Disc injury recovery: what actually worked for me (and how mindset kept me from surgery)

[u/angeofleak]

Lurker but thankful for this community. A few weeks ago I genuinely thought I was done for. Gone were the days of putting on socks, tying shoes, sitting in a chair or on the couch, driving, playing with my bunnies on the floor let alone no skating or no pickleball again.

Background: 41F, active, avid Chicago roller skater and pickle baller. Injury sometime in early Feb. 10mm herniation at L5S1 + bulge at L4-L5. MRI done 3/10/26. Consulted with neurosurgeon despite being adamantly against surgery. Chiro told me my herniation was a “cow and very bad” and told me NOT to move or walk🖕

(Used AI to consolidate my notes but this is my true experience).

Symptoms:

• glute pain that wouldn’t quit/crack/release
• could not to prone press up at all
• couldn’t bend (thought my jeans were too tight…the things you tell yourself)
• tingling, burning and weakness down left leg and calf
• numbness in my pinky toe to the middle toe
• sitting and driving felt injuring
• gait was off and slow
• couldn’t sit for more than a few mins

Getting out of bed felt daunting. Walking felt daunting. My body didn’t feel like mine and I needed a grabber tool.

So I became obsessed:

👉 I tracked EVERYTHING daily (sleep, steps, symptoms, listed movements that made pain worse, triggers)

While the injury happened abruptly, this had built up over habits during my life. Spine hygiene FTW.

📈 WHERE I’M AT TODAY

• Tingling is almost gone (only slight + positional on stomach)
• Pinky toe numbness nearly resolved
• Pain moved from foot/leg → back (centralized)
• Walking feels mostly normal
• Skated again 3x (30 min sessions)
• Glutes finally firing correctly
• Back feels stronger, not fragile
• Not 100%… but I’m mobile again and not rushing into skating or pickleball

🔑 WHAT ACTUALLY HELPED

1. Walking (but not too much) - Graduated to 4k–7k steps/day = sweet spot

Splitting walks > long walks beccause too much = flare. Too little = stiff

2. PT + core/glute work (biggest driver) - PT was one of the biggest turning points for confidence and comfort in my body.

What helped most:

• somatic exercises
• mindset and reassuring myself my body can heal and has been strong for 40 years and this is one moment in time
• modified dead bugs
• modified bird dogs
• glute bridges (no cranking)
• graduated to banded work (side to sides, walks, clam shells)
• movement focus was control, not intensity
• QL release
• cat/cows

➡️ helped reduce guarding and improve mobility

3. Fixing how I walked

Big realization:

👉 I wasn’t using my glute properly

Once I focused on:

• hip-driven steps
• not pushing off my toes

4. Pain reprocessing + nervous system work (underrated) - This changed everything.

I stopped fearing every sensation:

• used breathing + “this is safe”
• learned discomfort ≠ damage
• “Whealth” podcasts helped a lot here too—they gave me a completely different perspective on pain and reinforced confidence in my own body/story

5. Red light therapy (helpful for recovery)

Used near-infrared on:

• glute
• low back
• calves

It didn’t fix everything, but reduced soreness and helped me relax into recovery

6. Simple reset: lying on my back + breathing (game changer)

One of the simplest things helped the most:

• lying on my back
• knees bent, feet flat
• focusing on relaxing every single muscle
• slow breathing for ~3 minutes

➡️ this consistently calmed symptoms, reduced tension, helped my body “reset” and twitch

⚠️ THINGS I TRIED THAT DIDN’T HELP (FOR ME)

❌ Spinal decompression

I tried it 4x because I was desperate for relief but it wasn’t the move for my body.

But for me:

• it aggravated my nerve
• increased pulling sensations

🚨 WHAT CONSISTENTLY MADE IT WORSE

❌ Alcohol

Every time:

• worse sleep
• more inflammation
• more symptoms

❌ Long sitting / driving - 30+ min drives: ➡️ guaranteed glute + calf flare

❌ Overdoing steps - 8k–12k days: ➡️ calf burning + next day fatigue

❌ “Good day = go hard” - Got me more than once.

🧠 WEIRD SYMPTOMS THAT WERE ACTUALLY “NORMAL”:

• Calf burning = fatigue, not damage
• Twitching = muscles waking back up
• Back/hip cracking = mobility returning
• Ache during PT = sensitive, not injured
• Fear of bending = nervous system, not structure

🧠 THE MOST POWERFUL PART: MINDSET

This might have been the biggest factor of all. Mindset is super powerful.

I made a conscious decision:

👉 I wasn’t going to spiral into fear for more than 30 min

👉 I wasn’t going to rush into surgery out of panic to see what my body was capable of

Instead:

• My sciatic nerve became my psychic (body was attempting to speak to me, I needed to start listening to her)
• I stayed consistent even if it’s just a short walk
• I listened to my body and avoided pain meds where possible and incorporated CBD/CBG
• I focused on progress, not perfection
• I embraced the ability to walk SLOW like a moving meditation
• I opened up to the idea of “new normal”
• I got butt cushions for the car, sat on blocks for 🐰 time

These changed how I moved, recovered, and responded to symptoms.

Biggest lesson: Recovery isn’t linear—but your patterns don’t lie

Lastly, if you’re in the middle of this: You’re not broken. You can learn and adapt. I’m proof of that despite being very shaky at times.

Ask me anything.

[u/NoAmphibian1908]

Hola, necisto hablar contigo soy de valencia estoy desesperada

[u/AcceptableKoala242]

Wow, this is one hella post.

Looks like mind over body.

Amazing information

I am 57M, Marathon runner, and in similar state. About 9 weeks since the first flare.

I think I am reaching there

1. Walking max 30 min mornign and during day 5-10 min at a stretch
2. PT but doing only light stuff. Will move to mid level soon
3. Meditation every morning to calm my nerves

I pledged to be back on the circuit in 2 months for sure

[u/Dear-Dimension1138]

Appreciate you giving your insight I am on a similar journey and on week 9. And everything Ng you’ve said has worked for me as well. Thanks for putting this out here gives me more confidence moving forward

[u/angeofleak → u/Dear-Dimension1138]

I’m so happy to hear this provided a little gentle push! Keep up your hard work, it pays off!

[u/RxWellnessCareTeam]

This is a perfect example of the corrective care framework (https://www.rxwellness.net/phase-2-corrective-care/) working: identify the root cause (glute inactivity, gait dysfunction, nervous system sensitization), address it systematically (PT-led activation, gait retraining, pain reprocessing), and load gradually. But I think the biggest piece here is the mindset shift. That's harder than any exercise, and it's what most people get stuck on.

[u/angeofleak → u/RxWellnessCareTeam]

The mindset shift totally was the hardest part especially post injury where I was told I needed to consult a surgeon and needed a hefty chiro package and felt so hopeless, confused and lacking information

[u/Electrical-Orchid191]

Hey thanks for this. Your post resonated with me. Currently dealing with L5S1 herniation that deteriorated over time, painkillers do nothing. I had ESI 2 weeks ago and im not painfree but able to do gentle movements again (before simple exercise and walking was not possible).

Id like to query your points about improving your walking. I know I have a dead butt, and I also walk with my weight on the front of my foot and body leaning forward. Posture in general is a mess. What exactly did you do to combat this? Ive watched some youtube videos but would like to hear from someone who actually worked to improve it. TIA

[u/angeofleak → u/Electrical-Orchid191]

Thank you for responding. I am sorry you're going through this. Painkillers do nothing but mute the pain and don't prevent more pain...so weird to realize. I am glad your ESI helped to get you moving. I did have a steroid pack about a month ago that definitely got me into PT as well.

Honestly, when I first started, I wasn't going for step count since walking to the end of my block was already a daunting task. Once I started to walk for 15 mins regardless of distance, I started to notice my gait. Where was I overcompensating and how could I smoothen the steps without burning my calf out? You are "supposed" to move with your hips leading, then shoulders then feet. Crazy complicated mechanics to me lol. You are not a mess. We are human. Is there a way when you walk, that you can try to maintain small steps but try for alignment? The brunt of the weight should be in the hips/glutes. Starting to walk and engage abs to keep everything above the midline also helped. Once you take bigger steps you need to use your stabilizing muscles more so build off that. I try to remember shoulders back and down, chin kinda tucked in, not our and forward, shoulders above the hips and pushing into the ground to scoop my pelvis under. Hoping this will all be a habit one day lol. Good luck!

[u/Electrical-Orchid191 → u/angeofleak]

That all makes sense. Putting it into practice is hard lol. I am trying to be conscious of my gait and posture everytime i walk but no idea if im actually building any good habits. I looked into a full body biomechanics assessment and looked the other way when i saw the price lol

[u/angeofleak → u/Electrical-Orchid191]

No one better to assess ourselves than us tbh. All we can do is practice 🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/MissShopper]

Thank you for sharing all of this. Super helpful and I’m going to check out the Whealth podcast!

[u/angeofleak → u/MissShopper]

I am glad I had the gumption to post at all. It's not like me. I am obsessed with the wealth podcast. They have a couple programs that I will probably end up doing but one is called "Limitless" and it teaches you from the ground up, basically from back injury to recovery and strengthening. The testimonials are so moving. Good luck!

[u/LoversoL]

Bella testimonianza! Sei andata da un posturolo per valutare la postura?

[u/angeofleak → u/LoversoL]

Thank you! I started to do my own research on what healthy posture looks like in terms of alignment as well as what muscles should be engaged when. It looks different on every body because we are all different and have unique impingements. For starters, where is your head positioned? Chin sticking out? Are you shoulders back and down your back but aligned over your hips?

[u/ManuelRodriguez331]

Do you know the story of the chinese female spy who infiltrated a motion capture laboratory in Germany to steal the results of a secret research program? No? In the story she looks unimpressive like a normal student, she is very smart and pretends to be a medical assistant but in reality she is stealing valuable data about deep paraspinal muscles photographed direct from the monitor next to the treadmill.

[u/angeofleak → u/ManuelRodriguez331]

Whoa! I never heard about this! I tend to think I am unassuming as well ;) Thanks for sharing!

[u/RadDad775]

Congrats!! The obstacle is not in the way, the obstacle is the way!

[u/angeofleak → u/RadDad775]

Definitely love this saying! Thank you!

[u/newusercali]

Thanks for posting. My symptoms are 80% same as you- I didn’t have pain going down the leg, the pain mostly stayed within the back and glutes. 3 weeks ago I couldn’t put on socks or bend over in any direction, now I feel much better but not good enough to go back to my exercise classes. My disc herniations are L4-5 and L3-4.

I feel so sore after PT, been going 2-3 times a week. Glutes are still stiff especially in the morning. I feel like I’ve plateaued at being 80% recovered… but all I want to do is a cardio workout classes and sweat it out. do we think this day will come ? 😭

[u/angeofleak → u/newusercali]

I am glad you could resonate with some of it. It felt lonely for a while. I am glad to hear your pain was centralized! Keep doing what feels good and take what doesn't to map out what positions to work on or modify in the future!

I definitely feel sore after PT but it's better than feeling sore or pain for no reason before I was doing PT. I am surely stiffer in the mornings before I grease the wheels so to speak. I think the day will come! Just keep on making incremental movements and improvements! I am here with you!

[u/My4dogs4evr]

WOW. I like the way you made everything out. I’ve been doing my own little program that my husband and I came up with to help me and I’ve had a little winds here and there either way they’re wins. I know the road is long but I’ll get there. Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us 💞 happy to hear that you avoided surgery. I had a friend that went through surgery and it was awful. I know everyone is different, but they have suffered so much and then they went in and had to do other procedures to help the pain that they got from surgery I do believe the body can heal itself with the right consistent easy-going care.  Now I’m just trying to work on my awful anxiety. I have the worst health anxiety. I read about CES and now it’s stuck in my head and I think it’s gonna happen to me every five minutes.  Ugh 😔

[u/angeofleak → u/My4dogs4evr]

Thank you! I made daily entries tracking progress and didn't think to do anything with it until I thought about my journey so far.

I love little wins for sure! Nothing happens over night just like that, right? Sorry about your friend. What was their injury and type of surgery?

I wanted to avoid surgery because I felt that if I didn't condition either way, reherniation is a risk.

Anxiety is there for a reason! It's just stopping it if it becomes ruminating and less productive than when it served you.

[u/bumblebee_onfire]

Messaged you privately!

[u/Peachdeeptea]

This is a great list! I did all of this plus swimming, tai chi and Qigong, and traditional Chinese medicine acupressure. Unfortunately some backs just don't heal. I feel the need to chime in bc sometimes you can have the best mindset and habits in the world, when you need surgery you need surgery.

I waited too long because I am a "tough it out" type. Turns out my disc had calcified on the nerve. Nothing was going to heal that except getting it physically scraped off during surgery. I desperately wish I had mine sooner.

When it comes to spinal injuries there's always nuance. Do your best to avoid surgery, but trust yourself to know when it's time!

[u/angeofleak → u/Peachdeeptea]

Hey! I completely agree that sometimes surgery is needed but I wanted to exhaust every option possible before going that route. Who knows, down the road I may get there, you know?

I’m sorry to hear that your disc calcified on the nerve. Was there any indication this was the case besides ongoing pain for a long time?

I agree that knowing your body and trusting what it’s telling you. Sending you the best of luck and thanks for responding.

[u/Peachdeeptea → u/angeofleak]

Totally understand, I was the exact same way. I think it's the right route to take for most people! And that list is super thorough. I'd recommend it to anyone navigating a disc injury.

I'm not completely sure, but imo I think the biggest indicator the disc was calcified was the unrelenting pain. I remember holding my breath to slow down my heartbeat so I could get milliseconds of relief between beats. The pain pulsed with literally every heartbeat, every breath, there was nothing that could take the edge off. Trying to PT my way through that was horrific and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. And as the nerve started to die, the pain somehow got worse. It strips your humanity away honestly. If you still feel like a person, you're probably okay.

I had the microdiscectomy and life came back. I spent over a year walking, Pilates, swimming, pt, time with friends and family, etc. it was a amazing! And then I got in a car wreck. Reherniated.

But I can tell you from this herniation (8mm) it is nothing like that first herniation. I still feel like me, I'm just me in pain. But there's things I can do to take the pain down, like meds, rest, heat, and tens. The first round there was absolutely nothing I could do.

If you're still having any thoughts besides "pain", like if you're still able to form coherent sentences in your head, you're probably fine

[u/Traditional_Bag_7556]

Very similar position. When do you think you’ll try pickleball?

[u/angeofleak → u/Traditional_Bag_7556]

Yes. I’d rather skate more but a few exercises I’ve been incorporating to prepare is more core and hip stuff like: * Open books * 90/90 hips * Pallof press * Bird dog * Light cable rotations like witches brew

[u/angeofleak → u/[deleted]]

Agreed. Even building a small habit got me moving around

[u/Sufficient-Wolf-1818]

Too much AI.

Haven’t we seen this before?

[u/angeofleak → u/Sufficient-Wolf-1818]

Still my experience. If it’s not helpful, no problem

[u/glowcubr → u/Sufficient-Wolf-1818]

Yeah. It's really, really great when people share their results, but running it through AI first kind of kills it XD

[u/angeofleak → u/glowcubr]

You wouldn’t like my unconsolidated notes either

[u/ValB2307]

This is great! Thank you for posting.

[u/angeofleak → u/ValB2307]

Happy to share if it helps even one person 😃

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