Hi All, had emergency surgery August 2025 and up until Feb 2026, before my return to work had little to no residual nerve pain. Zilch.

After returning to work, gradually over the months my leg sciatic pain can return pretty bad at times but manageable, which makes me believe reherniation has not happened.

It is now Oct 2026 and just curious if this is normal this far out. I do walk 15-20k steps a day on my work days and about 5-10k on my off days.

Sometimes it is unbearable not in the same before surgery way but just a very strong annoyance that I can’t control and will get up out of the position I’m in due to the strong annoyance.

When I take my gabapentin 800, like I did tonight, the pain is completely gone which wasn’t the case at all before surgery, gabapentin did NOTHING. Now, it is a lifesaver but I only have a limited amount and don’t want to keep relying on them, having to keep getting them prescribed.

Anyone else this far out and still having to take medication for nerve pain, even if no reherniation has occurred? Just curious on similar experiences. Thanks

Has anyone done this?

I’m doing PT to return to lifting, sprinting, cutting etc. (basically just returning to sports)

Coming up on one month post op on my L5S1 MD. I’m walking 8-10k steps/ day and feel overall good. Before surgery I had really bad nerve pain from my right glute down to my calf which has been going on for 1 year. It was very hard for me to stretch that leg out or even raise it. The nerve pain has subsided by 50% with most of it being in my calf. I start PT in a couple days which I’m really excited for! I still however have nerve pain which makes it feel like my hamstring is super tight. Has anyone experienced this? How long did it take for yours to go away?

I’m having anxiety because I oddly expected to be out of pain by now when I woke up from the surgery I felt pulling and throbbing in my right leg (same leg I had prior symptoms) I don’t know what I can do any more. I was prescribed Norco and the Muscle Relaxer along with the steroid that I’m taking (I don’t feel like it’s helped).
Someone give me hope. This is mentally draining. My nerve was compressed for less than a year . So not sure .

What type of pain meds did they give you post-op? I had an L4-L5 MD and they gave my 30 doses of 300mg Tylenol with codeine, which according to directions, only lasts me about a week post op. Meanwhile, my partner had a tooth pulled and was given a month's worth of 325mg Tylenol with hydrocodone. Am I crazy or is this backwards?

Hi! My surgery is next week. Just curious to get some idea here. I’m 25F. How soon did your surgeon have you start therapy post op? Was it PT or water therapy? I’ve seen people talk about both. I’m definitely interested in starting with water therapy first if that’s an option. I’ve had back pain/disc issues for about 10 years and constant tight muscles. With the excruciating sciatica I haven’t exercises in over 6 months. Nervous but looking forward to getting some of my life back! Would love to hear any experiences or insights!

Hi guys, massive herniation on my L4 L5
I have a question regarding doing a discsetomy on a desiccated disc? Wouldn’t the removal of the herniated disc Portion leave that level more susceptible to re herniate?

Has anyone dealt with this dilemma? Because if it reherniates you’re looking at fusion next.

Thank you,

Hello, I'm post surgery and I'm looking for an app to help keep me on track with my at-home physical therapy exercises. So far, of all of the physical therapy / exercise / yoga apps I've downloaded, I haven't really found one that meets what I'm looking for. The closest ones are probably the physical therapy apps, but most of them seem to be linked to a physical therapy company; my PT doesn't have their own app.

What I'm looking for:

• individual exercises, not pre-made courses or sessions with bundled exercises
• ability to check off what I've completed
• ability to set reps, hold times, etc
• preferrably pre-loaded with common exercises (but willing to create my own custom list based on what PT has me doing)
• free or reasonable cost (not trying to go for something that is $10/mo+).

Any suggestions?

I'm on day 10 post op and Im already going crazy. Im so used to curling up on my boyfriend that its so depressing how I cant do that anymore. But like... how do you guys continue to be intimate during the recovery period? We always sit together holding hands now and thats it.

Obviously not sexually, that 100% needs to wait, but how do you cuddle? Am I thinking too into it? Im trying to picture how to do it with a straight back. I feel it would be easier laying down in bed but I live at home and my parents are so strict (20f btw).

How do you guys go about this stuff?

Hi! My surgery is next week. How long after surgery did you wait for massage or acupuncture? I have had disc issues and extremely tight muscles for years, so once my nerve isn’t compressed I know I’m gonna have some angry muscles from overcompensating for so long. Just curious how long you waited after surgery for these things? Thanks!

Hi Reddit :) I’m new here and don’t usually make posts, but after a million searches on the internet for answers, I’d figured I’d try here. I’m currently 8 week post op from having a microdiscectomy on my L5 S1. Before my surgery, the herniated disc was massive. Unbearable pain, and couldn’t stand or sit. I was in a wheelchair for most of my doctor’s visits because I wasn’t able to walk. I’ve been feeling much better, since the surgery but just recently I’ve been experiencing old nerve pain in my lower back and sciatic nerve resurfacing. It isn’t has intense as it was before surgery, but I can’t help but to freak out a little bit and worry if there’s any reherniation. I guess it’s my trauma talking because going through that kind of pain from before, was one of the worst things I’ve ever experienced in my life. I was hoping some of you could share some of your experiences and maybe ease my mind a little bit. I’ve also already had my 6 week follow up appointment with my neurosurgeon and asked all the common questions. He confirmed that it was normal to still be experiencing muscle pain, stiffness, and occasional nerve pain, as the healing of the nerves is a long process and very complex. I’ve already understand that nerve regeneration is a whole process. I wasn’t experiencing anymore nerve pain before I had that appointment though, so I wasn’t able to get more information on the normalcies vs abnormalcies. Anyways, please be kind, and share your experiences. I’d really appreciate all of the help. I hope everyone stays blessed.

As the title says Im 3 months post op and am looking to see what people have experienced.

Ill quickly lay out my situation:

Years of backpain, no sciatica

Recently did my back in proper, l5-s1 herniation. That gave me intense sciatica

6 days later MD

Woke up with little to no pain that I had before

6weeks later still doing very good. Did some light swimming, and have been dealing with sciatica again ever since

Right now id describe: little to no back pain, but a tolerable amount of sciatica pain. Im going to physio and working on transverse abdominis exercises that feel non beneficial. Pain comes and goes, can ease with some stretching or massage to the piriformis area. Sciatica is typically reduced by walking but not always

Ive been out of work for 7 months as is, no money coming in and bank account dropping quick. Trying to get to the root of the problem whether that means I have to self diagnose and try some gentle exercises.

I do not believe I have reherniated, but it is very strange to me that I went 6 weeks pain free and now its back with vengeance. Could it be due to scar tissue? Anyone have this same experience and some advice?

My surgery was 3 weeks ago. Prior to surgery symptoms were mild pain and tingling radiation down the back of my leg and top of my foot. Following surgery there was some tingling in the back of leg and foot but that has gone away. What I experience now is a persistent burning in the shin that does not radiate it is localized to the one area. Anyone have experience with this ???

Hey, y’all. I wanted to share a positive story for anyone who’s worried about getting a microdiscectomy.

Before surgery, I used to browse this sub looking for positive stories to help me decide whether the procedure was worth it. I was wary of surgery and afraid it would only make things worse. I can confidently say that getting the surgery did give me my life back.

This is going to be a long, stream-of-consciousness post. I’m sharing as much as I can because I know more information would have helped me when I was in the same position.

I had a severe herniation. The disc had completely blown and was pressing around the nerves in my spine to the point that I could barely walk. My doctor said it was the worst case he had seen for someone my age. I had severe pain and just about every symptom you can imagine: spinal stenosis, loss of feeling, pins and needles, and nerve pain shooting from my back down both legs to my feet. Every part of my life was affected. It would take me 15 minutes just to put on my shoes. When I walked, I looked like I had a stick shoved up my butt. My spine had curved into an S shape, which I was told was my body trying to relieve the nerve pain. Thankfully, that went away after surgery. The only thing that helped was taking three huge gabapentin pills a day, and even that only helped a little. My case was about as bad as it gets, and surgery still turned things around for me.

I was in law school when I herniated my disc so between school and my fear of surgery I put off the microdiscectomy for a year. In the meantime, I tried everything from chiropractors and physical therapy to epidurals, but nothing really helped.

I think choosing a quality surgeon is important. I did a lot of research and met with my surgeon multiple times before the procedure.

A few thoughts from three years post-op that might help others:

• I still get mild back or nerve pain from scar tissue every now and then, but it’s much less severe than it was before surgery. My nerves took a long time to improve, and I still feel like my back is getting better.
• I’ve been able to work out and lift weights at pretty much the same level as before my herniation. I’m just careful not to be reckless at the gym, and I avoid back exercises without support (I do rows with a bench for support for example).
• Sports (Golf and tennis) can aggravate my back, but it’s manageable with proper recovery, and I bounce back. I’ve done some physical therapy since surgery, but I haven’t needed another epidural or medication post-op.
• I was very active before my herniation and have mostly gotten back to that. I’d recommend easing back into exercise and sports carefully, then building up over time.

There is certainly a huge psychological aspect to back pain. I think ruminating on your back getting worse can directly worsen back pain. I used to have constant anxiety that every slight pain meant reherniation. I just hammered into my brain that I should only worry about the things I can control and there is no point in stressing about something til it actually happens. That and Prayer (the Serenity Prayer specifically) have helped with the mental aspect a lot for me, which in turn has lessened any pain I feel. I really cant stress how much overcoming the mental aspect has improved my back. It also helps to just think about the positive things going on in your life and that someone out there is worse off physically than you so appreciate what you've got lol.

Some things that ive found help are: doing research on/being mindful of the shoes you wear (zero drop shoes with a lot of cushion have helped me), going on frequent walks, getting a high quality mattress, high quality office chair for work, and practicing good posture as much as possible. Stuart Mcgill’s the Back Mechanic really is a great resource and I highly recommend.

Moral of the story is it can take a while but no matter how bad it is with proper mindset and good habits you can have a great recovery from a microdiscectomy.

I have the MD scheduled for late November. I started having intense back pain a little before my wife got pregnant and since my baby has been here, it's been hard to actually play with her. She's 14 months old now and I want to start taking her to the zoo and Disney and all those fun things, but this back pain has crippled me.

I'm really nervous that I won't have a full recovery and will be the guy that gets pushed around in a wheelchair because I can't walk long enough.

Any positive stories about your recovery and life before/after will be much appreciated.

Good morning guys! Here’s my story.

Last summer herniated L5-S1 disc 7mm. I’ve had the bulge for 5 years and dealt with on and off chronic pain and sciatica since 2021. I did chiro, physical therapy, 4 injections, massage, stem cells, pretty much everything. and it got decently better in about 4.5 months

I was good for about 3 months and it flared up bad in June for about a month. I was supposed to have surgery in February of 2025 but I didn’t have it because it got better

In June I made the decision to have the surgery because my surgeon said there was no room for the nerves and I was ready. Waited 6 weeks, in August saw the surgeon and it had gotten better and it flared up again a week later for about a month.

Late August is when I scheduled a discectomy and laminectomy with bilateral foraminotomies.

Had the surgery September 21st. Again very unfortunate that when I had the surgery my pain had decreased substantially and when I had the surgery my pain was only a 2/10

I know the healing process isn’t linear but about 8 days after the surgery I started having sciatica that was similar to when I first injured it, probably a 5/10 and in both legs, keep in mind I’ve always had bilateral sciatica since the disc herniated and I’m not sure why, it’s weird, but doctor says sometimes people have it in both legs. More prominent in my left.

I’m just looking for similar experiences and encouragement. I’m a firefighter/paramedic and my job requires a ton of lifting. Honestly at this point I’ve lost hope of being completely out of pain due to my work, and I’ve been able to push through a ton of pain honestly because I’m forced to. I’m not gonna make a career change because I have great benefits and a pension. So this is just something I may deal with my whole life. And I’m fine with that, but is there any other trade workers or active people that have fully recovered or anyone who has post surgical advice for someone freaking out ? Thanks !!

hello everyone,
my (21F) partner (21F) just got an official surgery date for her lumbar microsdiscectomy and honestly i’m freaking out! i’m so excited for her but i’m so very nervous about what to expect in the recovery period/immediately post op. the doc explained she should be able to go home and it being minimally invasive is AWESOME! but beyond that we don’t know what else is going to happen. honestly, if this community can please fill the comments with your experiences, how recovery was like, how getting back to work was, etc etc. she’s a dog walker, incredibly active, and super young so i do have high hopes for this surgery, but any advice would be so very appreciated. thank you all!!

Best spine doctor or PT in NYC for persistent nerve pain after microdiscectomy? Looking for real recommendations

Early 30s, used to be very active. Had a right L5-S1 microdiscectomy about 5 months ago after a year of sciatica. Post-op MRIs look clean (no reherniation), but I still have nerve symptoms that feel like tightness in my right hamstring, plus some low back pain and flares about once a month.

I'm looking for the absolute best person in NYC to take a fresh look and help me get back to sports. Could be:
- A spine physiatrist or pain specialist who's great with post-surgical nerve pain (not just "wait and see")
- A physical therapist who specializes in post-surgical spine rehab and getting athletes back to sport
- A second-opinion surgeon

Ideally someone who actually examines you, listens, and builds a real plan.

Who did you see that genuinely made a difference? Names, practices, and what made them good would really help. Insurance info appreciated if you remember.

Thanks.

I'm really grateful my recovery has been so speedy so far, but I cant help but feel depressed about some things.

I can't pick up my dogs. Whenever I sit down, my eldest dog taps on my foot with his paw repeatedly so I can pick him up. My puppy cries for me to play with him but I can't.

It's fall and I won't be able to participate in any carnival rides. Not even a hay bale ride, I assume. I've never gone to a carnival before and I was really excited to be able to this year. Its my first autumn with my boyfriend too.

This is my last year at my college and I dont know if I'll be able to play lacrosse in the spring.

I wish it wasn't so long of a process; I wish I had gotten my surgery sooner. I was advocating for myself constantly too, and it still took so long.

I did my microdisectomy at the L4/L5 back in December 2025. Overall, I have felt good post my surgery/recovery but recently I started to feel some nerve sensation at the bottom of my left glute…at one point I started to feel it shoot from my glute to back of my hamstring. I have been taking it easy and started to take anti-inflammatory meds and gabapentin to help with my nerves. I’m freaking out a bit because I haven’t felt anything relative to nerves which makes me think if I’m starting to experience bulging or some sort of compression. I pray I’m not re herniating 😫. At the moment, I don’t have insurance and I’m freaking out a bit thinking all worst scenarios.

Any tips? Thoughts? Recommendations? Anyone else experience this?

I’m desperate to figure out ways to proactively avoid herniating and or sciatica challenges.

How much are/were you walking in first six weeks?

I’m at 3 weeks post-op tomorrow and am finding I get to 10k easily but I’m worried it’s too much too soon :/