u/Fuzzy-Armadillo9506

MRI attached - 8.5mm L5/S1 bulge with posterior annular fissure.

Figured I’d share an update because I’ve been lurking Reddit for answers the past few months and it’s both helped me a lot and also makes me spiral, a lot. Maybe this helps someone else going through something similar.

This started slow in mid January, I thought it was a hamstring injury. It gradually got worse and then on Feb 19, I sat wrong in a chair for too long. I tried to stand up and walk and couldn’t move and was on the floor for several hours.

After this, I had pretty classic L5–S1-type symptoms—glute pain, hamstring tightness, and nerve symptoms that sometimes went all the way down into my calf and foot. I also had intermittent tingling and occasional electric/zap sensations that really made it feel nerve-related rather than just muscular.

I thought rest could heal it and eventually went to the doctor and got an xray and torodol shot. I wish I could have a torodol shot everyday iykyk.

I tried PT and left each session worse than I started. I was walking hunched over with my hip protruding out so far. Eventually PT referred me to pain management and then an MRI.

Early on, walking was one of my biggest triggers. My morning walks especially started getting harder and harder, with pain ramping up around the 10-minute mark. At its worst, I had to turn around mid-walk because of calf/foot pain and fatigue. That was mentally tough.

Symptoms weren’t super linear. I’ve had:

Glute + hamstring aching/tightness
Sharp pain in the smile line of my glute
Calf tightness and occasional foot pain
“Electric” nerve-type sensations at times
Fluctuating days where things felt better or worse for no clear reason

Lying down (especially on my back) has consistently been my most relieving position. At first I needed a pillow under my knees but eventually it became more comfortable without the pillow.

Throughout this all, I have been trying to stay consistent with gentle movement and stretching, though some days I definitely overdid it or had to scale back because of fatigue or flare-ups. There were also moments where I genuinely worried things were getting worse because symptoms felt like they were spreading or intensifying (especially calf/hamstring involvement).

I did end up getting an epidural steroid injection a few weeks back, and that actually felt like a turning point. I had one of my best days shortly after - walked significantly more than I had in weeks (~9,500 steps) with minimal tingling and mostly just tightness/discomfort rather than sharp nerve pain.

Since then, it’s been a bit up and down but overall more stable:

Some better nights again (like earlier in the recovery)
Still lingering glute/lower back/calf tightness at times
Fatigue later in the day is still a thing
Walking tolerance is improving but still sensitive depending on the day

Emotionally, it’s been a rollercoaster. Fear of surgery has definitely been in the background at times, especially during flare-ups. But I’ve also had moments of real hope—especially when I can walk more, feel things “centralize,” or just get through the day without major nerve pain.

Right now I’d describe it as: not linear, but slowly trending in a better direction with some setbacks mixed in. Day to day is so tough to analyze progress but when I look at where I was a month ago, it’s progress.

I’m fortunate I work from home and can find a comfy position in bed to work. I can’t imagine having to drive or go into an office and I feel for everyone that is going through this and has to sit.

If anyone else is in the early/mid phase of something similar, I know how mentally consuming it can be. I’m still figuring it out myself, but I wanted to share where I’m at.