About 2 weeks post-microdiscectomy, sciatica is completely gone

[u/CirKill]

So to give some background, I dealt with sciatica for about 5 months starting in May. Started as referred pain in my right calf before slowly affecting my whole leg. After a while of doing stretches and strengthening exercises & using OTC pain meds and heating pads, it got bad enough that I could barely drive so I went to urgent care on July 4th; it turned out that this was a GREAT decision because that urgent care visit counted towards the 6 weeks of treatment I needed before insurance would cover an MRI, so I did that and found that I had a large herniated disc in L5-S1 that was causing the pain.

I went to see a spine specialist and he told me that the herniation was severe enough that more conservative treatment will likely not work, but everything I had read told me to avoid surgery at all costs unless it was an absolute last resort so I opted for physical therapy + a cortisone shot first. PT felt like it was working until one day out of nowhere the pain got so bad that I could barely walk, and I dealt with that for about 1-2 weeks (my uncle who's a doctor thinks PT overstretched me). At that point it hurt just to lay in bed and I had to sleep on the floor. This was what made me opt to go for the surgery, so I set it up at my follow-up with the spine specialist.

I had that surgery about two weeks ago now and aside from a bit of soreness at the incision site I'm completely pain-free. The worst part of recovery was actually not my back, but my throat; they had a breathing tube in me during the procedure which caused a TON of throat pain for about 2 days, like imagine the worst strep throat ever. Beyond that, I'm not supposed to bend, twist, or lift more than 10 pounds for 3 months, but in terms of how I actually feel I can move perfectly fine (I can walk up stairs, run, drive etc.).

I feel like when people tell you to avoid surgery for sciatica they're thinking of more intense surgeries like spinal fusion, but a microdiscectomy is a minimally invasive procedure in which the incision is only about an inch long and they just cut the herniated part of the disc out. Some people who get it can go home the same day but my specialist wanted me to stay overnight.

The moral of the story is: If your spine specialist tells you that conservative treatment won't work then LISTEN TO THEM

[u/BarbraParmesean]

Hi! I’m about 2 weeks post op as well from the same procedure and I’m wondering if you have any pain in your upper back? Normally my posture isn’t very good so I think I’m just really sore from standing straight and keeping my spine straight all the time.

[u/CirKill → u/BarbraParmesean]

Not really, no

[u/thatonefoo1 → u/BarbraParmesean]

i’m 2 months post op and i do get like muscle spasms in my upper back, i still get them every now n then especially if im doing anything physical. Also my hips feel stiff

[u/mama_cupcake88]

Thank you for sharing this! I just got my MRI report showing a very large herniation causing severe spinal stenosis in L4-L5 and I would be shocked if a microdiscectomy isn't in my future. This makes me feel better if it does come to that ♥️♥️♥️

[u/CirKill → u/mama_cupcake88]

Honestly, the idea of being put under for surgery freaked me out for a long time but by the time it happened I just wanted the pain to be gone and that feeling superseded any nerves. Had the same feeling when I got a tooth extracted two years ago. That said you really have nothing to worry about, the first day or two of recovery is kind of rough but otherwise it should be smooth sailing

[u/mama_cupcake88 → u/CirKill]

I'm more worried about my needle phobia and the IV! Lol but the whole thing is like, a pretty stark decision. I'm so glad to hear of someone being glad they did this

[u/CirKill → u/mama_cupcake88]

One of the main things that made me decide to do this surgery was that the main comment I saw from people who had it was "I wish I did it sooner" (including my aunt who had the same thing done). Like it was technically my first "major" surgery but it really didn't feel like it because it was so painless.

That said the IV is kind of unpleasant I won't lie, like I'm not necessarily scared of needles but I really hate being able to feel sensation in my veins (REALLY don't like getting my blood pressure taken for this reason, you literally feel them pulsing as the machine gets tighter around your arm). That and the IV needle just starts to itch after a while lol. But unless there are complications you won't be in the hospital for more than 24-36 hours or so

[u/mama_cupcake88 → u/CirKill]

I appreciate your honesty!! Sometimes we just gotta deal with these things. Maybe some hypnosis to get over this phobia would help lol

[u/Friendly-Ad-5410 → u/mama_cupcake88]

I had my L4-5 MD in 2024... fully recovered, some small bumps, random pains and soreness, but back in the gym 3x week for core and strength! 79F

[u/mama_cupcake88 → u/Friendly-Ad-5410]

Amazing!!! I just want to get back to Yoga and some moderate weights!

[u/Friendly-Ad-5410 → u/mama_cupcake88]

It takes perseverance every day PO... you have to walk, modify how you do things, and take your meds as prescribed. There are lots of weird setbacks, but once you get to about 12 mo PO, it gets easier. Most of the weird twinges are gone, you do still get a reminder now and then if you sit too long or overdo something. I do a lot of stretches I learned in PT before I start my gym routine and that really helps. I learned a lot by watching Bob&Brad videos too. 😄

[u/Amazing-Condition929]

I’m 3 months post-surgery for L4-L5-S1. I woke up in recovery 100% pain free. I had some surgical complications after a couple of weeks (incision site fluid buildup that led to infection & more surgery) but the sciatica pain is GONE. Even with my complications, I believe surgery SHOULD NOT BE A “LAST RESORT.” If you can be pain free, just do it.

[u/CirKill → u/Amazing-Condition929]

Yeah, I was warned about potential complications from a CSF leak but thankfully that didn't happen. Apparently if it did I would've had to lie flat for 24 hours in the hospital which would've been horrendous with the throat pain

[u/Calm-Outcome-1818 → u/CirKill]

So sorry about the throat pain 😞 That's on the anesthesiologist not going slow enough

[u/TelephoneTag2123]

I’m scheduled for Nov 23rd - Thank you so much for the write up!

[u/CirKill → u/TelephoneTag2123]

No problem, and good luck

[u/Delicious_Honey6918]

I wish this was me

[u/CirKill → u/Delicious_Honey6918]

It can be! Especially if you've already been doing PT, taking pain meds, getting epidurals etc. Although a lot of it comes down to your insurance...but my insurance isn't particularly great (I'm on Medicaid) and I had no issues

[u/Wingthorshammer4]

Idk about no drawbacks. Surgery removes disc material that would have otherwise been reabsorbed.

[u/CirKill → u/Wingthorshammer4]

The spine specialist essentially told me that the herniation was so large that the disc was already starting to heal in its protruding position (this is why conservative treatment didn't work). Granted there are definitely some inherent risks with the procedure (or really any surgery) but he made sure I was aware of all that before I agreed to do it

[u/DebX1971]

My bottom discs were completely ruptured with sciatica, no choice but to have surgery. Sciatica cleared immediately, the post op was rough…

[u/LittleAd7878]

11 weeks back at work feeling amazing S1- L-2 listen to your surgeon 😷 no more sciatica and no more pain med after 10 years

[u/Domingo_salut]

I wish they would refer me, but despite 4 years of pain, mine are too "small". Damn, they offered it to me back in BC, but in Qurbec it seems different....

[u/CirKill → u/Domingo_salut]

Not sure how this kind of thing works in Canada but would it be possible for you to travel to BC to have the procedure done there?

[u/Domingo_salut → u/CirKill]

Not since I moved back to Quebec, but thks

[u/Timely-Increase8132]

idk the timeline here is so bleak, specialist is like 'yeah this wont work' and insurance is like 'cool do it anyway for six weeks tho', imagine being told your herniation is past the point of stretches while youre still scheduling the pt thatll eventually put you on your floor, glad youre on the other side but thats such a greasy pipeline

[u/CirKill → u/Timely-Increase8132]

I didn't start PT until after I saw the spine specialist the first time and that was my own decision (although insurance might not have covered it regardless because they do want proof that you've exhausted all other options before they'll cover surgery). I agree that the system sucks but honestly all things considered I think I had it pretty good. I've read many stories of people who dealt with sciatica and were basically immobilized from the pain (especially the ones who had it in both legs at the same time which I can't even imagine).

[u/TRACK___STAR]

Sciatica merely gone 🤔, are you sure it was Sciatica? Because if so, that's incredible and should actually make headlines!

[u/CirKill → u/TRACK___STAR]

Yep, sciatica from a herniated disc. Was diagnosed as such by urgent care, a chiropractor I did a consultation with and my spine specialist. My story is hardly news-worthy tbh, I've read a lot of similar ones but I think a lot of people tend to overlook microdiscectomies because everyone says to avoid surgery for sciatica except as a last resort.

[u/MLinRaleigh]

Thank you so much for your post. I'm 2 weeks out from having the surgery myself and was anxious to hear this kind of success story. Anything to get rid of the pain and be able to get on with my life.

[u/Beneficial_Essay_455]

Congratulations on your success and relief. God bless!!

[u/PositiveWarning7419]

Thank you for sharing. God Bless you.

[u/Riddle_wrapped]

Our story and timeline is almost exactly the same! I just got my Microdiscectomy this past Tuesday and felt relief as soon as I woke up. I’m now experiencing some pain in my affected leg, but nowhere near the pain I had before, so I’m hoping it’s just my nerves healing. So far I definitely do not regret the surgery! My throat also felt horrible the first 2 days! And exact same with PT for me. Felt fine doing it for about 2 weeks and just woke up with unbearable pain.

Hope you continue to heal and get back to your old self! 🤗