I just want to say, that this thread is an inspirational read for me, and has been for some time.
I have read it when I have been unable to sleep with pain, when I worked from home (laid on the floor with my feet on the sofa for months), when I just wanted to cry because the pain had been so bad for so long, when I had my surgery, the ups and downs post surgery, and now when I lay here after overdoing it slightly kicking footballs around today.
I am in my early 30's and I was in the best shape of my life until sciatica started creeping in and eventually overcame me in June last year. In September I had a discectomy to relieve it, and I now am 7 months post operation.
Currently I am in the gym 3 times a week: Running 15 mins on treadmill, cycling 20 mins, crosstrainer 20 mins, mat exercises, light weights, core exercises with a Swiss ball, even just started back on the seated chest press machine. I also try and swim 1km+ one night a week.
I don't know if I would have got here without reading about people making physical achievements after back surgery on sites like this.
I have further to go though: I would LOVE to get back properly running (I could easily throw out 10kms in my regular routine pre-injury or even a half marathon if I had the time ) and I also love football. I regularly search for people who say they have managed to get back to the rough and tumble of a Saturday afternoon local match and maybe one day I will. I read NHS guidelines and they suggest you'd be able to after 3 months - I'm a long way from that still and stiffness in my back and my hip just wouldn't have it, I even know my nerve would twinge from some of the meaty physical contact, even at this stage.
This being said, the surgery has worked for me. I couldn't stand for any period of time unless I was full of drugs and spent family gatherings lying down nearby. It was no way to go on.
When I am feeling down, I think of James saying that he managed to get back to playing in a rugby tournament, and running, and yoga, and weights and everything else, and it spurs me on.
Good luck everyone and thank you all for taking the time to write and then actually post it. I've reconsidered submitting this more than once, but I too hope this will help someone else.
Be careful, but don't let it overcome you.
Hello everyone, it's been 3 weeks since my l5-s1 microdiscectomy. I must be one of the lucky ones. I only took 1 Percocet for pain the night of the surgery. After that just Advil and ice. After a weekend of rest I started to move around and walk. By the end of week one I went back to work. The only pain I have had was the incision site...but nothing crazy. That is now completely gone and healed. I still wake up some mornings with some minor calf pain but after some stretching and walking it's gone. After a day on my feet my back sometimes feel just tired and weak. Ice is the key. The first week I used it for 20min every hour and a half or so. Some days I get some strange pain in other leg which didn't bother me before surgery but I'm thinking that could just be the nerve healing. Throughout it all very little pain. Sleeping hasn't been a problem since day one. On either side or on my back. I have to say I'm looking forward to getting back to gym and start lifting again. I'm so pleased this has been so easy for me. I know many others have had it so rough and I feel for you guys. The pain before surgery was a nightmare! My herniations was what my MD said was one of the biggest he has ever seen. Rest, ice, and listening to you body and MD. Is key!
Should any of you be interested, I thought I would provide an update on my position. This is further to the post I made a couple up:
I am now 1 year+ post surgery and am happy to say that improvement continues. I have been very careful over the past year, and have spent a lot of it working from home, attending the gym, gradually increasing my activity, and I have now reached my main goal of playing football competitively again. I would not say I am back to where I was before I suffered my prolapsed disc, but I am no longer miles and miles away.
I have played in 5 matches, and they have all been full-paced and no holds were barred. I am running 10km once a week, am in the gym at least twice, and I have one football training session and a match each week too.
I occasionally suffer nerve twinges, or back stiffness, but I am working on this with stretching and maintaining focus on my core muscles - these are better than they have ever been. My ongoing pain is in my hip, and I think I believe it is my flexors and am trying to work this through with stretching.
I would like this post to be an encouragement to anyone who is scared, or cannot see improvement. Do try and keep going if you can. Do work on your core. Do eat well. Don't put on weight, take unnecessary risks, or neglect any of your surgeons/physics advice.
Good luck x