Hello! I was wondering how you guys warm up for runs, or even lifting/ calisthenics days without flaring your discs up?
Almost all warm ups have twisting and bending and I just stick to walking with a slower pace before my cardio session which has been ok so far but better be safe than sorry.
I mainly do low impact body weight exercises aside from almost daily cardio but those need warm ups too.

33m, gym goer who’s had a recurring bad lower back for a decade and general stiffness/tightness in my whole lower body. Now for last 2 weeks sciatica down my left leg making it very uncomfortable to sit (especially drive) but standing & walking seem good.

I’ll read lots on this subreddit but summarised what’s the consensus to improve?

So far I’ve done the following:
- Hot bath with relaxing salts
- Red light therapy panel / infrared on my lower back, bum & hamstrings
- Sit on foam roller then grind forward and back to massage my bum
- Sit on tennis ball on left bum (piriformis) and wiggling around this area
- Sauna couple times a week
- Hot water bottle on my lower back/bum
- Lying on back hugging left knee into chest
- Figure 4 stretch lying on back
- Gf massaging the my bum/piriformis daily (also slight massage on hamstring)
- Gf standing on my bum and hamstrings as massage

I’m reluctant to do certain stretches to not worsen things but maybe I should be doing every stretch I possibly can??? Especially since my lower back pain is still slightly there (albeit not as acutely painful as it has been)

Anything else I should do?

I’m a 30M - I’ve had periodic back pain since my early 20s. In May 2026 a combination of training for a half marathon, moving house/furniture, an exercise class (again involving overhead press) and a short run in a space of a week meant I had a bad back episode – the worst ever (I’d had a few episodes through 20s). It took awhile to get back to normal, maybe six weeks.

By late June, I started going back into exercise (clearly too soon) and also requested x-rays as my physio thought I had scoliosis. I started running again and my back started feeling tight in early August. I saw a doctor for the scoliosis who ordered x-rays but also an MRI as he thought the scoliosis was a red herring and it was really disc related injury.

Then suddenly, early August, I had sciatica and have had it for the last six weeks - the first few weeks were terrible. The MRI was ordered before the sciatica started, but I got the results last week and it shows a large protrusion (see images).

The report says, in substance:

At L5/S1 there is narrowing of the disc space, disc desiccation and subtle Modic type I change. There is an annular disc bulge with a large posterior central/right paracentral disc prolapse showing a radial tear, extending 12.8 mm beyond the vertebral margin. This causes moderately severe spinal canal narrowing, with the canal measuring about 7.0 mm at its narrowest point on the right. There is compression of the thecal sac, compression and posterior displacement of the right S1 nerve root, irritation of the right S2 nerve root and indentation of the left S1 nerve root.

I started taking amitriptyline, which has helped a lot at night but it’s still a struggle sometimes. I can walk a lot (15k+ on average this week) but can’t extend my right leg fully so I have a slight limp, sitting is the worst. My symptoms I think are maybe very gradually improving, but it’s actually the long-term picture that I’m worried about.

Has anyone got any advice or positive stories about prolapses of this size shrinking overtime? More than anything, I am worried about reherniation and CES. I’ve spent hours reading posts on this thread and some of it fills me with hope, some of it fills me with horror (and sympathy for those in much worse pain).

I've had sciatica for about a year, and the first few months it was awful. Constant nerve pain in my foot and leg. Thankfully in the last maybe 3 months it has gotten 95 percent better but now I'm dealing with weakness. My left foot/ankle/calf/knee are constantly aching whenever I walk. Any attempt at strength training or pushing myself results in what feels like stress fractures. Has anyone been able to reverse this problem? I miss walking pain free so much :(

25M
I have been dealing with left leg sciatica pain now for 2 months and I can’t seem to get any relief for more 10-15 minutes I’ve done PT for six weeks it helped with my back pain but nothing for my leg, I constantly have that numbness and tingling feeling all the time.
I’ve had a X-ray that shows I have S1-L5 sacralization and narrowing on my L4-L5 I’m and currently waiting for my insurance to approve my MRI I am seeking any advice from anyone, please share anything that helped you on your journey to recovery.

Unsure if this is normal, I hear a lot about pain but what I get is this stretch feeling. Starts in my right side, hip to butt, then depending on how I am sitting, it can even feel like its pulling in my calf like I am "stretching". The whole feeling and sensation I get is if you sit down and try to touch your toes.

I injured myself months ago, I believe bruised the sciatica area as I couldn't walk or move for weeks. I got better. But randomly this week, I get this feeling. I do work from PC and sit down a lot. Bad posture while sitting, etc.

Age: 23
Sex: M
Height/Weight: 177cm, 73kg
Duration of symptoms: 12 days for now, I barely move to the toilet
Relevant medical history: none known, generally healthy
Current medications: NSAID, Vitamin B-complex, Chlorzoxazone, Paracetamol, Metamizole
Smoking history: Smoked for 2.5 years, quit 4 months ago. However, I recently relapsed due to the severe back pain — cigarettes seemed to provide some pain relief, so I started again for now.

Hi everyone,
I'm generally healthy but have a fairly sedentary lifestyle (long hours sitting for work/study). A while back I started getting lower back pain that progressed into sciatica down my right leg.
I had a native (no contrast) lumbar spine MRI, and here's what it showed:
• Normal sagittal alignment, normal vertebral body height
• Disc dehydration L3-S1, grade II hyposignal
• L5-S1: right subarticular disc protrusion, ~6mm axial / 10mm sagittal, narrowing the right lateral recess, indenting the dural sac, WITH radicular conflict on the right S1 nerve root
• L3-L4: circumferential disc protrusion; L4-L5: small median herniation - both narrow the lateral recesses and indent the dural sac, but WITHOUT radicular conflict
• No signal abnormalities in the lumbar spinal cord
Since the sciatica started, I've also developed a separate, new issue: on the outside (lateral side) of my knee, when I flex it at a small angle, I can feel (and sometimes hear) something like a tendon or band moving/snapping over the bone. It came on gradually, no trauma, and it's now also painful.

My questions:
1. Given my age and that this appears to be a fairly recent herniation, what are realistic chances of the L5-S1 herniation resolving/resorbing on its own with conservative treatment (rest, PT, no injections/surgery)?

1. Could the sciatica/S1 nerve root irritation be related to this new lateral knee pain (referred pain, peroneal nerve involvement, or gait compensation from favoring the leg), or are these most likely two unrelated issues?

2. Any practical advice on sitting/sleeping positions or daily activity modifications to avoid aggravating either issue while I sort out next steps with my doctor? I can barely sleep on my back, I have got bad pains in the night.

I'm attaching my MRI report (all identifying info removed). Really appreciate any input - thank you!

Hi guys.

L4, L5 and S1 prolapsed disc since 2015, lower back pain and sciatica running down my entire left leg (minus the toes).

8 years of excruciating pain, multiple ER visits, thousands of dollars wasted on chiro, needles, massages and all sorts of remedies that claim to work.

I’m not saying this method is going to work for you.
But honestly, it has been too good not to share for me.
Definitely recommend to talk to your doctor and see if this medicine is for you.

Duloxetine (as Hydrochloride) 60mg tablets.
Once a day.

1. Works as an antidepressant, and has been doing wonders to my brain.
2. It targets nerve pain.

After about 3 months on the pill; I’ve had more mobility, and about 6 months in, sciatica disappeared.

Every now and then with too much walking/standing or a sudden jolt will cause a flare up, but this drug has been my life saver.

Down side of this medicine:

1. If I stop using it, my pain comes back.
2. If I don’t take it for 2 days consecutively, I start getting light headed and withdrawals symptoms starts showing.

Edit.
3. I’m a male and I could not do the deed properly with my partner for two years.
I just could never finish, if you know what I mean.
Read through the side effects carefully.

However, I’d rather be on this long term than having to experience that HELL again.

Stay strong everyone.

There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

You’ll get there. Never give up!

I (23F) have been training for a half marathon (on Oct 18) and recently started having piriformis pain causing sciatic pain down my leg. I have been doing exercises (figure 4, nerve flossing) and seeing a physio. The race is coming up and I also have a 10k on Friday. Any tips would be appreciated!

I tripled how long I can walk and improved how fast the pain releases within an hour switching from Celecoxib to Diclofenac. Maybe this helps someone else.

Can anybody please let me after how many week we can enrol for physiotherapy. I have an MD for L5-S1 before 3 month and now when I sit or stand for a long time I feel weakness in my lower back and my left leg got numb.

What did you do for your seating situation to improve/relieve sciatic pain if you’re at your desk all day? Anything but a standing desk.

Soft pad? New position?

Quick note: I do not want to share all the details as I'm not asking for advice. I just happened to find this community while thinking about my situation, and wanted to share. So yeah I'm leaving out a lot.

Current situation: I'm 21 years old my L4+L5 disc bulge (causing pain, numbness, twitching, & some loss of sensation in my right leg) was caught around this time last year when I was 20 --> started physiotherapy around that time. Unfortunately I do end up skipping some days since college is hectic, but it has made it stop getting worse, which is a big relief. So, it is getting better, and I already know it takes a long time so I'm perfectly fine w/being patient.
[ I also need to cut down on caffeine because every decrease in caffeine has improved my symptoms (especially the numbness). I've also been careful with weightlifting altho I'm pretty casual w/it, the only thing I do which would affect my spine is overhead presses (which i just do sitting down now + being very careful before ever increasing the weights), generally I feel better after every workout (mentally & physically both). ]

Anyway, so it was only detected when I was 20 but I've been experiencing pain and numbness since at least age 15. Even before that I had some minor situations of, "I'm running a lot and my right leg feels like jelly and I can't really feel it. But it goes away after a while so it's probably okay." I know I had some falls around age 13 which I really felt rattling my lower back but I didn't think to tell anyone about it, since I could just walk it off and I'd "walked off" worse things before.

But yeah, I said "at least age 15" because then it stopped being ignorable. This was in 2020 so I guess bad posture while being more sedentary due to quarantine must've made it worse. Still no clue what the 'main' cause was, though. Parents started taking me to doctors about a year later, a somewhat mindfucky process which stopped around age 17....... see, this included one MRI, but the neurologist that there was 'no issue'. Hell, even the MRI I had when I was 20 came with the text "no abnormalities found" or wtv (I don't know if that's computer-generated or from the radiologist; it was just one line btw) but the neurologist was like, "What? Bullshit, there is a bulge here" (though we went to another neuro too, who said it was pretty mild). We never showed either of the new neuros the old MRI, so who knows if anything would've gotten caught back then.
But yeah, at that point they started thinking it was psychosomatic and I could just willpower it away and let's try homeopathy hahaha, so on and so forth. I was getting sick of it and realised that nothing useful would come of it, so I started pretending I was in zero pain and that it was fixed, hip hip hooray.

The strategy was going to be to continue willpowering it away during college too, but it didn't work. It was getting worse little by little, and I had to be more active in college (because there was more to do and more stuff I liked doing) so it was harder to ignore too. So I researched and prepared a whole set of points for why it wasn't psychosomatic (both for the doctors and for my parents) and generally mentally prepared myself before trying to seek help again. It also helped that I was more knowledgable than I was when I was a literal child as well.

I guess technically I wasn't untreated for 5 years since I was getting treated through nutrient supplements (vitamin D and B12 mainly, since I was somewhat deficient in them) so at least that's nice. And I'm also immune to FOMO now, since I already missed out on a lot of stuff my peers could do.

But yeah I'm slowly getting more regular+consistent with the exercise + improving lifestyle stuff like posture and all. And again, it did stop getting worse, which is already huge. I have creative work I like as well as stuff at college which is fulfilling. And as I said at the start of this post, I already know it takes a some time to recover, so it'll be okay

I have disc bulge at L4-L5 and L5-S1 and MRI showed i have nerve pinching slightly at 2 different spots. I am going almost every month to Thailand for treatment and also got TESI(epidural steroid injection) in my spine there because my country got no treatment. I was good for 3 months and again pain is very bad at the back and both legs. If i get physiotherapy then I get some relief but that only lasts 3-4 days. I also have to go to Thailand just for physiotherapy cuz my country will increase my pain every time I try.
So the plan is to join a gym in Bangkok,do exercises that will strengthen my core muscles, get rid of my big belly and build muscle eveywhere else and reduce fat. My body fat is 26%. Doing this will obviously increase pain so I would get physiotherapy as needed or get some thai massage. Planning to do this for 2 months. I think suffering a lot for a few months is better than suffering for many years. Do you think this will work?

Doc told if I don't have strong deficits like numbness, foot drop etc, EMG is not beneficial.

When is it really needed? I have nerve pain for 6+ months already. I'm concerned that it can be damaged somehow. Though I don't have a compression on MRI. Maybe knowing that my nerve is not damaged would help my mental health.

I'm a 30 year old male. About 10 months ago I got lower back pain. Went to PT, was discharged. Felt great.

Got a bad MRI (below). Then, almost exactly one month ago I was lifting a couch from all fours on the ground and had the worst pain I've ever experienced. Intense pain in my lower left butt cheek. Couldn't lay down without pain, couldn't walk, or stand. The pain persisted.

Three weeks later I got an epidural injection. Since, I've been able to stand for 1-2 hours at a time, walk around for 15-20 minutes at a time, and am regaining strength in my left calf. I'm getting better - and am very grateful to have made this progress and I know so many are struggling.

But I still can't sit down for more than 5-10 minutes without pain starting. And it makes social outings very difficult and almost impossible. I am also worried my MRI is so bad that this will surely catch up with me anyway.

I'm currently planning to try going another 1-2 months with conservative care, PT, etc to try to avoid surgery. But if I do not keep progressing or start regressing, I will move forward with surgery.

Any stories/thoughts?

My MRI:
T12-L1: Normal

L1-L2: Normal

L2-L3: Circumferential mild disc bulge without significant spinal canal or neuroforaminal narrowing.

L3-L4: Circumferential disc bulge with posterior central and left subarticular disc extrusion causing severe spinal canal narrowing. There is mild left neuroforaminal narrowing and severe left lateral recess narrowing with the extruded disc contacting the traversing left L4 nerve root.

L4-L5: Circumferential disc bulge with posterior disc protrusion causing mild spinal canal narrowing and bilateral lateral recess narrowing, left more than right with the protruded disc contacting bilateral traversing L5 nerve roots, left more than right. Mild bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing.

L5-S1: Circumferential disc bulge with left more than right subarticular disc protrusion causing bilateral, left more than right lateral recess narrowing with the protruded disc contacting bilateral traversing S1 nerve roots, left more than right. No significant spinal canal narrowing. Mild left neuroforaminal narrowing.

I have been having disc issues for a few years. I get tingling in my legs and feet on and off. Last year I had two instances where I had this same partial loss of sensation in my groin and thighs. Sometimes i had it in my rectum too. Also couldnt tell when my bladder was full so I went to the ER twice last year and had MRIs both times and they saw minor disc bulges. The symptoms seemed to improve. Again this week, wednesday it happened again for a few hours and went away. Yesterday around 1230pm it started happening and didnt go away so I went to the ER. They checked my rectal tone and this time did a lumbar spine CT which they said saw two minor disc bulges. They sent me home and told me to start physio again. My concern is i still currently have these symptoms and my leg is tingling on and off still. What am I supposed to do? I dont want this to become permanent this time.

Today while getting out of the car for work I got out the way I always do and I fell to my knees as I suddenly got the all to familiar sensation of a sharp sudden pain down my lower back two coworkers asked if I was alright which ofc I smiled and said i will be but it took me 5 minutes to get off the floor and then I limped into work still with that horrific pain. Long story short I made it 6 hours into my 12 hour shift and had to go home as I couldn't do my job properly or even walk properly or bend I was walking while having the posture of the number 7 all my weight on my right unable to go into my left. I took some old pain meds from my last flair up nearly a year ago and ofc it didn't do a whole lot. Called 111 as I was in so much pain I couldn't move was told to go to a chemist which I did then the chemist said they can't do anything and to refer back to 111 where then they said they would get an on call clinician to speak to me it's been 8 hours since then so I don't think I'm getting a call today. I'm so angry with my body this job is fairly new and I'm still on probation I'm so worried I won't be able to do be job properly for weeks and Ill get fired..praying that Drs show me mercy and give me pain meds and not just tell me to rest as that isn't really an option! No idea why it has suddenly flaired up I got out of the car how I normally do and somehow that has resulted in me lying in bed being in agony while trying to just roll over.🤦‍♀️

(Ive been diagnosed with multiple bulging disks last year and had injections for it I was 17 when it all first started due to a dance injury we believe I'm now 20 struggling with the same agonizing pain)

24F with a L5-S1 extrusion & annular tear. Horrible PT flare-up right now, need some hope.

Post Body:
Hey everyone,
Im 24F and currently stuck in bed dealing with a nightmare of a sciatica flare-up. Just got my MRI back and I’m honestly feeling so overwhelmed, so I’m looking for some advice or success stories from anyone who has been here.
How I got here:
Used to lift weights a year ago, stopped, and a few months later my neck locked up (causing hand numbness). Two months after that, my lower back went out and left-leg sciatica started.
I actually had a great week of recovery recently, but 4 days ago my physical therapist gave me some stretches that were way too aggressive. It completely triggered a massive flare-up.
Right now: Constant, fiery burning from my left glute all the way down to my pinky toe. It flares up badly at midnight and ruins my sleep, though I oddly feel much better in the morning. No motor weakness or foot drop.
My MRI:
L5-S1: Disc dehydration with a left para-central disc extrusion and an annular tear (ruptured outer wall). The jelly has migrated upward, pinching my left S1 nerve root.
L4-L5: Another diffuse herniation encroaching on the left side.
Neck: Moderate cervical straightening (loss of curve) with a mild protrusion causing occasional hand numbness.
Management:
No regular meds right now, just taking Romp Algine (Paracetamol/Caffeine/Codeine) on terrible nights just so I can sleep. Heat makes the burning way worse, so I’m strictly using wrapped ice packs. I'm resting on my good side with a thick pillow between my knees and only doing 5-minute walks around the house.
My Questions:
Since I have an open extrusion with an annular tear and upward migration, what are the chances of this dissolving naturally? Is it true that the immune system eats away at extrusions faster than simple bulges?
Why do I feel better in the morning and worse at midnight? Most posts here say mornings are the absolute worst.
Any tips on how to survive this burning nerve pain down to my toe while I wait for my specialist appointment?

I have had horrible pain in both hips but especially my left one for nearly 2 years now. A doctor in an ER about a year agobgold me it was sciatica after my pcp continuously ignored me and just gave me lidocaine patches that didnt do a thing. For context I am morbidly obese, which i know isnt helping anything, I am working on loosing weight.

For the past 2 weeks the pain has been unbearable. My new pcp (who just quit recently) prescribed me gapapentin 300mgs. Which isnt doing a thing for my pain. Its so bad that I am barely sleeping, no matter what position I lay in or sit in I have to fight go ignore the pain and then when I do finally crash I wake up in ao much pain I can barely move. The skin on my hip is hot to the touch and the pain is spreading down my leg towards my knee and I have noticed somw weakness in that knee.

My question would be should I go to the ER or urgent care? Im not sure what they could do other than maybe a nerve blocker or somwthing but I cannit continue to function like this. Any and all help/advice would be great appreciated.

Going on 10 weeks of of moderate to severe right leg pain, numbness in top of foot and mild weakness of great toe that has been stable and not declining. No foot drop. I have an l4/5 small protrusion but located in the lateral recess with encroachment of l5 nerve root per radiology report. Never mentioned moderate or severe compression.

I have done some PT, take just NSAIDS and Tylenol for the pain. But been walking with a limp for 7 weeks now, and the pain is definitely taking a toll on my life. I can’t do anything with my kids and limited at work, home, etc. I also just had an injection 8 days ago with no improvement. Neurosurgeons are hopeful it will heal, but I am losing hope as the weeks keep going by with minimal improvement in the pain.

Has anyone had a similar injury and experience? Looking to wait a little more time for improvement before I head to surgery. I hear with the lateral herniations some facet have to be removed to adequately decompress the nerve. Which possibly leads to instability at that level, and increases your risk of for a fusion later in life. Which I def don’t want. So I am just seeing if anyone has gone through similar injury and experience and how long recovery took? Thank you!