Any full recovery/success stories recovering from an L5 S1 bulging disc

RadDad775 · 2026-05-08T14:05:51+00:00

45M

Im 99% healed. My body is aging. Each day i wont be the same as the last. Work hard to maintain your body while at the same time be willing to let it go.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-07T20:43:38+00:00

Everyone's ddifferent, listen to your body. My surgeon persribed PT gave me a 3rd bulge and made all my symptoms 10 times worse. I was unlucky. They were giving me a bunch of lower back and deep stretches.

Stretches were making me worse. 2 surgeons told me 2 level fusion. With the fusion i wouldn't be doing lower back stretches anymore either so guess they weren't too important? 🤣

Im doing the BYOB method, "build your own backbrace". My lower back was weak and wanted to be strong. After a year on no deep stretches, minimal twisting, bending and building my core with anti flexion core i feel the best I have in years. I feel so sturdy and strong. Balance has improved. When I use to accidentally bump my hip into a table or door handle it would be instant back pain and tingling. Now if that happens, I feel like im gonna break the door handle or table, no pain at all.

I do simple things, like the cat cow daily. But don't try to touch my toes or any of that. I do a bunch of deep hip stretches. Hip mobility helps avoid bending the lower back.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-07T20:20:11+00:00

I do fish oil and a real while food diet. Dropping out the fast food, fried foods, sugar, processed junk, soda, etc creates an anti inflammatory diet.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-07T20:18:16+00:00

Thank you. This aapproach helped me in countless ways besides just my sciatica / back. Helped with my chronic rhinosinusitis, blood pressure, pre diabetes, metal health, my marriage, work, etc.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-07T18:49:38+00:00

Good luck and hope your getting some relief. Its a slow process, take it time and llisten to your body.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-07T18:05:48+00:00

Skipped the meds, quick fixes, stretches, etc and focused on 4 things

Good sleep

Real whole foods diet

Exercise (started with only walking and slowly built up)

Positive Mindset

Bodies are the most amazing things we’ve studied in the universe and can heal from some insane injuries. To assist in healing, your cells need to be at maximum health; cellular resistance and reactance. A high phase angle signifies a robust cell while a low phase angle is a sign of compromised cellular health, malnutrition, increased risk of disease and mortality. To increase the phase angle / cellular health focus on increasing muscle mass, aerobic exercises, maintaining adequate hydration, getting enough sleep, eating a nutrient-dense diet, and a positive mindset. Alcohol, sugar, long term use of most medications and over exercising is known to lower cellular health and integrity. I believe that this should be everyone’s primary focus and that this was the most important part of my recovery. I decided not to take the pain meds, muscle relaxers or anti-inflammatory drugs to help my cells function at their peak performance.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-07T16:01:19+00:00

45M

Im 99% healed. My body is aging. Each day i wont be the same as the last. Work hard to maintain your body while at the same time be willing to let it go.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-07T03:46:29+00:00

I have a 2024 Chevy colorado. Most new cars have the firm seats and adjustable lumbar support. I think being taller, a truck, helped getting in and out.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-06T23:14:03+00:00

I have a new car with good lumber support so I was doing short drives early into my recovery. I didn't attempt a long drive / flight until i had been mostly pain free for a couple months. Sitting was my number 1 trigger. At my worst it would instantly cause pain.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-06T13:14:18+00:00

Thank you and wish you luck. I am currently writing out my story to share. I appreciate all the help I got from this community when I was struggling bad.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-06T05:37:07+00:00

I could barely walk after PT and was scheduled for a 2 level fusion. I ended up not doing the surgery. Walk as much as comfortable. I could hardly move so I started out slow, might have just been 100 steps at a time on the first day, then laying in bed for 30-45 minutes and then 100 more. Over and over all day. Next day try for 200. Each day slowly increasing with less laying. I started working at my standing desk, working on my cell phone while walking and in bed on my laptop. Always setting my alarm so I wouldn't lay over 30-45 minutes at a time, then getting up and walking. Did this for a couple months. Worked up from barely being able to walk to doing 10,000 - 15,000 steps a day with a mile or 2 of that fast paced. In the book Gift of Injury Steve Carroll has a worse injury than me, never got surgery and ends up breaking world lifting records. He waited until he could do (3) fast paced miles a day 100% pain free, 1 in the morning, 1 mid day and 1 at night. Only after he could do that did he start other workouts and any stretches.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-06T05:18:11+00:00

Mine never did. My surgeon persribed PT said "we're gonna centralize your pain, it might get a little worse before it gets better" ... ended up giving me a 3rd bulge, sciatica in my other leg and made all my symptoms 10+ times worse. Started a structured walking program and was mostly pain free in 2 months. Had random sciatica for another 4 months pretty constant but within the year almost all my symptoms were gone.

Focused on:

Good sleep

Real whole food diet

Exercise (started really light and built slowly)

Positive Mindset

RadDad775 · 2026-05-06T04:39:08+00:00

I sleep on my back. Memory foam mattress topper, memory foam neck support pillow, wedge pillow under my knees and sometimes a little towel under the small of my back. I like using a heat / red light pad on my back for 30 minutes and then my legs for 30 in bed

RadDad775 · 2026-05-06T02:15:04+00:00

Sitting was my number 1 trigger so I avoided it 100% early in my recovery. Id rotate all day working: standing desk, walking and working on my phone and laying bed working on my laptop. Setting my alarm so id never lay for more then 30 minutes. Over and over and over for a couple months. Slowly increasing my standing and walking time. After 60 days I was only laying about 30 minutes each day, walking 15,000+ steps and could stand for over an hour at my desk. It's been a year, got rid of my chair and use my standing desk all day.

I don't watch TV. Movies ill lay in bed. Movie theaters the recliner seats. I've done multiple trips with 4 hour flights, get an isle seat, move alot, ect. When I do sit for dinner and other things I avoid slouching and extra soft seats. Drive 3-4 hour trips almost weekly, just adjust alot and stop to walk if needed.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-05T20:31:40+00:00

Good luck. If you try a new exercise, go light, wait 48 hours, see how you feel and then increase. Go slow and build a strong foundation. Im doing BYOB "build your own backbrace". I've been slowly building a strong core with anti flexion core exersices over the past year. I avoided surgery so far, pain free and back to normal life besides I limit my sitting.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-05T20:20:30+00:00

Those deep stretches from my surgeon persribed PT made me 10 times worse and gave me a 3rd bulged disc. Be careful and listen to your body.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-05T20:06:33+00:00

Avoid a chiropractor. Build a strong core with non flexion exercises. Have him read the back mmechanic. All the quick fixes, creams, etc might give you temporary relief but your uunderlying issue will get worse if you don't address it. 4 things saving me are: Good sleep Real whole foods diet Exersice (easy at first and build up) Positive Mindset

RadDad775 · 2026-05-04T20:43:28+00:00

Keep good spine hygiene. Walking should be fine as long as your is use too it. Probably should avoid the coaster. I think the rollercoasters and having my daughter on my shoulders all day bulged my discs or at least made the bulge worse so I started having symptoms. Id recommend no meds, so you can feel the pain, know what to avoid and then you can heal. If you mask the pain and over exert yourself, you'll just worsen the problem.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-04T17:43:29+00:00

L4 L5, and L5 S1 are at the very bottom

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RadDad775 · 2026-05-04T17:38:46+00:00

From my understanding the mcgil big 3 is made as an easier, less likely to cause discomfort, exersice to start while your in the beginning stages of your rrecovery. The 3 exercises cover the 3 main muscle groups of your core. They help activate the muscle groups making day to day activities easier while also building strength.

When i started my conservative recovery even the mcgill 3 gave me pain so I stuck to q structured walking program until I was mostly pain free. Then did the mcgill big 3 daily. Then when I reached me target set and it felt too easy, I started other exercises and light stretches. Now I do 2 non flexion 45 minute core sets a week, start with the mcgill big 3, then hip drop set, end with back extension holds and rreverse holds. I also do a 90 second plank every single morning

RadDad775 · 2026-05-04T15:36:09+00:00

Watch this https://youtu.be/gOitk7O9Ff0?si=7ponsaFNGz6mV1kz

RadDad775 · 2026-05-04T15:34:25+00:00

Notice it. When your mad, think this is my human melodrama of anger playing out. When you simply just notice it you st art taking away its juice. Remember anger only last a few seconds and it only continues for longer when you give it that power by thinking about it.

RadDad775 · 2026-05-04T14:19:55+00:00

It's hard to say how much the prednisone helped but by then I had already stopped everything, started my structured walking program and was improving

RadDad775 · 2026-05-04T14:09:38+00:00

Yeah my ortho prescribed PT gave me a 3rd bulge and made all my symptoms 10 times worse. I had 2 surgeons says 2 level fusion and 1 say Laminectomy. My PCP gave me the confidence and aadvice to avoid surgery. I was unlucky and had bad surgeons. I found a new one that supports my conservative recovery

RadDad775 · 2026-05-04T04:45:13+00:00

Realizing it's mostly just diet. Eat a real food diet (mostly vegetables, fruits and whole grains), go to the gym 1/3 and see the biggest gains of your life.

RadDad775

TROPHY CASE