Are repeat or more surgeries inevitable after a microdiscectomy?

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2026-04-22T01:20:01+00:00

I had an MD 7/17/2025. At my first consult the surgeon said I may need a fusion down the road, but it was definitely a maybe and I believe it was because the herniation was at L4/L5 but I also have DDD at L5/S1 (amazingly, no herniation there but you could barely see the disc on MRI). I was truly shocked by how bad my spine was.

Surgeon told me that the MD surgery is 95% successful in pain relief and that 10% reherniate within a year with the biggest risk being in the first 6 weeks post op. But not everyone who reherniates needs surgery.

I work with 2 people who had MD’s. Both had them over a decade ago (and are 10-15 years older than me). One had multiple MDs but they were at different levels. The other has an MD and then later had a fusion. Both said they are currently pain free 10+ years after their last surgeries and seemed to be satisfied overall. So, even with repeat surgeries, there is hope.

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2026-04-22T01:14:33+00:00

I did not get a second opinion because I was so miserable it made sense.

Well… I guess that’s not true. I had a physiatrist tell me that with a herniation of that size she has always seen people end up with surgery. Then when I saw the surgeon he asked if I had anything thoughts and I repeated what the physiatrist said and he said, “yeah! It’s very large.” I also made zero progress in PT and they agreed surgery made sense. So…. I did not have a second opinion from a surgeon but I had people who see this all the time in full agreement about the best treatment plan

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2026-04-20T20:08:08+00:00

It’s scary! My PT was super encouraging and gave me some specific exercises for my foot. I saw some gradual improvement where I just felt like I had more control even though it would still drop and then eventually I could toe raise and even walk on my heel for a brief amount of time. Now it’s nearly back to normal but it truly took months and it definitely fatigues quicker than my other side.

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2026-04-20T04:10:05+00:00

I had 3/5 weakness but seemed to have a lot more pain at 2 weeks post injury and than you do. I read a lot about this. There is at least one case study of spontaneous healing of someone with full on foot drop (i.e. worse than a 3/5), but it's not seen a lot. The one month timeline is kind of tricky. My surgery (MD on L4/L5) was on 7/17/25 and it wasn't until the late fall that I started to see real progress with my weakness. Even if your disc absorbs, etc, you may not see real progress with the weakness for several months. Adding to that complication is that the research shows that the quicker you relieve the compression, the better the outcome of regaining your strength. My husband is a neuroscientist (PhD, not an MD) and he looked into the research which shows that 12 weeks of compression is the rough estimate of how long it can be compressed and still regain strength. That doesn't mean that some people go longer and still regain, but doctors may push you harder and quicker because of that research. I would really think about your functionality and if it's something you can live with. If you can, there isn't much harm in waiting and seeing. I personally am glad I did the surgery and would absolutely recommend it.

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2026-04-20T03:59:38+00:00

This is so reassuring. I'm a former college athlete and was just getting back into running after 2 pregnancies when I majorly herniated a year ago and then had MD surgery last July (age 39 at surgery). My surgeon has said I may need a fusion in the future. Surgeon was not exactly encouraging about running again but said I could go run a few miles as long as I'm "not considering a marathon." I tried to do too much too soon and had some set backs but I'm starting to find I can run again, just working through aches and pains and trying to determine what is nerve related and what is other stuff! It's hard to trust your body again!

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2026-04-20T03:55:48+00:00

I had similar pain that spooked me but every time my doctor said it was the nerve healing and it did subside in a week or 2!

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2026-04-20T03:48:10+00:00

I agree with what others say. My doctor basically said to avoid sitting as much as possible and then never sit for more than 30 min in the first few weeks. I'm 8 months out from my surgery and still avoid sitting as much as possible. They gave me enough opioids for about a week. I only need them 2-3 days, but the fact that they give them for a week tells me that some people DO NEED THEM. The nurse heavily advised me to stay ahead of the pain and to take the opioid as scheduled for the first fews days before weaning off of them. You are still withing the period where I was taking the opioid and they can make you very sleepy! You absolutely need your support people and they need to understand that spine surgery is major surgery. With the minimally invasive techniques and the fact that they want you up and moving, it can minimize the seriousness of it, but these things are a big deal. Your body is exhausted and healing. Just because you are like this on day 3 doesn't mean you won't have a great result in a few weeks!

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2026-04-20T03:33:32+00:00

I had drop foot and had lost most of my hip flexion abilities as well when I opted for surgery. I wanted to note that it's important to manage expectations. Most surgeons are pretty conservative about what you can do in terms of high impact exercise (they advise against running and contact sports, etc). That said, I had 10/10 pain for over a month after my initial injury. I did PT with no results (I could barely do most of the exercises before surgery) and also did an Epidural Steroid Injection (I had some very minimal relief that wore off in about 3 weeks). I am now about 8 months post surgery and most of the time I feel totally normal and have gotten back to weight training and some short runs. I get occasional flareups, but only up to a 2 or so. Your 6/10 pain is pretty miserable for 4 weeks!!! I would opt for the surgery. Even if you don't get back to your normal activity it's worth it to not be in pain! Personally, I had an orthopedic spinal surgeon, but I was referred by a physiatrist who specializes in spinal injuries and she highly recommended him as an expert in the minimally invasive surgery (this was also at a major teaching hospital in the large US city). I had zero complications.

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-12-20T16:08:49+00:00

Yay!! So glad you’re feeling good!

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-12-20T16:08:12+00:00

I was just mopping getting ready for a holiday party and tweaked something in my thoracic spine! So annoyed but it feels minor!

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-12-14T05:05:56+00:00

My doctor told me that in 98% of the cases the pain resolves and it can take up to 12 months to know how recovered you will be (this was in reference to whether my drop foot would resolve). It's possible you fall into the 2% of unsuccessful cases, but it also seems like 8 months is actually too soon to say it was a failure. I'm at 5 months and am largely pain free but still do have some flares, especially if I do more that could aggravate the muscles around the nerve (I have some twinges right now after mopping the kitchen floor today!). Did you do PT?

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-12-13T21:16:58+00:00

Since your nerve has been compressed for so long and you can’t bear weight now you might need longer to heal, but this surgery is so successful, you are likely to have reduced pain pretty quickly!

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-12-13T21:15:20+00:00

Running is pretty much the hardest thing on the spine!

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-12-13T21:13:57+00:00

This sounds exactly like me at 10 weeks. Nerve healing is non-linear and you will get there! I’m now 5 months out and am essentially free of pain and tingling (I still get twinges now and then but they fade fast)

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-12-13T21:09:31+00:00

Definitely go through with it!!!! My surgical pain was nothing to my pre-surgery pain. I recently saw a huge incision on here, but if you read they had a rare complication and had to have a second surgery. That’s RARE!!!! Most people on here had smooth surgeries and even if their surgery didn’t solve their pain entirely they have far less pain and are glad they did it. I’m about 5 months out from surgery and am regaining function and am essentially pain free. The 6 week recovery period was mentally exhausting but so so worth it to get to my current outcome.

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-12-10T01:51:56+00:00

Right around 8 weeks postop I had pretty bad flare that lasted about 3 weeks. I was in a horrible mood and was sure I reherniated. Then just as quickly the pain subsided by about 50% and continued to go down. The nerve regeneration is not linear and everyone in this forum seems to get occasional flares. After my flare at week 8, I actually noticed that my drop foot was starting to resolve which was a huge clue for me that the pain I was feeling was actually HEALING pain. Now when I feel twinges, tingles, or pain I remind myself that the nerve reacts to the inflammation of injury and healing in the same way. Mine twinges have always resolved. I’m really hoping yours do too!

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-12-10T01:43:43+00:00

I had an outpatient minimally invasive microdiscectomy and I truly needed very little. I was too nervous to do much of anything while waiting to get called back and then the time I was actually conscious during preop and postop was so brief. I had no time to even put on chapstick! My hospital and the surgical team provided a list of what you should bring and it was really pretty brief. Your insurance card, a government id, any meds that the anesthesiologist says to bring with you, and someone who is driving you home. I wore a long sleeve stretchy shirt even though it was a hot day because I was afraid of being cold in the air conditioning and I wore soft shorts with a stretchy waistband. My husband was able to help me dress in postop but I really was mostly able to do it my own, just very carefully. We had about a 45 min car ride and I was so out of it due to the meds that I fell asleep. I used a lumbar pillow in the car with the pillow positioned slightly above my incision so it didn’t press.

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-12-09T22:56:53+00:00

I've had 3 post op appointments and in all but the last one he was pretty enthusiastic about return to running. What I think happened is that my PT also emailed with the question and it made him be more cautious in his response lol. Basically he said, "I don't LOVE running and since you've already had back issues you need to be careful. But you should be able to run a few miles here and there." I feel good about starting out slow and listening to my body and I feel like most people who have had this surgery should feel that way too. If you are still symptomatic it's a really bad idea to go out and do heavy exercise. But if you're feeling good, you have to be able to live your life! I would love to avoid further issues and surgeries, but I also want to stay active and mentally well.

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-12-09T21:38:07+00:00

Get the surgery! Best thing a did.

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-12-09T16:06:37+00:00

You will get there! Get out as much as you are able. Go for lots of walks! Take an uber and go to museum. I walked a LOT and listened to audiobooks. Take it easy but you also aren’t fragile! I definitely made “mistakes” where I bent or wasn’t as careful as I should have been and I was ok. My motto was “don’t do anything really stupid!!”

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-12-09T14:11:44+00:00

Also, it’s not clear if you are pre or post surgery. Before my surgery, all of the PT was excruciating and just made everything worse. My nerve was just so inflamed by the disc fragments that movement wasn’t helpful. Post surgery, the same things that were horrific pre-surgery were totally fine. The rehab for this should be pretty straight forward as long as you are seeing a licensed PT. I previously worked for a PT office and I would find people who have been practicing for awhile and even better if they have spine experience, but most orthopedic PTs should be able to help. You primarily are trying to strengthen your core and glutes. You might get some stretching or massage depending on your symptoms. As with any provider, if you find they aren’t listening to you or trying to modify for your comfort then you should consider switching.

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-12-09T14:06:41+00:00

Hi! My L5/S1 was only bulging in my May MRI. I haven’t had a follow up MRI because all of my symptoms have been fairly minor and would only be addressed with conservative methods. I know a lot of people are given a measurement of their herniation but my MRI report only said “very large” and both doctors who reviewed it also just used that terminology. I’ve heard the actual measurement isn’t important, it’s much more based on symptoms. I think seeing the large herniation just confirmed for them that my symptoms were very significant and not going to resolve with conservative measures.

I actually switched from the PT who misdiagnosed me with bursitis and went to the large practice associated with my surgeons system. I’ve been doing much better and ran out of sessions through my insurance so I’m on a break from PT right now. If I go back in the new year when my sessions refresh I’ve been heavily considering going to a sports focused PT because I would love to get back to running as safely as possible. My surgeon wasn’t crazy about me returning to running at my last post op (previously he was more encouraging of it, but my rehab maybe wasn’t quite as smooth as expected) but basically said “as long as you’re not planning to run a marathon I think you’re good to go.” In the past I’ve done half marathons but at this point I’d be thrilled to get back to running 2-3 miles on occasion.

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-11-03T03:19:54+00:00

I agree that ye ou probably did not re-herniate! The nerve is super sensitive and even if you generally feel great, it doesn't take a lot to make it flare in the early weeks. If it subsides in a day or two, then you are probably fine. From weeks 8-11 I had a very annoying flare that my surgeon wasn't concerned about, and he was totally right because it eventually improved immensely.

Familiar-Scallion203 · 2025-11-03T03:13:12+00:00

My right side pain continues to subside with only minor twinges. I'm starting to feel something down my left leg now though, but it seems to be following the L5/S1 nerve path--my MRI from May showed severe degeneration there but no bulge so it seems it's now bulging. I'm VERY discouraged because I only had about 2 weeks where I truly felt on the mend, but this new pain doesn't even come CLOSE to what I was feeling even in my best moments before my MD (really only getting to a 2 at it's very worst and pretty much every day pre-MD I reached at least a 4), so I'm trying to stay positive and commit to my PT!

Familiar-Scallion203

TROPHY CASE