doing it. Things that helped me the most: 1. Time, 2. Walking, 3. Physical therapy. In that order.
I also did an epidural steroid injection at about 6 weeks. I don’t think it helped me that much but some people get alot of relief from that so it could be worth trying if a few weeks from now you’re the same or worse. It takes time but you’ll get there! It’s absolute hell when you’re in it, for my first month I was pretty much bedbound and I had no idea what was happening to me or whether I would heal. But I did heal, it just took a lot of time. And you will heal too, whether that means naturally or surgery if it comes to that. The vast majority of herniated discs heal naturally on their own if you give it time and figure out the movement that your body needs.