6 months after Micro-discectomy for herniation between L-4/L-5 I’ve finally had a chance to run 3 miles around Rockland Lake this past Saturday. Since the surgery back in September 2009, I’ve generally been without pain and have followed doctor’s orders pretty strictly. The first month after surgery you’re told to try and work yourself up to 30-40 minutes per day of walking. By day 5 I was walking the treadmill 30 min per day. Believe it or not, walking is the best medicine for recovery. In fact, 2 weeks after surgery, I had a previously scheduled business trip to China that I couldn’t miss, so the doctor gave me the green light to fly as long as I walked the cabin every 45 minutes during the flight.
The trip was a blast, and I did a ton of walking and though residual pain and discomfort existed, it was 100 times better than the pain I went through months previous. I walked the streets of Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing. 3 weeks to the day after surgery, I stood on the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu) and did plenty of walking there. For anyone who’s been, it’s a fairly challenging hike with plenty of stairclimbing.
Upon my return and follow-up with the surgeon, he recommended 8 weeks of physical therapy to strengthen back muscles, teach me daily stretches to incorporate into my routine, work the tissue around the incision, and just get me in a condition where I could begin light weight training again.
After about week 4 (8 sessions) of PT, I felt strong enough to move forward on my own So from about February through end of March, I started hitting the gym, focusing on stretching (this is very important). 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical, and circuit training on nautilus equipment (very light weights) and only doing lifts that my physical therapist showed me.
If I could give anyone who’s going through or is about to go through microdiscectomy you should really focus on the following things during recovery.
- Pain after surgery is normal. Usually it’s dull pain and it comes and goes. Your nerve(s) have been through something pretty traumatic and they take much much longer to heal than regular muscle tissue. Be patient!
- Walk every day – even if it’s for 20 minutes. You need to stay loose and stay away from the couch!
- Listen to your doctor and physical therapist. If they say no lifting, then don’t do it. If you have children like I do, ignore the urge to give them piggyback rides or put them up on your shoulders. Housework? Take it easy and hire someone to help. Whatever you do – DO NOT shovel snow! I did this about 4 months after surgery and paid for it for the next 3 days (hip and leg pain).
- Slowly get back into your regular work-out routine. Don’t push it. I thought I could run 3 miles a day 4 days a week like I had been but the truth is that maybe 2 days a week is realistic at first as your leg muscles and lower back are not used to the pounding a good 3 mile run give your body.
- Watch your diet. Admittedly, I put on about 10 extra lbs from the time I herniated my disk in June until just after surgery in September (4 months). This was obviously due to the lack of physical activity, time spent on the couch, or the additional alcohol I consumed in much greater amounts throughout the summer to help kill the pain!. That extra belly fat puts strain on your back and will slow your recovery.
Good luck and do your homework!
****UPDATE: Check out my blog post on my recovery after 1 year from surgery.
Dear Rick,
I am really encouraged by your write up on your Micro-discectomy for herniation between L-4/L-5. Two months ago I had a similar surgery, to be exact on the 15th of April, 2010. I’ve been following all the advise given by the Doctor and sofar the result has been excellent. As you rightly recommended the key to success is walking and walking, but walking within limits.
I am about entering my 3rd month, and the terrible pain on my right leg together with the numbness on my big toe and back heel are almost gone. What i’ve realised is that one should not be over confidence on the torturous road to recovery, and should equally not be despondent whenever the pain comes and go.
The key is to remain focus on the advise given by Doctor, and carefully watch what you take in to your mouth. In my own case i’ve started light swimming with light stretching excercises, it is my wish that in the next few months i will be back at the gym.
Finally, i must confess that your article has removed the fear of prolapsed that one has been reading in the internet. For once there is somebody like you who has come out of it.
Thank you, my kind regards.
Hi Rick. I am glad to hear that you are having a successful recovery, and can sympathize with the misery you have gone through. I had a microdisectomy L5-S1 on July 9th and here I am almost 4 weeks into my recovery. The pain I experienced prior to the surgery was extremely excruciating, the pain would start from my buttocks and radiate all the way down to my toes, I was unable to walk even 50 metres. After the surgery I felt pain relief immediately, and in my 4th week I am walking around, although a little dis-coordinated due to the loss of reflexes (it feels better every day though). There is still slight numbness and pins and needles but the doctor has told me they will go away. I just want to tell everybody in recovery to be patient as it will get much better with time.
Thanks Vishvender. I haven’t posted much in the past few months, but I can tell you that recovery requires a great amount of patience. There are going to be times where you feel almost zero pain. In my case, I lapsed into a false sense of security and tried to come back a little faster than I should have. This was around months 7-8 of my recovery. I played some golf, some softball, and did a little more running than I needed to. Some of the pain came back, but the doc assured me that this was normal and that I should take it easy and try other things like swimming, stretching, walking, and even a little martial arts (which is great cardio, and very low impact!). I think doing more low impact workouts is what turned things around for me. The entire month of July and now into August have been generally pain free. Got about a month to go before it will be my one year anniversary of having the surgery. My goal is to spend year 2 increasing the amount of runs per week along with distance. I turn 40 in 2012 so I hope to run a marathon that year. We’ll see!
Thanks for all the advice Rick. I have started swimming and light walking, and I am slowly regaining the strength and reflexes back. As you said I do have those days where I feel almost no pain and others where the pain is there but the key is to remain positive. I wish you and others good luck and hope that your marathon is a blast. Cheers.
rick,i also had l-4/5 surgery back on july 8 2010,i was doing great on the 3 mile daily walks until i went to colo and attempted a 14er which set me back a bit and made me increase my beer intake just as you described. funny how that happens isn’t it? i have been in a slump now not doing the walks and trying to run a new business so i’m finding all kinds of excuses not to work out. i want to know what you think about the p90x workout for people like us after surgery. i used to be an avid runner and yoga guy so i’m hoping i can do this workout w/o concern of injury. any thoughts? thanks man
craig
Thanks for your comment Craig. I would stay away from P90X for now. The disclaimer on the video says that anyone with any type of back problems should not do the program. I had been doing P90X for about 8 weeks before I popped my disc, and I can tell you, it’s the most extreme workout program I’ve ever done. That said, I loved it so much that I still incorporate a couple of the DVDs into my weekly workout routines (KenpoX – a quasi martial arts routine and Stretching). Both are great for flexibility and low-impact cardio. I’ve pretty much decided to stay away from running for now but have hope for the future. After one full year since surgery, I can honestly say that I’ve got about 95% of my strength back in my right calf/ankle area (which was the area where my nerve damage effected), and I barely get the hip pain that was so prevalent months after surgery. I’m doing dumbell lifts now – hi reps and low weight (even squats and lunges) and am shedding the fat. Keep in mind, you’re only 4 months since surgery, so just take it slow and do whatever feels right and gives you minimal pain, and delivers the best health benefits. Good luck and keep an eye on my blog. I plan on writing a bit more on a new workout program I’m doing that might give hope to others who’ve gone through microdiscectomy like us. All the best to you in your recovery and thanks for checking out my blog!
Just came across this blog today. I have the same L4-5 operation coming up in three days. Since the herniation about 5 months ago, I’ve been walking crooked but getting by up until the last few weeks when I’ve hardly been able to walk at all without lots of pain. Tried epidurals, etc and nothing has helped so it’s time for surgery. I’m an generally an impatient person so your words have come at a good time. I plan to certainly take it easy for a while. Can’t wait to get rid of this leg pain.
Hi Rick, once more thank you, i wrote you in June 2010 expressing my happiness with my recovery rate after reading your article.Six months after it is now euraka, the radiating pain on my right leg is all but gone, the numbness on my big toe is gradually giving way, and the lipping while walking is also gone.
The road to recovery for me entails being patience, walking, stretching excercises as recommended. and watching what i eat. Already I am back at the gym but only walking on the thread mills and bicycling.
I also avoid sitting in one place for more than 2hrs without standing and walking, pending down unnecessarily, picking any kind of weight i consider abnormal and jogging, However, taking things easy and not being impatient is the secret behind quick recovery.
Hello All..I am exactly one week post-discectomy. I seem to be doing pretty well. I am trying to walk daily. I was not in excrutiating pain just prior to my surgery, but I have had this L4-L5 disc hearniation for approx 2.5 years now, and had a bad episode in May of 2010 that caused some nerve damage and some numbness in my first three toes of left leg. I realized if I don’t do something about it, that nerve damage will become worse and cause other problems…so I decided it was time for surgery. I was wondering if any of you experienced any slight leg pain or soreness in opposite leg after surgery. My herniation is on left side, but I am experiencing some slight pain when I walk on the right side. Also, the burning sensation I sometimes got on left inside of foot, I still feel at times when I bend a certain way. Is that normal? it’s only been a week..and I’m thinking since the nerve has been traumatized I may feel those things for a while…or should they be gone since the herniation was removed and there should be no pressure on the nerve?? tks!
Happy that I found this post,
I had Microdiscectomy on my L5/S1 just last week, 1/19/11. Had a severely ruptured disc from a work incident which pinched my sciatic nerve. I COMPLETELY understand that pain everyone speaks of. Worst weeks of my life. The leg pain seemed to vanish after the surgery but just recently I have been getting a little pain in my left buttock, not as bad as it was, but still pain none the less. Im hoping its just a raw nerve healing itself. Great to be able to read and write about this with people who are or have the same experiences. Tommy
P.S. What did everyone do with all the time off ??? Im going insane!!!
i want everyone to know about the versaclimber machine. to those that were active like i was i have finally found my machine. i had one in my 20′s and gave it away after kids started coming and i pretty much had forgotten about it. after having my surgery i became very frustrated at how limited my workout options were. this machine will kick your ass,give you a full body workout quickly and there is zero impact on the lower back (obviously ask your doctor about it and then try one before buying) hope this is helpful. also to tommy regarding pain after surgery. sounds like we had similar issues. my surgeon told me the sciatic nerve heals slowly,1 inch a month. so i could expect to take a year to heal completely. i had my surgery back on july 8 2010. i feel scary good now,i sometimes have to catch myself from over exerting myself.every so often i will have a tinge of discomfort. you will get better. this website was very helpful to making me relax in my mind about what was and is going on w/ the back.
I am one day out after a microdiscectomy on 3/16/11. The pain is about what I thought it would be. It’s hard to sit at all so I lie down or walk so far. I am walking every hour for about 15 minutes and it feels better the more I move. I had only one question for anyone having this same thing, before your surgeries, what was your back pain like? I have to say that the years of back pain are more concerning than the pain and numbness from the disc rupture which started three months ago. Compared to back pain, the leg pain was something I was able to deal with. My surgeon feels the disc has been the issue all these years of chronic intermittant pain I’ve had. So again, what was back pain like, if any, for you guys?
It’s so cool reading the different stories and experiences. I am 32 and had microdiscetomy L4-L5 on June 30, 2010. It has been 8.5 months. I feel my surgery was a success. I was very worried about my active life after surgery. I am an avid mountain biker and rock climber and wanted to come back to both those at full speed. I had allot of scar tissue that caused some difficulties and nerve damage. My right calf has a slight bit of numbness and the ball of my right foot has a similar feel. The doc’s say it may go away with time but I don’t think it will. I started riding my bike about 4 weeks after surgery and began riding rough trails again shortly after that with no issues. I have been rock climbing three days a week now for the past 5 months and have had no issues. I have noticed that it took 7 months to really feel my full potential with flexibility and little things still loosening up with movement. Overall, I can’t complain.
Michael, I saw that you’re a rock climber and had this surgery done. I just had my L4/5 operated on and I was wondering if your still climbing? my doctor said that I can’t climb for 3 months or so. Do you have decreased movement from scar tissue? does climbing hard or steep routes hurt your back? how about weight of the gear or hauling?
I am about to get the same procedure on my L5-S1. I currently have a trip to Cancun also in about 2 two weeks and he has cleared me. I will keep you all posted during the recovery process. I am nervous but in the long run its best for me.
I will just give a brief history of my issues. Two car accidents 1999 and 2003, both left back issues. I went to ER on 4 15 2011, got two shots of morphine, two Valiums and two other drugs..I was in drug heaven, but when the ER doctor told me to get up, i could not. When I sat down my right leg was burning and shocking pain. There was times my foot would feel cold to me but at touch it would be regular temperature.
So tomorrow 4 20 2011 I will have the surgery. Not sure if I can update right away but I will keep all posted.
Ok, finally home!!!! pain in my right leg is gone and numbness also. Pain is only in the surgery site. Doc has cleared me to fly in two weeks but has requested a lot of walking as that will help in recovery. Limited driving and lifting to 10 lbs, but I have to say I do feel relief in the lower back. it will take time to finally say that I am 100% but this is a start.
Wow… this is the best read I’ve come across. Too many horror stories on the web regarding these procedures and it’s nice to have a positive experience to hope for. I have a discectomy scheduled for ten days from now for a severely herniated l5 s1. The pain over the past four weeks was unbearable and my first doctor was horrible. He did not request an MRI and treated me like I was shopping for meds. Finally I went to the emergency room and they performed the MRI and said surgery was a must. I was in to see a GREAT spine surgeon the next day who spent the time to explain everything, review the MRI with me and schedule me as soon as he could. I feel like there is now light at the end of the tunnel. I’m 37 with a 3 year old daughter and beautiful fiance. We are planning our wedding for the end of summer so I look forward to being able to dance with my two wonderful and supportive ladies. Good luck and best wishes to everyone who posted their stories, and thanks for sharing! God bless you all!
Thanks Rick for stimulating all of these testimonials. I am 26 and had my surgery a week before my birthday 5/19/11, because my insurance expired on my B-day. It’s been two weeks and I’m farting around town like an old man stopping every once and a while to sit on a bench and stare at the clouds. I have a little butt and calf nerve pain and a little pain on the opposite butt cheek which is new after the surgery. I too rock climb, ski and surf and I have have a feeling its going to be a while before I can do these things again.
I agree that these posts are a breath of fresh air! – there are a LOT of negative stories out there.
I had my micro (L5-S1) done on 5-19. Only after a few days I was walking 3-5 miles a day. I had some inconsistent sciatica in both legs but attributed it to the damaged nerve and inflammation from surgery. By week 4 I felt great and was walking 5-7 miles a day and was fully back to work (&traveling). Two weeks ago my surgeon released me to start doing some stretches/core work and very light weights/swimming/biking (i was VERY active prior to the herniation). He did not prescribe PT….said I could do it on my own. Unfortunately I believe I may have aggravated something after feeling some sharp pains while stretching. The sciatica is very minimal but I’m feeling some back pain on the opposite side of pre-surgery. I am still walking (trying to avoid bad scar tissue and it’s a great mental release) and icing like crazy but after 1 week I have not seen any improvement…….going to call my surgeon in the morning to get his thoughts.
Has anyone else experienced pain after stretching?
Thanks!
Jason, I had my L5-S1 discectomy on 5/30 and experienced light sciatica for the next 2-3 weeks. I also began walking, and my doctor also did not prescribe PT. About a week ago I began swimming. Last weekend I thought I overdid it with yard work, the swimming, etc, as I seemed to really aggravate my left leg and slight sciatica returned. Pain also seemed to reside in the opposite side lower back. I iced as well, and I have to say that I am better again with almost no pain or even noticeable trace of sciatica at all. I, like you, am probably overly worried everytime I feel something even slightly outside of normal, but remember the nerve heals VERY slowly. It’s the hand in the car door story – the surgery opens the car door, but your hand is still going to hurt for a while. I am not doing the stretching at the moment because I don’t want to aggravate anything, but I am staying active. Good luck with everything, and PLEASE, try not to over do it. Best wishes my friend!
Well I must admit this thread is a breath of fresh air. I was scheduled to have the surgery(L5) last Friday; however, my mother went into surgery for a tumor on her brain. So I postponed my surgery. To make matters worse I am taking the kids to Disney August 19th for 10 days and I was looking forward to being pain free. I am extremly active…all weekend warrior sports so the inactivity has been killing me. I too have been gaining weight and getting frustrated with the lack of functionality. My surgeon was amazed at how I was still walking with how large my herniation was. I did have an epidoral which took the pain down from a 10 to 3 so I have gained back my life to a large degree. I can finally play with my kids again. The sciatica was crippling. I have played college football but no pain can compare to this. My hip, my hamstring, my calf and the numb toes. So my surgery is looking like September. I am going to attempt some yoga to blow off some steam and work up a sweat. I am hoping a second epidoral will get me through Disney. My doctor would not do the surgery before I went for the fear of reinjury on a ride. Stay tuned!
I am going to look into something called prolotherapy.. apparently should help with disc degeneration (my cause of herniations that caused sciatica and the whole 9)… if you have bad degeneration progressing like me… you are facing more surgeries in the future. anyone else hear of prolotherapy?
by the way 9/10 weeks post surgery at this point and still no sciatica
back is still achey and that pain won’t subside bc of the degeneration, but at least i got rid of the sharp shooting pains and the nerve pain and leg numbness.
Hello Everyone,
Very nice to hear all the success stories. Being only 23 years old and having been discouraged from going under the knife was a bit difficult to deal with, however I am very happy that I went through with surgery despite the opinions of worried family members and friends. Only I knew the pain of severe herniation and oppressed sciatica. I had tried lumbar epidural injections (4 of them in just the past two years), physical therapy, chiropractors, etc. The only thing that would give me relief was being on extremely heavy narcotics, which is something no doctor should recommend as a resolution to a long-term problem. Being on Norco/Vicodin made it hard to work/focus and also gave me major constipation issues, which just made life miserable.
I finally decided to have the MED (July 26, 2011) on L5-S1 like many of you and it is crazy to have had the pain I have been experiencing for the past 5 years immediately dissipate. My sciatic nerve was oppressed as well and my pain would shoot down through my right butt cheek all the way down to my toes. I can say that the only thing I feel so far is soreness (very dull sore pain where the incision is), and soreness all over my upper back and shoulders as well (I think the rest of my body is trying to compensate for my lower back at its weak state right now). In conjunction with these pains, I feel my entire right leg is numb (ever since I awoke from the surgery) along with my heal and achilles. I was assured that this is normal because the nerve was oppressed for a long time and the nerve needs time to repair itself. Imagine someone squeezing your arm really hard for a long time, once they let go of your arm, your arm would feel funny for awhile until it returned to a normal state.
I am walking as much as I can and it helps alleviate soreness. The more you lay in the same spot, the more sore you will feel. I try wiggling my right toes when I’m sitting or bounce my right knee to try to get the feeling back on my right side. It helps bit by bit and from what the doctors say, it should feel normal in a few weeks.
I am very happy with my decision to under the microendoscopic discectomy.. this is definitely going to change my life. I look forward to the day I can run again and do it pain free.
I am very happy with my decision to go under the knife for the microendoscopic discectomy*** (sorry I didn’t proof read before submitting!)
This is the first site that i have found that has made me happy……….I had a microdisectomy on l4/l5, just 4 weeks ago. I had back pain for 3 years and 2 children within in that time!!
My youngest was born in January and the pain in my back ahd got worse. Then 4 months ago it changed and started with pain in my buttock and numbness and pins and needles down my leg. The doctor gave me pain killers and i started seeing a chiropractor, in which they said i didnt need to see doctor or go for an MRI scan like the doctor had advised. The chiropractor said they could make me better!!! The pain got so bad i couldnt stand or move much, so i managed to get an emergency appointmnet with a consultant and was admitted for surgery asap. I had my operation on the 2nd September 2011 and i am so pleased that i did. Apart from feeling achy most days im on the mend.
The only thing im concerned about is after reading other information sites, that their out comes were not so good!!! I keep thnking is it going to happen again? What can i do to NOT go through that again? Im 33 and think why me?
But you have put a smile on my face as you are all very positive and are on the same page as me with recovery.
I understand what you are going through. On April 17, 2011 I had my 1st surgery for L5-S1. I was recovering to the point by the second month of recovery i was doing cardio workouts and then at the 3rd month light weight training. But then it happened…
L3-L4 had a bulged disc but docs did not want to touch it as it was not bothering me at the time, Murphy’s law was in full affect. On Aug 18,2011 had my second surgery. Now on my second month of recovery hitting the gym again.
This time the doctors assure me no more bulges so I should be good, but recovery this time is harder cause I never fully healed from the 1st one, but very positive.
In order to assure yourself that this will not happen again, i was told to workout especially your core. Once you have a strong core your chances of hurting your back is slim and also weight control as that plays a big role in back pain.
Pingback: 2 Years Later – Microdiscectomy Follow-Up « Rick's Rants
Rick, Are you at liberty to say who your Dr. is?
Hey Rick – Here he is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4wQraK_kwg&feature=related
Just had micro discectomy L4/L5 by emergency surgery 9/25/11. Feel incredibly better but are getting burning and lightning bolt shooting pain in left leg. Dr. says all normal and that I’m doing great. I notic that the more I walk the worst the shooting pain gets…..Any ideas????
This is similar to what I experienced. One day my foot was hot, another it was a weird dull pain. Just follow docs instructions.. he knows your situation best. All I can say is this takes TIME .. write back a year from now! You’re going to feel a lot of different things between now and then!! Thanks for visiting my blog. – Rick
Thanks Rick. Great place for people to post and really a great relief to read everyone else’s similar stories of recovery. I’m coming up on 4 weeks after L5/S1 microdiscectomy and things are progressing well. I’m walking 30 mins 3 times daily, doing neuro glides and transverse abdominus work with a pilates teacher who is also massaging the low back muscles. I highly recommend core work with an instructor as it will teach you good back care habits that will help you do everything you want to do. I’m also swimming every day (freestyle).
2 days ago I stood, sat and walked for too long and am paying for it with buttock burning and slight tingling in my foot. I spoke to physios and the surgeon about this too as I had an episode of it at week 2. BURNING AND TINGLING AND NUMBNESS ARE NORMAL (sorry, but I need to keep reminding myself too). The nerves are healing; they heal really slowly; take time to regenerate and are easily irritated by over-doing it. I’ve been told it’s most likely chemical irritation and not mechanical folks, especially if you are just doing conservative stuff – so don’t worry that you’ve pushed the disc back out just by moving normally. My pilates teacher reminded me that unless you are in traction your discs are all, always moving. They take a few days to calm back down so I’m easing up for a few days rather than attempting to push right through it.
But it’s all very frustrating isn’t it? I’m a competitive cyclist and used to riding hard every day so this is a pain in the ass (literally and figuratively). I’m learning to be patient although I must admit I’m not much good at it – and it seems that having a sense of humour is an essential ingredient in recovery.
I had a turning point the other day as I realized that recovery doesn’t just happen – you can’t just wait to get better – it’s NOT automatic. Sounds obvious I know but I must be a bit dim! It will take as much work, focus and effort to get better as it did for me to get fit and strong enough to compete in races on my bike. So now that’s my goal. Good days and bad are as much about attitude as anything else. Fight for your back!
Thanks again for all the positive stories of recovery here – it helps a lot.
Andy
So glad to read all your posts. i have degeneration in three disc, but will be having a discectomy on my L5 only as this is the disc causing my nerve/leg pains. I am 31 and fear this will be the first of many surgeries for me
i was 1st diagnosted in 2003 and have managed my pain until recently as i find myself bed ridden with pain, luckily surgery is set to take place in 3 days. i will sure to revisit with updates 
Hi there Rick,
I wanna thank you for creating this Blog. Im 34 yo male. Herniated L5-S1 lifting a very heavy old Tv 7.5 months ago. Failed conservative treatment. Had MicroD Jan 17th. Pain is slightly less but mornings are worst. I know ive been compressed too long so Ill keep everyone posted on my progress. Im on day 8 and walking about half to one mile a day.
Now its 5 months after my second discecotomy 9 months after the first one and it’s ok. I don’t have pain but I am sore and stiff whens its cold. I have tried physical therapy but that did provide some relief but not enough to say I am comfortable. Still have not been able to go to gym but have been eating healthy to shed the pounds but hungry to get back into gym format.
Someone suggested kickboxing as to develop my core, has anyone here tried kickboxing especially with the history of back issues we all share…
Just posting a follow up Rick. Im on day 17 of my L5-S1 micro by my neurosurgeon. I have to admit, my pain was still going strong up until day 12, then started fading down. The pain is still very much there but not very intense. I know patience is the key but I want to let everyone know not to get depressed so easily. Stop reading negative blogs. This is very miserable I know and even a 50% relief would make me happy but im not giving up. Cheers to all and ill keep you guys posted. Im happy with the way things are going so far. Cant wait to get off the pain meds
Hi Guys. I’m at 16 weeks post surgery (you can find me 6 days in earlier in this string).
I’m a different person.
I get virtually no pain (the occasional light burning sensation from nerve pain, which is fading in intensity). I can run, swim, surf and as a rider – i’m up over 3 hours. Recovery is long, slow and erratic but you DO GET BETTER.
In my first few months, recovery was taking all I had and all my focus. Today, I hardly think about it.
I highly recommend pilates and regular physio as you get stiff from protecting your back. Don’t be afraid to push your body (within reason). Pain in response to doing too much is not the enemy here; it’s part of the adaptation process of getting back to normal (just like getting fit takes work).
Smile, be positive, be patient and believe you are getting better.
Happy to answer any questions you might have.
Good luck to you all!
Andy,
I have to say your post is very realistic as what to expect in the recovery process as Im just ending my 3rd week out from MD. It’s reassuring to know there is light at the end of the tunnel while the nerve repairs itself. I wasnt one of those that jumped up from the gurney in the hospital and was pain free. I am noticing a slow decline, more on a weekly basis. Thanks again.