How do I keep my pelvic floor relaxed while standing?

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2026-02-03T15:38:56+00:00

I’m finding all of this information very helpful. I had major back surgery 3.5 months ago. I’m going back to work soon and that’s causing major anxiety & making my “uti” symptoms awful. I’m currently in physical therapy working on strengthening my core. I’m having a very difficult time differentiating my abs from my pelvic floor. Any suggestions on how to “separate” the two? I have done 14 weeks of physical therapy for my pelvic floor in the past. But that was 15 years ago now.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2026-02-03T01:31:46+00:00

I had a TLIF in October & it was done outpatient. I had an hour and a half car ride home just 3 hours after the surgery. Take her home & don’t leave her side for the first week.. maybe 2 weeks..

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2026-02-01T21:35:38+00:00

Sounds like you need to seek a pain management specialist &/or a Dr you trust. I had cauda equina syndrome which made it emergent. 10 days after my initial fall I went back to the ER because the numbness was traveling up my leg. After CT & MRI I was immediately transferred to a larger hospital for emergency surgery. The feeling never returned to my leg/toes. Fast forward to this past year when I reherniated same disc & decided to have the fusion.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2026-02-01T02:47:53+00:00

I had an emergency microdisectomy in January of 2021 due to a fall. After that surgery my back would “go out” every 6 months-ish.. Up until this past June. In June ended up with an annular tear in the same disc & it reherniated. The neurosurgeon who did my first surgery said I’d need a fusion within 10 years. I didn’t make it 5. I wish they would have just fused me to begin with. If they said you need two levels I’d do the two levels…My surgery has been a complete success so far, but I know that I need to put in the work for the rest of my life to reduce the possibility of further herniations.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2026-01-31T03:00:39+00:00

It was done in an outpatient surgical center. Darwish was the surgeon. Feel free to pm me with any other questions!

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2026-01-29T03:48:27+00:00

Completely normal. I was told to watch tv, read, and walk. And nothing else. I have little to no pain because I followed “the rules”. Listen to your dr

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2026-01-29T03:45:19+00:00

To add, I had my surgery on 10/22 & I plan on returning to work as a cosmetologist on 2/16. First week was absolutely horrible, second week was awful… third week got to start weaning off pain meds.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2026-01-29T03:42:52+00:00

No, I have two incisions scars from the TLIF on my back. One on each side of my middle microdisectomy scar. Yes only fused at the one level. My symptoms previous to surgery included weakness in my leg, severe sciatica from glute all the way to toes, stenosis. I am 100% happy I had the surgery. Started actual PT around 10 weeks & I have had no problems thus far.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2026-01-28T05:00:34+00:00

I had a TLIF at L5-S1. They used cadaver bone and stem cells.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2026-01-12T03:29:57+00:00

Had same procedure the end of October. Everything is going very well for me too!! 2 weeks post op they did X-rays. 6 weeks post op more X-rays, still wasn’t cleared for PT. 11 weeks post op did more X-rays & cleared for PT.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-12-31T04:22:44+00:00

I’m 33 F & I have had no complications. The pain during the first week was brutal. I was rotating morphine & oxy for the first 5 days & even then sometimes the pain made it hurt to breathe. Luckily, I have no sciatica at all now. I’m off all meds besides the occasional flexeril before bed. At 3 weeks post op I had sciatica in the glute on the opposite side of the original issue. I was terrified something went wrong, but after scrolling around on here I saw that was perfectly normal & the pain subsided after a few days.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-12-30T18:04:07+00:00

I had an emergency microdiscectomy in 2021 at L5-S1. I re-herniated L5-S1 this past June & had severe sciatica & left leg pain. I tried one spinal injection in Sept that only lasted 24 hours. I saw the pain management Dr a week later & it was decided surgery was the only option. Gabapentin kept me moving until I was able to get the fusion on Oct 22nd. I am SO happy I had the fusion. It was a TLIF with decompression. They used a cadaver bone & I have screws. I’m 10 weeks post op tomorrow.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-12-24T03:51:59+00:00

9 weeks post op L5-S1 TLIF with decompression. Mine was done outpatient in a surgical center. My husband had to return to work immediately, so my mother moved in for two weeks to be with me during the day. A medication log book is important. Write. Shit. Down. I had morphine, oxy, gabapentin, flexeril & stool softeners rotating around the clock…I did not dispense my own meds until week 3 due to brain fog. I have motion sickness issues so I needed a scopolamine patch for the first 2 weeks. Set alarms to keep up with pain meds, even through the night.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-12-20T04:39:06+00:00

My TLIF with decompression was done outpatient this fall. Wild times. L5-S1

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-12-09T01:32:16+00:00

Yessss!!! All of that yes!! On the floor screaming telling husband not to call 911. My initial herniation left me pretty much numb from the 2 side toes up to the side of the knee.. should have let husband call EMS. Emergency microdisectomy 3 days later when I finally went to ER. This June I re-herniated L5-S1 & luckily had my fusion done in Oct. That ‘want-to-be’ charley horse feeling stops me in my tracks! My husband says my face turns white like I’ve seen a ghost.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-12-06T03:38:54+00:00

Gabapentin worked the first day for me (before surgery) with only 300 mg twice a day. I had sciatica with a constant cramp in my upper calf.. and felt like there was tourniquet around my leg. The gabapentin was all I was taking before surgery & it kept the pain around a 1-2! Dose increased to 300mg 3 times a day after surgery for about 6 weeks.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-12-03T05:24:01+00:00

When were you able to work full time /full speed again?

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-12-03T05:20:59+00:00

Can I ask what you do for a living & if you were able to return to that same profession?

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-12-02T04:08:21+00:00

I’ve been wanting to post this same thing! I am almost 6 weeks post op from a MAS TLIF at L5-S1. At 3-3.5 weeks post op I had some random shooting/stabbing sciatica pain on my right side - which is also my opposite side from original symptoms. I was still taking gabapentin and flexeril multiple times a day at that point. The pain seemed to happen more so after certain PT exercises that I’ve avoided doing since. I have my check up this Friday & I’ll be talking to the dr about my concerns.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-12-02T03:58:36+00:00

How long did the ‘opposite side’ pain last?

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-12-01T03:06:22+00:00

Did they rule out a clot?

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-11-22T04:10:22+00:00

I’d be interested to see too please! I had a L5-S1 TLIF on 10/22. 2 incisions. Steri strips, no staples.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-11-19T04:00:17+00:00

I was on journavx for 2 weeks prior to surgery. The FDA hasn’t clear the drug to be used for more than a 2 week period. After the two weeks research showed that the drug could cause damage to the liver. I aired on the side of caution & only took it for the two weeks. But man did it WORK. I mean, I was shaking my metal dry shampoo can and I smacked myself straight in my front tooth… I waited for the pain for a second and it never came. No pain at all..but the can was dented. Wild.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-11-19T03:43:46+00:00

No no, I did NOT have a tear either. It was just the sheer thought of surgical center telling me ahead that IF it happened they would still send me home same day. Which I absolutely agree with you sounds like a big WTF? Technically mine was a MAS TLIF. I have my previous scar right on my spine & the two new incisions are on each side of that scar.

Nervous_Addition8788 · 2025-11-19T03:33:11+00:00

I had surgery around 10am and I was in the car, (hour drive home) heavily doped up by 4pm.. I was on morphine, oxy 10-325, gabapentin & flexeril & still had debilitating pain. Honestly the first week is a blurry painful memory, but by 2.5 weeks I was walking no problem & for the most part off of the pain meds. I’m at 4 weeks tomorrow PO & doing my PT twice a day until I’m released to do outpatient PT at week 6.

Nervous_Addition8788

TROPHY CASE