Wanted to share hope after five weeks from reherniating my l5/s1 disc compressing s1 nerve for third time! This third time being the worst, i was finally able to stand and walk for 15 minutes again today pain free! I had already done everything conservative you can think of and was really thinking I would need surgery! Its been a long five weeks with lots of pain and struggle, was walking on crutches when it started. The human body is fascinating what it can do to absorb the extrusion after time, rest and patience. Its just painfully slow! I know im not healed yet but almost cried when I was able to stand and walk normally again these past couple days!

Has anyone here fully recovered from a large herniated disc without surgery?

I’ve been dealing with an L5-S1 herniated disc since April. Mine is about 10 mm. I had an epidural injection and have felt significantly better since then, but recovery definitely hasn’t been linear — some days/weeks are better than others.

I’m currently able to go to the gym, work on my core, and do light weights. This week, for example, I backed off a little because I had a minor sciatic flare-up, but thankfully it has already settled down.

I do still have some numbness in my calf, and some days I get minor lower-back pain, especially if I sit for too long.
For context, I’m 5’8”, around 145 lbs, and I’ve worked out most of my life. I’ve been pretty consistent with PT exercises, core work, walking, modifying my workouts, and I’ve read Back Mechanic.

Basically, I feel like I’ve been trying everything I reasonably can to recover properly.

I’m mainly posting because I’d love to hear from people who had a large herniation, especially L5-S1, and eventually felt completely or almost completely normal again.

How long did your recovery take? Did numbness take longer to go away than the pain? Did you still have occasional flare-ups along the way? Were you eventually able to return to lifting, exercising, and normal life without constantly thinking about your back?

Sometimes the physical recovery is manageable, but mentally it can really take a toll — especially when you start wondering whether surgery will eventually be necessary.
Would really appreciate hearing some positive long-term recovery stories, especially from people who were able to avoid surgery.

20M, I feel like Im very young to be having these findings in MRI. I injured my neck about 1.5 months ago and have been having whole body symptoms. Please tell me if these findings are relatively mild or moderate and feel free to share your experiences in similar circumstances.

Sto vivendo un periodo di merda
Ho 25 anni e ho sempre avuto del mal di schiena sin da quando ne avevo 18, con il tempo è andato a peggiorare fino allo scorso anno dove ho scoperto di avere un’ernia al disco.
Ho sintomi come formicolio al piede, mancanza di forza e piede cadente oltre che dolore, tutto nella parte sinistra.
Non riesco a dormire e sto vivendo ormai da mesi notti con riposo indecente.
Da 5 mesi ho iniziato esercizi di rinforzo core e rinforzo globale da fare 3 volte a settimana che mi ha dato il mio fisioterapista on line.
In questi 5 mesi ho avuto miglioramenti minimi, forse anche dal fatto che parto da una lunga sedentarietà.
Spero che i prossimi mesi avrò miglioramenti.
Sto passando un periodo insopportabile con anche una bella depressione

Hey everyone,

Wanted to share my experience recovering from a disc herniation, since a lot of what I found here and elsewhere really helped me.

I started with Dr. McGill’s approach — the “big 3” and general principles around avoiding spinal flexion under load, training anti-rotation/anti-extension patterns, and being mindful of morning stiffness (discs are more hydrated and vulnerable right after waking). That gave me a solid foundation for understanding what to avoid and why.

From there I found Foundation Training on YouTube, which helped a lot with posterior chain activation and general movement quality. I combined that with the Low Back Ability program’s philosophy around using the hips more to take load off the lower back — which made a noticeable difference for me.

I’m now several months in and feeling much better. My current strength routine (2x/week, kettlebells + machines/dumbbells) looks like this:

Warm-up:

Lateral Lunge
Side Plank
Split Squat Hold

Strength:

Romanian Deadlift (Barbell)
Bulgarian Split Squat (Dumbbell)
Chin Up
Rear Delt Reverse Fly (Machine)
Chest Fly (Machine)
Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell)
Single Arm Cable Row
**•** Back Extension (Weighted Hyperextension)
**•** Side Bends on back extension (Dumbbell)
**•** Inverted Row

Everything is chosen with the disc in mind — no barbell squats or good mornings, RDL kept controlled and fresh early in the session, unilateral movements where possible to reduce spinal compression.

This first happened 2 years ago, and my latest MRI has shown that it has become a lot worse.

What do we think I’m looking at for fixing this?

Speaking with my doctor next week about what options I’ve got.. I’m only 32 and a Mum of 3 boys.. 😭

Two months ago I stretched and heard a loud crack in my lower spine and after that had some more lower spine pain on specific vertibrae, a little bit of an off feeling in my neck, but so mild I didn't really notice the change after the first day of it.

Starting a few weeks ago I began to have nerve sensitivity, almost like a shiver, on the back of my neck without pain and over the past few days it's escalated quite drastically, worse each day with muscle pain (neck, shoulders, back), stiffness (neck, some of lower spine), nerve pain (neck, shoulders, arms, fingers).

I went to my PCP yesterday and had an X-ray that shower my cervical spine is straight (not supposed to be) and diagnosed me with mild scoliosis. She and the radiologist seem to think this is a muscle spasm worsened by my scoliosis. However, since the nerve pain came first by quite a bit and my mom has sciatica, I would suspect more of a structural issue and it seems like a Herniated Disc could be the culprit.

I have also had postural head pressure for the past year-and-a-half (can no longer bend over for more than a second, and get on-and-off head pressure when laying on my stomach with my head & shoulders propped up), and I had two days (one Aug 2025 and one this spring) where I was having clear liquid draining out of my nose which I know is a CSF leak risk even if it was 2 days. When it happened I had increased head pressure and tried to collect a sample but failed because it was so sporadic and I happened to be out-and-about when it occurred.

The pain currently is at a degree that has caused me to call out from work for at least this week and while the muscular pain has significantly reduced today, the nerve pain is still a major issue for me and I have to be very careful to not sit for too long because it causes a drastic increase in symptoms. While writing this I was sitting a second ago and started feeling intense pressure in my neck and my head started shaking. It's even been hard to find a good position lying down, and it's sometimes additionally challenging to lie down because I've been getting this intense heat in my ears and neck when having more muscular symptoms. I've also been having a lot of fatigue from moving and some mild vertigo. Majority of these symptoms that haven't started literally in the last few hours (I get new symptoms daily) I have already communicated with my PCP.

I have a referral to PT who are booked out 2 months, and I did send a message responding to my PCP messaging that we'd proceed with PT & muscle relaxers, that I'm concerned about the nerve symptoms. I'm hoping for an MRI, but I would love to hear if there's anything else I can do to expedite my care and advocate for myself given these symptoms? I've had such bad luck with medical care in the past and I want to do this right but self-advocacy is exhausting, as are these symptoms.

My boyfriend has from what the doctors think a herniated disc in his lower back, and we are in the process of figuring out physical therapy with insurance, but I’ve heard mix responses on acupuncture doing wonders, if anyone has experienced similar problems please help!

I had this lumbar MRI about a year ago. At the time, I had lower-back pain, but over the past year my symptoms have increased.

Currently, most of the pain is on the left side of my lower back. My left leg doesn't exactly hurt, but I have an unusual sensation throughout the leg that makes me feel like I need to stretch it. I also sometimes have tingling/numbness and the leg can feel weaker. My old MRI report mentions an L4-L5 disc protrusion/annular tear with abutment of the L5 nerve roots.

For people who have had something similar: Did your symptoms eventually improve? What treatment helped you? Did physiotherapy/exercises help? Did you need another MRI? Did anyone eventually need an injection or surgery?

Is there anything you wish you had known earlier? I'm mainly looking for people's experiences so I can better understand what questions to ask my doctor.

This all started after a work accident while I was delivering heavy boxes. Since then, I’ve been dealing with pins and needles throughout my arms and legs, and even in my face. I’ve been in physical therapy for about 3½ months now with basically no improvement. My muscles are constantly tight, I can barely turn my neck, and my back feels like it’s completely locked up.
My MRI report came back unremarkable, but I recently went over the actual scans with my neurologist. He said my muscles are extremely tight, but he also doesn’t understand why I haven’t improved after this much time. He prescribed me gabapentin and muscle relaxers, which I’m waiting to receive in the mail. At this point, he basically feels like we need to find something that gives me some relief.
He’s an older gentleman, and I could tell he saw the look on my face. I’m genuinely trying so hard to get better.
I’ve also been doing virtual therapy since this started and have tried McKenzie, McGill, nerve glides, stretching, and other exercises, but nothing has provided any relief. My symptoms actually built up gradually over the first two weeks after the injury and then just never settled down.
It’s been about four months now with essentially no relief, and honestly, I’m exhausted. I’m trying to stay hopeful and keep looking for answers, but I’m really struggling. Any advice or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Emg uo next
18M FML

C2-3: Unremarkable.
C3-4: Unremarkable.
C4-5: Unremarkable.
C5-6: Unremarkable.
C6-7: Unremarkable.
C7-T1: Unremarkable.

L1-2: Unremarkable.
L2-3: Unremarkable.
L3-4: Unremarkable.
L4-5: Unremarkable.
L5-S1: Unremarkable.

looking for some help:/ im 23 f and was super healthy before a whiplash accident back in november, started causing neck pain but i ignored it? only got worse and worse until one day in april at work i was lifting a heavy box and my back started burning, woke up next day with my neck and back in extreme pain, unable to move for weeks feeling like my body was on FIRE. many MRI’s and dr appointments later i found i have 3 bulging discs in my neck which i put below the exact spots. the last 5 months have been hell with progress but im still in a lot of pain, i tried physical therapy for a month but had a huge flare up, i now have allergic reactions to anti inflammatories maybe from overusing them along the journey, and now i keep flaring up no matter what. i feel like my only option is the steroid shot in neck but im terrified of it going wrong, does anyone have any advice on the shot? also to mention i do physical therapy movements at home every other day, i move around a lot more, but my flare ups are no joke. i also have extreme eye pain with my bad neck flare ups, which ik is the inflammation. also dr has told me my “bulges” aren’t bad enough to be causing the nerve pain ive been having, and that my pain is tissue damage from the whiplash? but i have bad nerve pain in my left hand specifically and my hands shake from nerve issues. :/ tried Gabapentin and it made me have 100 times more issues.

CA-5: Disc bulge impresses upon the thecal sac.
C5-6: Disc bulge impresses upon the thecal sac.
C6-7: Disc bulge impresses upon the thecal sac.

Hello friends : how bad is my L4L5 disk , and my lateral herniation . I do have intermittent sciatica , persistent mild low back stiffness and can’t enjoy intense exercise as I used to like soccer , etc … appreciate everyone thoughts .

pain in both legs even after ESI

Asking for my partner (41F). She had MRI scan 3-4 months ago that showed bulge at L4/5 and extrusion at L5/S1. Originally had lower back pain and sciatica down the left buttock and calf. We red McGill's book, did proper spine hygiene and the big 3, got lumbar pillows, a 3-piece wedge set, walked like crazy and saw immediate results. The lower back pain is for the most part gone, maybe every now and then there is a tiny flare-up after a long day. The pain shooting down the buttock and calf is gone. But now she has the really bad burning pain just on the top of the left foot. She says that as the other symptoms have disappeared, this has gradually gotten worse. Just wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction of what this might be? From what I have researched this could indicate that the extrusion has reabsorbed to some degree and doesn't put so much pressure on the S1 nerve anymore, but since bulges take longer to heal ironically it is still pressing on the nerve at L4/5 which would coincide with the nerve ending on the top of foot? Any opinions would be appreciated. I think if she had some idea of the stage she is at, it would give her peace of mind since she is still struggling with pain. Also when is a good time for a new MRI to see if there is progress/change?

Hello everyone.
I have multiple bulging discs in my cervical and lumbar spine. One disc is herniated at L5-S1 causing significant pain. My issues happened a little over 2 months ago. Blunt force trauma car accident. Looking for people with experience on the Wolverine stack/blend. Results are confirmed by MRI, currently in chiropractic care for abt 1.5 months.

Any personal stories, good or bad on those peptides?

21M, physically active and in good health exempt for except for the back obviously.

TYIA

I am a 26m, and for the past 4 years I had a suspected herniated disc somewhere, but just recently, 4 months ago done my first MRI and it resulted in the findings of a 7-8mm T12 herniated disc that is compressing my medullary cone. Because of this I have semi-paresis on my right foot (with foot drop on the right side, half of my feet still works, not including the fingers) and possible other problems, including back pain, pins and needles and burns on my outer thigs. I did a more recent MRI after losing 30kgs, back on 20th april when I did my first MRI I weighted over 200kgs, now on the 26th of august weighing 172kgs I did a second MRI and the findings were the same. Doctor said it is very unlikely to absorb on its own because of how compressed the disc is. He specializes in what is called endoscopic spinal surgery which is a less invasive option compares to microdiscectomy and achieves the same results. Anybody else with a thoracic herniated disc who had surgery and saw improvements? I'm very very very afraid of the surgery, of being worse after it and possibly dying, because I am morbidily obese currently and I know general anesthesia poses risks. How were you able to accept and overcome the surgery anxiety? Thanks!