deritis

Thank you Dr. One final question. My surgeon and I both feel confident it is a reherniation, albeit with symptoms less severe than the original herniation. Advil does help a lot (2-4 per day). I don’t believe, based on my current symptons, that a second surgery is necessary. Are the odds with this reherniation the same as an initial herniation — that is, the majority tend to resolve themselves over the course of several months? With PT, epidurals and/or OTC medications such as advil.

Hi Dr., I’m currently taking a 6-day prednisone pack. Results have been good, but as I taper off my symptoms seem to return. There is a clear effect for a few hours or more after taking one, but as I take fewer of them, I experience more symptoms. Not as bad as pre-op, which was explosive pain on rising that hit level 10. I am nearly 6 weeks post-op. My current symptoms have been present for nearly two weeks. Those are a continuous ache in my right buttocks, rear thigh, and occasionally my knee and rear calf. Level 5-7. These symptoms began the day after a more intense gym session. Prednisone can bring it down to a 2-3. Although I’m not taking Advil, when I do it can work even better. The pain is there whether I sit, stand or walk. No position seems to relieve it or make it worse, though the pain does recede a little after a few minutes settling into a new position. Certain stretch positions hurt more as well. Does this sound more like a reherniation or an inflamed nerve?

Thank you Doctor. I’m 3 days into a 6-day steroid pack. It helps, but truthfully 2-4 advil help much more (2 reduces pain for a day, 4 just about eliminates it). I regarded that as a positive sign because prior to the surgery I had to take huge doses of advil (12/day) to deal with the pain, and it barely helped.

I’m starting my 6th week post Micro-D (L5/S1)today. Pain has been back for 11 days. I was hoping I was being overly aggressive at stretching or doing cardio 11 days back and that the nerve was just badly inflamed. That seems unlikely at this point. I’ve seen others ask about Dips here. I did some of those as well the day before the pain came back and am thinking that might have been the cause of this possible reherniation. I wonder if the action of the spine being stretched by supporting myself by my arms btw two bars and then lowering myself back to standing on the floor may have had an accordion-like effect.

I’ve also had two buldging disks a few levels higher for a decade. Three rounds of epidurals back then solved that problem, at least until now.

Right now I have no back back, only pain in my right buttocks, back of my right thigh, and then sometimes over the front of my knee and sometimes lighter pain in the back of my calf. It seems to shift frequently. More severe in the mornings, which you noted is common due to nerve swelling overnight. By midday, it recedes some and mainly seems to rotate between locations.

I can walk and function normally. No loss of muscle weakness that I can detect. The down side of course is that I am still in recovery from the MicroD and the pain has returned. The pre-op pain level was a 10 at worst (sitting was very difficult, but it could recede to a 3 if I curtailed certain movements). The pain now is maximum in the morning at about a 7. It’s also not the same kind of pain as pre-op. Pre-op the standout sympton was explosive pain when rising (10/10). Now it’s a continuous ache that can be relieved if I change positions.

I realize only an MRI can confirm what’s going on. But assuming this is reherniation and I do not get a second surgery, what is the likelihood that I can feel good again? Go back to the gym regularly and that sort of thing? Thank you.