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in reply to: 3 Weeks Post Microdiscectomy Pain #33077
Hi Doctor. I had a followup MRI and am still awaiting the radiologist report but wanted to reach out to you asap as I had a very scary day yesterday. I am 12 days from my fall and a little over 4 months post op from on my L4/L5 (left side). Again prior to the fall I felt 100%. I took a medrol pack about 8 days ago and I’d say by day 3 or 4 I felt 80% better but as soon as I finished the back a scary onset of symptoms occurred. Both legs went numb yesterday and I am now having muscle atrophy in my right glute. I never had any atrophy issues during my first 4 months of healing or during the period of my injury. My back surprisingly feels somewhat okay but I do still have that “sick in the back” feeling a bit and overall my body just feels bad. I am not eating much either. No nerve pain thankfully.
Why am I now having muscle atrophy on my non surgical side? The numbness in my legs comes and goes as well. I have posted a few images of pre and post surgery. The side view looks to be better post surgery but the ariel view looks like the protrusion is the same? What are your thoughts on all this? Do you think this is a reherniation or something else?
in reply to: 3 Weeks Post Microdiscectomy Pain #33054Hey doc just wanted to give you a quick update and get your thoughts on how I am feeling. 9 days since I slipped off the tree and on day 5 of a Medrol pack. Each day seems to have improved a bit but turned a corner pain wise yesterday and felt probably 80/90% of my previous self all day Sunday. No pain in the butt or anything like that just a tad achy in the lower back.
Would you say this greatly reduces the likelihood of reherniation given how I felt yesterday or could the Medrol jut be masking my true symptoms? Also how long does Medrol reduce inflammation? Curious when I expect to see a spike in pain once it exists my body.
in reply to: 3 Weeks Post Microdiscectomy Pain #33029Hi Dr. Coreman thanks for the response! You nailed it…I definitely have a “sick in the back feeling”. I had a similar feeling the first day I started my core rehab 6 weeks after my surgery but this went away after a few days of my body getting accustomed to the core work. While I am still in pain it does seem like my symptoms have diminished a bit since Saturday. I am currently taking advil every 4-5 hours and that pretty much keeps the symptoms away.
If it was just an annular torque does that decrease the likelihood of possible reherniation? Mechanically can annular torque cause a disc to reherniate? Also if it was an annular torque what is a standard timeframe for ones symptoms to resolve?
in reply to: 3 Weeks Post Microdiscectomy Pain #33022Hi Dr. Corenman was hoping I wouldn’t have to write you again but I had a mishap this past Saturday and wanted to get your thoughts on what I am feeling. First I want to give you a brief recap on my recovery. Today I am 4 months post op on my L4/L5 (left leg). Recovery had been going well up to this point. I basically had no back pain the entire recovery but some lingering nerve pain that had finally subsided two weeks ago. Past two weeks I felt pretty close to 100%. I am very well read in the teachings of Professor Stuart McGill and have a solid understanding of spine biomechanics and know how to move in all aspects without putting my spine in flexation or extension. Since the 6 week mark I have been rehabbing with one of Stuart McGills practitioners so my weekly rehab program has been very calculated. My current rehab has me doing roughly 1 hour of core work a day and 30 minutes of walking so my capacity is fairly well built at this point.
Fast forward to Saturday. I went on a nature trail hike my with girlfriend and ended up standing on top of a fallen tree that was about 2ft from the ground. I tried walking across the tree but quickly lost my balance and landed straight up on my feet but the compression from the landing did a number on my back. The impact caused a feeling in my back I hadn’t felt before and within a few minutes the area around my shin became hot and numb. It was not sciatica per se, just heat and numbness. I was able to finish the walk and do my rehab for that day but my back felt off. Sunday I didn’t really have back pain but did have more heat and numbness around my shin.
Monday was my big scare as when I woke up I felt sore on both sides of my hips. Other than the first few weeks after surgery, I had yet to wake up in the morning with any back pain. The pain was fairy equal on both sides of my hips even though surgery was on my left side. This morning I woke up with less numbness and heat in my shin and it lasted about 2 minutes. Currently the pain around my hips is gone but my spine just feels compressed and tight right now, although overall I do feel better this morning than I did yesterday but did take an Advil before bed. I can still walk, sit, stand no problem but I obviously don’t feel as good as I did before Saturday.
Scientifically what do you think is going on? Did I likely compress my disc and it is just irritated or could this be a possible reherniation? I thought the annulus scars over after 8 weeks or so I would hope that a straight fall compression wouldn’t be enough to reherniate.
in reply to: 3 Weeks Post Microdiscectomy Pain #32834Hi Doctor,
Today marks 12 weeks since my L4/L5 microdiscetomy. Overall I am feeling pretty good but had a question regarding some nerve sensations I am still having. After about the 8 week mark the numbness, opposite side pain and little tweaks and twinges seemed to go away. The only remaining issue I had was first thing in morning while still in bed, I could feel my left side nerve root upon first waking up. I would only feel this while still in bed stretching my legs out and rolling around but as soon as I got out of bed I wouldn’t feel it for the rest of the day. Pain wise it didn’t hurt or anything, nothing like the sciatica sensations I had prior to surgery. Weeks 9-11 this feeling finally went away until this past week.
I went for a 1 hour walk through some nature trails, roughly 2 miles this past Saturday and since then this nerve sensation I was feeling in the mornings has come back. It has even stayed with me upon waking up and even for a few hours into the morning. Again, it doesn’t really hurt and does not affect my daily activities, it’s just a bit noticeable. My rehab has been three 10 minute walks a day so this 1 hour walk was by the far the farthest I pushed myself in a long time.
Do you think this is just nerve inflammation from the long walk and will fade as I continue to heal? If so should I expect this to full subside over the next 3 months? If it was a re herniation would the pain likely be much more severe?
in reply to: 3 Weeks Post Microdiscectomy Pain #32695Hi Doctor,
It’s been 5 weeks since my operation and I am happy to report the opposite side pain I was having has pretty much gone away. Also the sciatica on my left side has improved. Now I only feel light traces maybe a few times a day, sometimes none at all.
However, it seems like as soon as my opposite side pain disappeared, I started having some pain right around the location of the incision site. I hadn’t had pain here since the first two weeks after the operation. The pain isn’t too intense, maybe 3/10 and it feels the worst when sitting for prolonged times. It doesn’t feel like surface pain either although I still have a bit of swelling. I’m still at the point where my back is kind of achy after sitting all day although I get up every 20 minutes and mix in short 2 minute walks and standing.
1) Is the pain I am now having around the incision site any cause for concern? I know the nerve pain can take months to resolve but does the same go for general low back achenes/pain. 2) How long does it typically take a patient to feel 100% after a microdiscecotmy? As in they can sit all day, take long walks and basically live life without limitations and have no pain. My surgeon said it would take 6 months to feel 100%. Do you agree?
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