To ask for your slipped disc / sciatica experiences?

hope it goes well @ChiefEverythingOfficer .

Day 2 post op and stiff as board this morning. Also got some swelling above wound so will keep an eye on it today.
foot is numb still, which I’m hoping goes away in time. Patience is a virtue I don’t have a lot of 😂

i had a slipped disc (l5s1) at the height of 2020 covid. Came on rapidly and out of the blue (I had lifted something very heavy the day before). The pain was like nothing I had ever experienced and was the worst time of my life. No back pain but pain in my bum and leg and foot and pins and needles too. I couldn’t sit comfortably either. Eventually I went privately and had the MRI. The surgeon offered surgery but also said it could get better without. I decided to wait it and out and by about 8 months it was better. Four years on, I get the occasional twinge but it really is fine in general.
i did go for physio , to an osteopath for a while and did lots of swimming and walking even when I was in pain. Eventually I asked my gp for amitriptiline which is an easily tolerated nerve medicine as well as anti depressant. Good luck - it really was an awful time but it can get better!

Please go to see a specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapist, even if you have to pay - the NHS is so hit and miss on who you get.

They will diagnose exactly how the disc is bulging, and thus what exercises and positions are best for YOU as opposed to people whose discs may or may not be bulging in the same way/position. They will also be alert for red flags.

MRI should only be a confirmation of what has already been diagnosed clinically, as many people have disc bulges that cause no pain whatsoever and require no treatment. these can even be more prominent than the actual problem disc. Alas, many doctors are overly-guided by MRI and that's possibly why surgery has a low rate of success in comparison to other surgeries.

Chiropratic is NOT great. Don't let those quacks touch your back.

https://mylespower.co.uk/2019/08/11/chiropractic-quackery-hiding-in-plain-sight-2/

@Katkincake hope you are recovering nicely

I am next in line - my op is scheduled 6am Thursday morning...and frankly I can't wait. The deficit in my foot gets worse each day and the pain is unbearable.

Hope everybody else is doing OK 👍 👌

According to my physio about 80% of people get better within 16 weeks. I'm currently. 8 months in and it's only just starting to get better. For me, it appears to be lifestyle related. For work, I have to drive places, then sit for hours without moving, then drive back home. It's now become obvious that this is a huge problem. ( I was very much better over Xmas when not working. ) Being as mobile as possible is a very good idea. So moving little and often is much more important than going on a walk at some point every day

Back home after a pretty good nights sleep. Another lady in my ward had the same surgery so it was good to compare notes. Outpatient appointment in 3mths time to see how it’s been.

Hopefully this is the last one I’ll need. Deffo’ need to do lots more Pilates for strength and sadly give up running for good as it just aggravates it too much.

@BackPainMisery all done on NHS, just had to be patient and take meds in meantime. Once you get to see a consultant it’s straightforward from then on for MRI referral and diagnosis then what the solutions can be. If it had taken longer my plan was to join Benedon health through work as you get can treatment if you’ve been waiting longer than 6mths.

best wishes to everyone struggling, hope you get some relief.

Sat recovering. Op went well, not too painful to move. Numbness still there in my leg, but suspect it could some time to make a difference given how long it’s been like it.

I could go home but it’s very peaceful so I might as well stay in for another night, plus saves DS jumping over me when I get home!

@Cookiedough123 go to your GP and insist on a referral. Mine had been gradually deteriorating for 3 years when I decided I need to sort it out.

I’m glad I came across this thread. I have had recurrent issues with my back. It’s always been weak but I injured it around 4 years ago. Since then it flairs up and then goes away. I am currently on my worst ever flair up after cleaning the floor. I can hardly walk. When I have been sat on a soft chair or wrong position I then can’t straighten my spine. I can’t pick up my 1 year old as he is too heavy. I am walking very oddly as I can’t weight bear properly due to the pain. I’ve had heat pads on, ibuprofen and co codomal and it hasn’t touched the pain. I can’t roll over in the night without pain. Because of the way my body is moving to relieve pressure on my back it’s making everywhere else sore like my pelvis and hips. I feel like it isn’t sciatica as I had that when I was pregnant but the pain in my spine is horrible. I am going to book a GP appointment tomorrow I have mostly managed it myself but I am in too much pain! How can I push for an MRI scan without being told to ‘wait and see’ as I’ve said this has been an on and off issue for 4 years now and gets worse each time I have a ‘flare up’. I am usually very active and do lots of walking, go to the gym etc so it is really frustrating!

Sorry if you misunderstood. I totally agree that Chiro is great, my point was more about ensuring you enable them with the necessary information to safely treat you. Everybody is different - so an eyes on plan is really important, with a proper diagnosis via imaging.

So glad it's worked for you 😊 .

My chicopractor was very careful about what he'd treat, they are HCP so I'm sure that is normal. It has worked amazingly well for me, the first couple of weeks it was just a small improvement but it has been increasingly effective. I'd say for me 90% improvement, instead of crying with pain when standing doing washing up or something I'm now just aware of it.

The OP was looking for positive stories and my story is positive so I think it was reasonable to post it.

Chiropractors are great, but it depends on progression and type of injury.

I have 2 x large herniation with significant compression and am not a suitable candidate for chiropractic treatment. So it's not always the best option.

This is a good reason to have a proper diagnosis before starting any treatment. There is no definitive test for disc herniation other than MRI or CT.

I've been seeing a chiropractor for a month. The improvement has been amazing.

Ps it doesn't hurt, well anything except your dignity.

The doctor take a blunt pin type instrument and makes several pricks around the anus. This is to test that there is feeling/sensation and rule out CES. It was accompanied by a full and empty bladder scan to measure how much urine is retained after going to the loo. Gives an indication of bladder function.

@ChiefEverythingOfficer what is the pin prick test? I've not encountered that one.

My big mistake when I went to A&E was to go to the wrong hospital. The emergency doctor asked me why I was there instead of out other hospital because the other one has a spinal unit. I didn't know that. But I do for next time.

Yesterday my left leg gave way under me when I was walking (the original pain was right side based). The surgeon told me "any weakness in your legs, go to A&E, but I'm scared to go back in case I get the same reaction. I have control of my bowels so I guess I don't have CES.

You will get better.
Main thing is preventing recurrence. I try hard to watch my posture. Others I know, do specific exercises vigiliantly. I suppose I should give Pilates a try although I imagine finding it so boring.

my sympathies OP.

I am currently sat in an attractive gown and hat waiting on my second discectomy operation (last one 13yrs ago), whiling the time away on Mumsnet so a timely post to comment on😆

I finally gave up of 3 yrs of awful numb / pain in legs at night and frequent bouts of sciatica to go to GP to ask for a referral. It’s taken about 18mths to get to today with 2 MRIs and multiple chats with consultants.

my life saver for sleep is codeine. I was on amiltryptaline but they won’t prescribe it for nerve pain anymore and like @BlueEyesUltimateDragon says it made me zombie like if I took it too late in evening.

I found the angry cat / happy cow position on all fours helpful when sciatica played up. As well as lying down on stomach to watch TV. Also working on building my core at the gym (well I will do when I can return)

good luck in getting it sorted

Hello! I slipped L5-S1 twice in 5 months and it's now totally degenerate, just a dry, semi useless thing! The disc itself was pressing on my sciatic nerve as well.
Mine was all very dramatic, both times it slipped, I, all of a sudden, couldn't walk or lift that leg off the ground so I was dragging my leg, on crutches for 3 weeks each time and a long recovery in the end. I had some other symptoms and NHS weren't interested so I went private which is how I got the MRI to confirm, otherwise the NHS said they would have only done an xray and my x-ray showed nothing. I went to NHS physio for over 1 years with not much improvement (he would only give me the same few exercises and then massage the stiff area but that actually aggravated it further) and eventually they agreed to send me to rehabilitation which was an absolutely life saver and my therapist there worked wonders, starting me on a slow strength training programme, adapted every 1-2 months to progress and which finally had me discharged last August with minimal pain and back to starting to run again.
I do have regular back ache, no sciatic pain for over 1 year now though, but I just know I've done too much so have a couple of easier days (still plenty of movement but less bending etc). Things that help are a pillow between knees for sleeping - I use a V pillow from dunelm, pillows on the sofa so I'm sat more upright (I can slouch but I'll pay for it later), hot water bottles/patches/hot baths, ibuprofen/naproxen for the back pain, nortiptaline for the nerve pain and regular exercise when able to. Also no side bags, backpack style only, lift with the knees and basically work on strengthening all the muscles around the spine as and when you can but only do this with medical advice.
I hope you feel better soon, this injury had me see some very dark days but there was light at the end of the tunnel, it just took a few years for me.

P.S. if you get prescribed medicine for the nerve pain, it'll probably be amiltriptaline but it made me utterly ill, like a zombie all the time. Nortriptaline is basically the same but had none of the drowsy, sleepy side effects

Hi Op, I had a herniated disc at L5/S1 about 6 or 7 years ago.
I ended up having an interspinous device filled to keep the discs apart.
They also did a couple of other things as part of the same operation.
I had roughly 3 years of being pain free but the sciatica has left me with a dropped left foot and permanent nerve damage.
Due to a lot of pain issues over the last 3 years, I've had some pain killing injections into my spine which then led to radio frequency ablation, this kills the nerve endings but unfortunately they do regenerate so I'm back on the waiting list for the procedure to be done again.
As other posters have said, be aware of CES symptoms. I find that not staying in the same position for too long helps reduce the pain.
I don't sit with my legs crossed because it makes my pain worse.
Have you got access to a TENS machine? That can be useful instead of taking painkillers.

I had L5S1 herniate nearly 5 years ago now. Left leg became weak, went to GP who was concerned about it including the fact I’d lost my ankle reflex. Had MRI, NHS basically said yes it’s herniated do some physio. The physio also was surprised at loss of ankle reflex and said it won’t ever come back.

I still have a weaker leg/glute to this day. I also kept getting cramps particularly in the calf muscle, it actually seems to be easing off on that front 5 years on.
I love exercise and usually do 5 workouts a week including core but often get flare ups which is frustrating. Just learning to live with it really.