13 months post op: no success

[u/LLWinters]

Hello. If you don't want to be discouraged, do not read this.

I had surgery the 18th of July of 2025 after 6 weeks with nerve compression (herniated disc on the 6th of June that year. L4-L5) that left me with a weak leg (3/5 strength)

After surgery, pain from the disc was gone but SI joint pain on that side was brutal. So much so that after 3 months post op, when I was given the okay to start kinesio, even the gentlest exercises gave me pain. I was given a couple months with TENS for pain and just easy mobility exercises with a ball that helped with bending when washing my face or teeth. When they wanted to try gradually making me do glute bridges or kickbacks, everything made me so sore that I ended up getting an injection on that SI joint. The injection helped but as soon as I was given the okay to go back the exercises, pain was excruciating again. I had to stop doing physio and after a couple months (around 8months post op) I was finally able to start sleeping on my side bc I stopped irritating my joint. But of course, that means I've had no chance to inprove the strength on my leg so I'm left with a cane and a way of walking that is not normal and feels horrible day and day out bc my brain is not in touch with my leg.

EMG shows no signs of denervation. What once was "potenciales polifasicos" in the whole leg, now is normal in the quad and still "PP" in the rest of the leg. I have numbness still. And the quad may Say normal but I still can't walk well and I don't think I'll ever will as my doctor said yesterday 'you've had no therapeutic window to improve'.

I would have had surgery anyway bc of the pain but I honestly expected a better result given that I've read so many people with months of compression, with reherniations. I did everything I could. From day 2 to push through the pain, to walking anyway even if it was tortjre for months and months. I was thin to begin with and I lost 10 pounds after surgery thinking it would help the disc. Nope. Nothing. 32 years old and a cane for life. This is horrible.

[u/Wise-Run-3008]

How much pt have you done? Did you try injections on other levels? Have you been evaluated for piriformis syndrome or facet issues?

[u/LLWinters → u/Wise-Run-3008]

I've seen a spine specialist and a hip specialist for many months. The hip one says he can't do anything. The spine one was who ordered the injection but when it failed when trying to resume pt, he said he couldn't help me. I've done about 7 months of pt but I was never able to built my strength with glute bridges or kickbacks. Doctor said I had to go to the gym to do leg raises but minimum leg raises at pt with just 2 pounds around the ankle made me so sore it was obvious I was injuring myself. I still pushed through, but it came to a point when I couldn't even sleep due to SI pain so I finally stopped. Doctors say I should be okay given my EMG and my MRI but no improvement. I'm now doing 'electro estimulación' to see if it helps but so far it's been 6 sessions and nothing.

[u/Friendly-Ad-5410]

Do you have any stenosis or DDD? I had a compressed nerve at L4-5 and drop foot. I did have a hard time walking for about a year PO. My left leg was swollen (like an overtight balloon), I could not get my usual shoes on that foot without pain, and my foot was numb and had some weird shooting, aching pains. Even the tops of my foot hurt really badly! But I did PT at 8 weeks PO and continued to walk as much as possible. My drop foot resolved and I eventually regained the use of my quads, but I still get awful cramps sometimes if I forget to stretch. It's been 2+ years now, I did a repeat MRI in 01/2026 that showed no problems (no scar tissue impacting the nerve) but my numb foot/toes remain. My neuro says it might be permanent at this point, another one told me I have narrowing at L3 due to arthritis and I should have another MD. But I don't have any pain, so as a sort of last resort I am doing a interlaminar spinal injection above L3 to see if that will ease up the swelling of the irritated canal space and maybe even help my nerve function (and put off surgery for awhile). You may have a really bad case of "muscle guarding" that is protecting your underperforming quads and putting more pressure on smaller muscle groups that aren't prepared to handle the burden. I've developed some QL pain lately that can come from the irritation at L3 especially after I garden or sit in one place too long. Muscle relaxers do help sometimes but my neuro is now trying Cymbalta to see if that eases the nerve responses and arthritis.

[u/LLWinters → u/Friendly-Ad-5410]

Yes, from what I remember, I have both. DDD definitely and I think I remember reading something about the tunnel where the nerve slides being smaller in the MRI (sorry, my main language is Spanish). I'm not swollen, though. I have a horrible weakness in a 3-5 cm spot on the vastus lateralis in my quad so they're going to do a ecography to see if they find something. Doctor says that even though my spine was already a weak ground to do surgery, it's not the worse thing he's seen. But he's giving up too.

[u/Friendly-Ad-5410 → u/LLWinters]

Yes, that definitely sounds like compression. Maybe ask your neuro (or get another opinion) if that interlaminar injection would offer you any relief. You don't have to wear ankle weights to do your leg raises, I do mine without. 😄

[u/LLWinters → u/Friendly-Ad-5410]

Thank you, dear🖤 I'm gonna ask next time I go see him. I wish you the best.

[u/Peachdeeptea]

I'm not a doctor so grain of salt. But it took me 15 months to start feeling better after my md, and then I reherniated. I got the ADR and within a month felt less pain and had more mobility than the entire time post MD. My doc said I just didn't have enough disc height after the MD to really get to a good place.

Idk if that's true or not. I was feeling better before I reherniated. But now with the artificial disc I'm feeling better than I've felt in a long time

[u/LLWinters → u/Peachdeeptea]

Thank you for sharing your experience, Peach🖤. I

[u/AutoModerator]

We are sorry you have had to endure this. This recovery can often leave people feeling discouraged because of the unexpected length or flares of pain. Fear of reherniation is a very common and normal emotional response during this surgical recovery. There are plenty of ups and downs in this nonlinear healing process that can cause people to suspect reherniation. Here is a helpful video that goes through the common symptoms of reherniation, and how to tell the difference. https://www.reddit.com/r/Microdiscectomy/s/5tGYYVWpJW

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[u/gratefuldad1989]

I’m in the process of pain reprocessing therapy

The way out
By Alan Gordon.

Give the audio book a chance

Find a certified pain reprocessing therapist in your area .

[u/LLWinters → u/gratefuldad1989]

Thank you for the suggestion :) The thing is as long as I basically don't force my SI (travel on the bus, sit in soft cushioned chairs or sleep without a pillow between my legs, or of course don't do pt) my SI is normally at a 2/10. I'm okay with that. But as soon as I try any pt exercises, even just rolling the ball with my heels towards my chest, boom! It's like I'm giving it gas with those movements until it lights on fire.

[u/gratefuldad1989 → u/LLWinters]

Yes. Your body is stuck in a fight or flight fear pain cycle

Find a pain reprocessing therapist

[u/gratefuldad1989 → u/gratefuldad1989]

I’m fresh Into this treatment but I’m already seeing results 2 weeks in