Herniation
I have had various chronic pain issues over the last decade, though none have been as debilitating as having a herniated disc at L5-S1 pinching a nerve that is pinching my osteoarthritis and creating radiculpathy, which I’ve been experiencing for a few too many months now and am being recommended for microdiscectomy.
I sought out PT two months after I initially felt this pain, one month after it became severe. I am now three months in PT and three months in Pain Reprocessing Therapy as I have tremendous anxiety and various traumas (t vs T🙏🏻). I am overwhelmed by the notes I’ve been receiving in PRT that I am safe and this too is pain created / exasperated by fear. I have tried multiple medications and injections, to no avail and have gotten much better with PT, even though there have been many ups and downs within this journey. However, I still failed the strength test at surgical eval where my big toe would not remain standing when pressed, even when it was light pressing. I am struggling making a decision about the microdiscectomy as it seems studies seem to be unclear about whether people who reherniated did PT after the surgery. I’m also unclear as to whether the surgery is more effective than continued conservative treatment 12, 24 months in.
Anyone willing to speak with me privately about their individual experiences with / without surgery?
Things I’m looking to know:
- how long did you wait before deciding into / out of surgery.
- did you do PT before / after?
- how long ago was surgery?
- happy / unhappy with decision?
- reherniation experience.
- recovery experience.