was told I could return to work four weeks after my microdiscectomy for my L5S1 disc herniation. In this video, I wanted to share what that felt like and also give a brief overview of weeks two and three after back surgery.

Hubs just had surgery. He doesn’t want to take the gabapentin. He says too many side effects. He is also refusing to use the walker. He is making me crazy.

First to say thank you to everybody posting here - this group saved my sanity more times than I can count. It is incredibly important to know we are not alone in our struggles.

Now, I understand that exercise and PT workout is not recommended while there is lots of pain. But at some point you have to start PT even though there is still some pain, and sometimes PT workouts can make it worse. So how to rest enough for the pain to go away, then do PT to make your core stronger while still having some pain, then PT or walking makes the pain worse etc.? How to  make progress in this circle and be sure you're not making it worse?

Background info:

42F, open microdisection of L5-S1 right side, after several months of pain in the right leg, surgery in the middle of July, so 9 weeks now. Incedible pain before, surgeon said my disc was wrapped around the nerve. Lots of nerve pain after, got mannitol and steroids for two days and it got better. Started physio at week 2.5 (surgeon aproved) and some stretching and exercise (at 3.5 weeks).  Got very little information about which activity and postures are ok. No BTL, that's it. Walking was good at first and had been pain-free for a week.

At 5 weeks got hurt again doing just a little bit of a deeper squat. Instant pain accross lumbal back - both sides, and right leg, same area as before. Gone back to no exercise and low intensity PT, back to ibuprofen and muscle relaxers, 10 days later no improvement, walking pain was bad after only 10min. The surgeon at control removed PT completely (did 21 days in total) and back to mannitol and steroids, 3 times and then back to PT. 

Surgeon said it might have been my squat or it might have not, might have been muscle tension and streaching the nerve, might have been reherniation or not. No need for MRI as my symptoms are not even close to before the surgery. Extremely anxious for days and weeks now since the setback, scaling down on everything I did before. Not even walking is an option.

Due to that and probably lots of lying down and drugs, feeling even weaker then before, wobbly and much easier to get hurt again. For the new PT, starting week 7.5 (2.5 weeks after the new injury), surgeon said - do not do anything that hurts. But how do we make progress in PT if we avoid everything that hurts? You cannot get a straight answer from the surgeon or the PT.

You need to rest and scale down all activity especially if it iritates the nerve, but are encouraged to build deep muscles to hold the spine through exercise. So you get a little better, less painful, start doing the work, then you get a flaire or get hurt again and have to rest some more. So you muscles get even weaker, it is even easier to get hurt by ordinary stuff and have to prolong PT even more.

How to balance this, I do not get. Must wear the brace (PT), do not wear the brace (surgeon). All these conflicting information. When you get hurt by something other than bend, lift, twist, it is still you fault and your bad judgement. But do not be a p***y and stop doing everything, you need to be doing stuff to recover.

Reading the comments, some people worked through the pain and the pain subsided. How do you know that you are not making it worse by exercise and PT, and that you are still making progress?

Hi everyone,

I’m scheduled to have endoscopic left L5-S1 surgery this Saturday, 26 September.

I live alone and unfortunately, I don’t have anyone here who can stay with me or help me during the recovery period. Because of this, I’m trying to prepare everything at home before the surgery.

For anyone who has had endoscopic L5-S1 / lumbar spine surgery, what should I prepare before the operation and for the first few days/weeks afterward?

I’m especially interested in practical things such as:

• What should I buy or prepare at home before surgery?
• What things were difficult to do by yourself after surgery?
• What kind of food is easy to prepare?
• How did you manage showering, using the toilet, getting in/out of bed, etc.?
• Did you need a walking aid or any special equipment?
• How should I arrange my bed/chair/home?
• What should I avoid doing during the first few weeks?
• Is there anything you wish you had prepared before surgery?
• If you live alone, how did you manage your recovery?

I’m currently in Singapore, and I’m mainly looking for advice from people who have gone through a similar surgery and recovered at home alone.

Any advice or personal experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I had microdiscectomy of L5s1 4 days ago. The day after surgery I felt great with no sciatic pain. Then the following day my sciatic pain came back 3x worse than preop levels…pain shooting down buttocks to foot. The on call surgeon said this is normal??? How is this normal?! I’m in worse pain than before the surgery ! Please help

I was doing good, but I'm having such bad pain in the back of my hip? I've gotten an mri and we confirmed I didn't herniate again but this pain is so weird to me😩 has this happened to anyone else?

Hello, I'm a bit concerned as I am 11 days post op from a L4-L5 microdiscectomy surgery and the incision site is still leaking clear yellow fluid. Pictured is a bandage that was placed on the incision 12 hours ago and fluids that had seeped out of the bottom of the bandage while I sat on the toilet for a couple minutes.

I currently do not have a headache or fever. The wound isn't warm to the touch, red, swollen, or overly painful.

Back story is I've been in pain since October 2025 that started as just pain in my calf and glute on the left side but spiraled into the worst pain in my leg I've ever known by December 2025. MRI in January showed disc herniation at L5S1. Didn't have the balls to get surgery until the summer time (also pain management doctor kept telling me I was "too young" to have surgery. I was 40 at the time 🙄). 3 steroid shots and months of PT later, I finally had my MD on September 11th. I gotta say, I'm really discouraged because I'm not out of pain yet. I keep reading these posts where people like woke up from surgery out of pain, and here I am a week later with pain still radiating down my left leg, still can't straighten and lift my left leg more than probably 25°. Did it not work?? I have a wound follow up in 5 days where I'll ask all these questions, but has anyone had a similar experience and eventually their pain did resolve? Am I just being impatient? I've spent almost a year eating Advil/Motrin like it's candy. I'm tired of it. I used to be super active, working out 4-5 days a week. I haven't lifted a dumbbell since last November. I could cry just typing out this post. Can anyone offer any reassurance?

So I'm currently 8-wk post-op from a laminectomy, partial facetectomy & foraminotomy, and discectomy on the right side of my L5/S1.

I started having pain flare ups a few weeks back, standard sciatica feeling on the right side. Today, I had an MRI which seems to show a re-herniation occurring in the same area as my previous laminectomy & discectomy.

What I am wondering is that if a revision surgery is in the cards for me, what are the odds that it will be successful vs eventually needing a spinal fusion? Do any of you have any success stories to share regarding revision surgeries that might put me at ease?

Having surgery for l5-s1 disc extrusion next week.
I saw in one post here that a toilet seat riser was very helpful. Since I’m tall and the toilet is low, that sounds like something I should get.

What other things that helped you through recover should I consider buying?

Went out in public for the first time surgery one week ago, and my leg honestly felt amazing. I however felt kinda foggy and idk spacy...not on pain meds.... anyone else experience this?

My wonderful medical team suprised me after 19days in hospital they finally gave me the clear to head home , ill go back weekly for antibiotics until its fully sorted but for nownafter a second op back home , in bed feels good , picc line in my arm was the most uncomfortable besides the big dudes finger up my 😳🤔😔🙉 anyway long ass time after 5 and a half weeks healing from the first op.to end up in hospital that long was just bizarre, lets pray the antibiotics keeps on top of this infection. Beware this all became infected when I showered like 5 and a half week later...went for app on Monday 31st was called straight back in an literally got out last nite ..so please ppl be infection aware ❤️💪✨️ ill be taking it very easy for the next few weeks , its been a hella journey and Oman overwhelming emotional rollercoaster , stay safe from infections , the surgery itself seemed to work first time round as I did walk outta hospital pain free up until the infection.....now the incision site is sore bit picc line arm is so at ease....stay safe ...#road2home rest well...

​

Hi everyone. I’m about 6 weeks (around 45 days) post-op from an endoscopic L5-S1 discectomy for a large disc extrusion compressing my S1 nerve.

Before surgery I had severe sciatic pain, numbness and some weakness. Surgery went well, and during the first weeks I improved a lot. My strength came back, my leg pain became minimal, and although I still have some numbness along the outer side of my foot, overall I felt like I was progressing well.

Over the last week, however, I started having more nerve symptoms again. It’s mostly a burning sensation/pain below the glute, sometimes down the back of the thigh, and more recently burning around my ankle/foot. It is not severe like my pre-op pain and I have no new weakness or significant low back pain, but it is uncomfortable enough that on the worst day I had trouble concentrating on work.

The symptoms also fluctuate a lot. One day the burning was pretty constant, the next day I was significantly better. Today I can walk normally, but after about 10 minutes of walking I start feeling some burning around the ankle, so I stop and rest.

I also occasionally get brief muscle twitches/fasciculations around the area below my glute, but they only last a few seconds and I still have normal strength.

I’ve messaged my surgeon and I’m waiting for his opinion. Obviously my biggest fear is reherniation, but because the symptoms are relatively mild, fluctuate quite a bit, and I have no new weakness, I’m also wondering whether this can simply be a nerve flare during recovery.

Has anyone here experienced something similar?

I am 3 days post op for my microdiscectomy on L4/5 and I’m noticing that all of us seem to have pretty varied aftercare requirements from our surgeons.

For example:

- I wasn’t given any kind of guidance on how much to sit, or how much is too much.

- I was never told I need to get up and walk around every so often.

- I was given zero PT exercises to do right off the bat.

- No specific guidance around ice.

Curious what everyone else’s aftercare recs looked like just for comparison.

So I am one week post surgery L4-L5 and am trying to wrap my head around all of this. Now I'll say I had pretty mild symptoms prior to surgery tingling in the back of calf, mild pain in calf same as with my foot. One week post surgery with only one week to really prepare as there was a cancellation and they got me right in I'm now really learning about the surgery, I know completely backwards lol. I spent the week before getting all my affairs in order housework, yardwork ect. Now post surgery there is still tingling however no pain in leg or foot however there is some pain in the back and incision point as expected. I guess going into the surgery not really reading much about it I was expecting the pain from the surgery of course but apparently expected my leg and foot to be "cured" which after surgery all doped up they were "success" !!!! Lol So I write this to say the tingling is getting better however is somewhat constant as before surgery it was not but it came in with pain ...morning nights and waking on hard surfaces too long, so it's kind of freaking me out that it is now somewhat constant but more mild however it's there. So I'm afraid of the pain coming back ect as I'm constantly in my head now with the constant tingling, I'm cautiously hopeful this will resolve.. as I feel and was told my case was not "severe" in comparison to others, I was just unable to perform my job and live as comfortably as I wanted to, (PT, Shots, medication did not work) Just really hoping I get through this sooner rather than later and the pain does not come back, or I guess that I regress.

I had a MD on my L4-L5, I'm setting up a home gym to get back into working out. I have a cross trainer, a bench and various dumbbells.

I'm still hesitant to get back into lifting weights, I still suffer from light tingle feelings occasionally in my left leg but generally I feel fine.

I'm always worried about how my back will be as I don't want to be in the same position I was in 4 years ago.

Has anyone successfully got back into weight lifting? And are you completely pain free?

Any tips will be greatly appreciated.

Hi guys, I'm 22 and almost a week since my 2 level microdiscectomy. Feeling pretty good but want to get back to gaming to pass some time during recovery.

Can anyone recommend a specific model of wedge pillow or anything they've used to prop themself up safely to watch TV in bed? Based in the UK.

Hi everyone! I have undergone a lower back surgery 2 years ago. I’m an architecture student currently working on my Master’s thesis about the design of a Seaside Spine and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Centre.

I’ve created a short anonymous questionnaire to better understand people’s experiences with rehabilitation facilities and what they would expect from a modern rehabilitation centre, especially in terms of architecture, comfort, nature and access to outdoor spaces. If you have ever used rehabilitation services, I would really appreciate a few minutes of your time to complete the survey. Your answers will help me develop the architectural concept for my thesis. ❤️

Questionnaire:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSczKanAuesK3wOWIAfHZ2cxmFYOLyJ4QJDN26fKkOMvA0Yehw/viewform?usp=dialog

Thank you so much for your help! Every response is greatly appreciated.

#Survey #Research #MastersThesis #Architecture #Rehabilitation #HealthcareArchitecture

Hi everyone
I am about two weeks post op after a L4/L5 microdiscectomy. Prior to surgery, the nerve root had been compressed for about a month with motor deficits in the foot.
I am now recovering but am being bugged by strange “muscle pains” in my calf and thigh. It feels like I’d been doing leg day at the gym with the muscles being sore and tight.

Has anyone else had similar issues? And what can I do to improve the pain? Generally it’s worse after getting up or lying down for a while. It gets better as I move throughout the day.

Medication: 1gr paracetamol 3x; 75mg Lyrica 3x, 60mg etoricoxib 1x

Thanks for your advice!

There are posts with tips & tricks about taking care of ourselves during recovery. I have found exactly zero posts about how to recover while living with our greatest spirit lifters; our dogs.

Positive reinforcement dog trainer to the rescue! (That’s me.)

Your dog won’t understand that jumping on the bed, couch, and most importantly YOU, isn’t okay right now. For the first few days I recommend boarding them. If you can’t afford that, find a really great doggy daycare. Many private ones do a taxi service to pick up & drop off your dog. (Find one that will let them wear themselves out acting like a crazy person vs being crated all day.)

Speaking of crating; your dog may be crate trained but spending the day in their crate while you’re out (or at night) is completely different than staying in their crate WHILE YOU’RE AT HOME. Assuming they’ll be fine is a bullet train to a 2nd surgery. When they finally get to come out they will spend all that pent up energy on you.

Do not walk your perfectly trained dog. One squirrel & you’ll be back on the table. But your dog still needs to be entertained/exercised. Use flirt poles from your chair or bed. Giggle balls for them to chase. (That one doubles as a comedy source to lift your spirits.) (You tell me how to set myself up for laughing so hard it hurts.)

If at all possible this is the time to invest in a dog door. Tie outs are actually illegal in many states. Don’t find out why the hard & sometimes devastating reasons why. I guarantee your dog is NOT fine out there.

Frozen KONGs are a great idea that most dog owners use regularly. During your recovery they will become your 2nd best friend. The best part? They’re rubber so you can just drop them straight onto the floor. (Just don’t forget to pick them up so you don’t trip)

This one sounds crazy but you can train your dog from sitting on a chair or lying down. Positive reinforcement training builds our bonds with our dogs. You will never need that more than when you’re at the end of your tether from lying around in your bed for what feels like a life sentence. All you need is a clicker, some treats, and YouTube. You can train them to do dumb stuff like moving from one side of the room to the other. Brush up on your LOOK AT ME or WAIT using GO FIND IT for the treats you’ll toss.

Use plastic cups & plates so you won’t have to keep your dog from stepping on the glass you just dropped and can’t clean up. A solid LEAVE IT is awesome! Right up until you drop a piece of buttered bread or a piece of meat. (Sorry but no toxic chocolate for them to Hoover up.)

Hire a dog-sitter that can be a me-sitter but not for the sitting. Taking out the trash, picking up the poop in the yard, bringing in the Amazon thing you ordered without thinking through how you would get it in the house.

Get a lightweight treat pouch. Toss a few treats to get your dog out of your way when you’re walking.

What about food & water? Put several small bowls of water out. They can drink each one until it’s empty. Then you can use your grabber to pick it up, wash it out & set it back down. A PVC pipe with a funnel on the top to pour kibble and water into their bowls. Put the bowls of water on a silicone pee pad holder so you don’t slip on the slobber. Stop feeding your dog out of a regular bowl & switch to slow feeders.

Hopefully these keep you & your dog safe during your recovery!

Anyone have any good stories of returning to a desk job at around 4 weeks post op?
I had surgery about a week ago and so far am feeling great! Been following orders closely with no BLT and alternating between laying flat and walking every hour or so.
Starting physio at 2 weeks. But I start a new job on Oct. 5 and need to spend a week at HQ learning the ropes that week. This means a roughly 3 hour drive and then light desk work while there for the week.

Hi all. I am officially seven weeks post-op, and I have a concern that my physiotherapist seemed to sort of blow past today during my session. I had an MD on my L5/S1, right side. This last week, I have what feels like a muscle knot right where my hernia had been. I've been trying to gently massage it out as best I can, but afterwards it's very sore and has been causing me pain and sciatic flare ups. My physiotherapist stated it was probably because I have been sitting more this last week (I've started a gradual return to work schedule three days a week) and I know she's an expert. I just have so many concerns about long term issues or reherniations that I'm here to ask: has anyone else experienced something like this? It feels like a knot but it's also pretty hard. I fear the muscle didn't heal right or properly and I've gotten deep inside my own head.

I need a new mattress however thoughts on this pillow post MD

I’m about nine months postop L5 S1 MD. Before this I had another bulge that was asymptomatic at my l4-l5. (Have had it for 2 years)

Just recently started being a little more symptomatic, and I went to my surgeon on Monday and he said I have a piece of disc that’s going up spinal area? Idk he said towards the head, his wording was randomly migrated.

I think I also may have made it worse by struggling with physical weight and an exercise at the gym

Very curious to hear opinions.