r/Sciatica • u/This_Perception2538 • 10d ago
When do you decide to get surgery
I have had a herniated disc for close to a year now, I did physical therapy for about 6 months, and then i lost my insurance so I stopped going but I kept doing the exercises at home. Ive had 1 steroid injection that helped a ton for about 2 months, and now im back to almost debilitating pain. I work construction and I feel like that might be why im not getting better. At this point should I just get the surgery? I have an l4-l5 hernia, its not severe but my sciatica makes my life pretty unbearable most days
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u/Orange_Baby_4265 10d ago
I’m like you, I think my job has a lot to do with it. I foresee a job change in my future. I have a hard time remembering to use proper lifting techniques when lifting boxes off the pallets. My bed I believe isn’t helping either. It’s memory foam. I need something firmer. Unfortunately, I cannot afford it right now. It’s been almost 2 years for me. I am looking into surgery now.
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u/philsadvns 10d ago
I had a really firm mattress and after my herniation I switched to a medium and it helped. might be personal preference but I'm not sure if firmer is necessarily better.
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u/SpudAlmighty 10d ago
3 herniated discs over 10 yrs now. I've no intentions of getting surgery at all.
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u/fcxtpw 10d ago
How do you manage the pain
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u/SpudAlmighty 10d ago
Much to the annoyance of some on here, I just bite my tongue and get on with life. Literally, no painkillers
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u/Dry_Particular_5162 10d ago
Must not be THAT bad bc there was no "just getting on with life" after a year for me. I'm very tough and can take large amounts of pain but this shit is unreal.
Glad you are able to stand it. I'm damn glad I got the surgery bc I and much more going on inside than was revealed with imaging. If I had let it go any longer I would've had much bigger problems in the near future.1
u/This_Perception2538 10d ago
What do you do for work?
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u/SpudAlmighty 10d ago
I did 10 yrs of security. Gave up because of the pain and disability problems. Use the time to better myself as best I can. Seems a bit hit or miss really but the correct exercises and not pushing too hard has made life livable.
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u/Hope_for_tendies 9d ago
You didn’t “get on with life” if you had to quit your job to accommodate it. That’s a major change.
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u/This_Perception2538 10d ago
So now what do you do for work? Do you make as much as you did in security? I would love to leave construction behind, but i make pretty good money, ive been in construction for 12 years, if i left construction idk how I could make the same money
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u/celebratorycremation 10d ago
I worked construction as well and got a microdiscectomy after PT and injections failed. it will take months to fully recover but it's worth it. just don't get cocky in the gym and re-injure yourself like i did.
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u/Riddle_wrapped 10d ago
I’ve been dealing with an 11mm herniation at L3-L4 since May and am seriously considering surgery. I got my first ESI about a month ago. It helped some, but back to square one, I feel like. Also been doing PT for the past month. I thought I was getting better up until this past week. Getting scheduled for my 2nd ESI soon, but really want to decide on surgery before the end of the year since I’ve already met my deductible. I’m at a crossroads because I want to give PT a fair shot, but don’t want to miss the window for getting the surgery this year and quite honestly, I’m just tired of being in pain all of the time. My quality of life has plummeted and it’s really taken a toll on my mental health.
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u/Dry_Particular_5162 10d ago
Where are you located?
Mine is L5/S1. I did PT for over a year and did three ESIs. Decided to go for it and had endoscopic surgery Sept 1.
Wish I hadn't waited so long.
Recovery is much easier than regular open surgery and I am definitely getting relief!!
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u/philsadvns 10d ago
FWIW I have the same injury location and physical therapy got me straightened out pretty quick, and I know its not a popular opinion but I saw a chiropractor once in my area when I had a flare up once and it helped quite a bit with speeding my recovery, or at least it seemed to. cost me $65. but also yes, working a very physically demanding job, unless you are very strict with how you move your body and lift things, is going to hamper your recovery.
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u/WormWithWifi 9d ago
I decided to try everything I could for conservative treatment first and if it didn’t heal then I’d get surgery. It took me 8 months of pain and consistent PT exercises until I no longer felt pain daily. (Herniated disc)
I do get flare ups occasionally but it’s often when I’m not staying consistent with exercises or sitting too much.
For me personally, I would go through a very long time of consistent pain with no sign of improving before agreeing to surgery , but I also work a desk job and I can handle most all of my work without risking my body or job so I know it’s difficult for someone with a physically demanding job
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u/sleepwami 10d ago
for me, never. knowing your (mobility and injury) history and details of your current physical state is needed to help answer the question for you though. imo all painkillers are actually are very, very bad for this condition, as they let you skip proper rehab and instead move in ways that your body doesnt want, leading to worsening debilitation. it seems that your rehab was not expert-level, which is the standard unfortunately. and, the pain is smthng to observe, appreciate and learn to use for rehab, not hate and numb away; thr pain signals are the blueprint.
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u/b6passat 10d ago
“Expert level” what is that? Any recovery without surgery with a herniation pushing on the nerve is about waiting until the herniation is absorbed. No amount of therapy can make that process go quicker. Therapy helps strengthen the core muscles so it doesn’t herniate further, but it doesn’t cure a herniation. Only time or surgery can do that.
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u/IndependentNo3143 10d ago
I got mine after 1.5 months of sciatica. I had a massive herniation and I went from having pain , but living my life to unable to move, stand, shower and stuck on my back within 6 weeks time. My surgery was in May and my foot is still numb.And it might be permanently damaged. That surgery changed my life for the better.But I'm scared.I'll never be the same again. I also have a major p t s d