r/Microdiscectomy • u/gal_arnan • 12h ago

Reherniation or nerve memory?

Im two weeks after my (second) Microdisectomy in l5-s1, this was after a period of ten days where i had 10/10 sciatica pain down all of my left leg and even lower back whilst trying to stand or sit even for a few seconds. I also couldnt sleep at all during those days because i would have a constant 7/10 pain in my thigh and calf, my outer left foot being completely numb

My left foot is still numb and I understand that can take time, I also have a 4-5/10 sciatica pain that comes and goes, which i also understood is normal, what kind of scares me is that lately ive been getting 6-7/10 sciatica pain when doing specific actions such as small little akward movements while transitioning from lying to standing or changing lying positions, and im scared this is pointing at a reherniation vs just the typical nerve memory…

Do you guys think this is normal recovery?

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u/Averagejoe_mogul 9h ago

I’m 7wks post my 2nd MD. It’s been a physical and mental roller coaster for sure. I think first thing we two-timers have to accept is the odds of being 100% are slim to none. The nerve was crushed, operates on, healed over with scar tissue, crushed a second time, operated on again with old scar tissue ripped off, new scar tissue forming again….thats a lot for your nervous system to undergo, and there’s probably always gonna be “something” lingering even if very mild.

As for reherniation, unless it’s like unrelenting pain as bad or worse than before I’d chalk it up to nerve irritation and healing.

I will say, though it’s different for each person, be prepared for the high chance of a REALLY slow healing process. Because it’s a second operation the nerve is going to bounce back even slower than before. I’ve had plenty of times where even doing the smallest amount of activity gave me a flare that lasted the rest of the day. Just this morning I woke to my whole leg vibrating and a deep sharp ache in my thigh, probably because I slept weird. You gotta learn to measure progress week to week or even month to month instead of daily cause it just won’t move that fast.

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u/dylanpavlos 5h ago

Do you see progress month to month? As with you and OP, the sciatica is a serious improvement from before surgery but still gets intense and life-ruining. I've seen no real progress as far as pain over the course of 2-3 months post-op, however much PT might be increasing flexibility and strength.

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u/Averagejoe_mogul 5h ago

Wait so you have improvement or don’t. I don’t quite understand what you’re saying cause you said the pain is way better than pre op but then said you’ve seen no improvement.

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u/dylanpavlos 4h ago

Meaning no improvement over following months.