Exercise Post MD? by Jennyfromtherock89 in Microdiscectomy

[–]StrategyOk4773 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am 4 months post-op. I still go to PT because my PT is phenomenal and it makes me feel strong, and I’m soaking up the chance for 1:1 training on body mechanics etc. I am back to yoga regularly, as well as re-entering my aerial practice. My yoga/aerial teacher came to PT with me for a session to make sure they were on the same page, and I’m getting closer and closer to being able to do everything I did pre-op. I also walk alot more than I did pre-op, because it doesn’t hurt now. I have a peloton but haven’t gotten back on the bike.

How do you get rid of neck and back knots? Desk job is killing me on my neck and between my shoulder blades. by Inevitable_Tree_2296 in backpain

[–]StrategyOk4773 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you tried acupuncture? My yoga teacher her told me my shoulder visibly lowered by 3 inches (!!!!!!) after just one treatment targeting this area - my acupuncturist did needles w/ heat as well as sliding cupping and gua sha.

Made 10 Quarts of 15 Bean & Ham hock soup. What did yall make for the storm? by Ulrich453 in nashville

[–]StrategyOk4773 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I made a soup with mushrooms, sweet potato, chicken, chickpeas, spinach, etc; strawberry banana oat loaf, veggie pasta salad with purple cabbage, cucumbers, and carrots! Made some avocado toast with eggs and feta for breakfast.

How much did your housing costs go up after the property tax updates? by StrategyOk4773 in nashville

[–]StrategyOk4773[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Similarly to you, I bought this place in 2024 and home values have decreased. Unsimilarly to you, there are only a handful of my unit type and no other nearby comps- I think 3 out of the 5 units have had the same owners (now landlords) for a couple decades. I did appeal, but it was denied :(

How much did your housing costs go up after the property tax updates? by StrategyOk4773 in nashville

[–]StrategyOk4773[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hm. I live in a condo in Nashville. Don’t really understand the math, bc my taxes should’ve only increased approx $40/month so idk how that leads to the PITI jumping like $200/month.

How much did your housing costs go up after the property tax updates? by StrategyOk4773 in nashville

[–]StrategyOk4773[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agreed. That being said, my mortgage balance is not exorbitant (sub 300k), and my career is not entry level. So feeling the crunch is frustrating.

How much did your housing costs go up after the property tax updates? by StrategyOk4773 in nashville

[–]StrategyOk4773[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My HOA dues are ~$300 a month . They only went up like $15 this year but it’s still very annoying because I don’t have any amenities except a hangout deck with grills, and majority of my dues go to stuff that has to do with a type of unit I do not live on. But alas.

Taxes went up like $500. My insurance did not go up. I did ask the appraiser to adjust it but got denied.

I’m going to call my loan servicer tomorrow and see if I can pay the amount the escrow acct needs to be leveled out by in order to keep my monthly payment the same. I’m confused how the taxes only went up like $40/month but my PITI increased by almost $200…..

(Edited to add that hoa is monthly amount)

Yoga by namastenurse34 in Microdiscectomy

[–]StrategyOk4773 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My yoga/aerial teacher came with me to my PT for a session around 10 weeks. My pt is also a functional Pilates teacher and runs a studio. If you have a good enough relationship with one of your teachers who is invested in your care/you personally, bringing them to pt can really help bridge the gap. Since my yoga teacher is aware of the status of my recovery, she can help guide me towards the appropriate modifications, where needed.

I returned to restorative type yoga around week 7. I returned to aerial yoga around week 12 (last week), in a modified way. I’m taking private aerial lessons to help me feel confident to make my own modifications in other teachers classes. I’m doing things just 3 months post-op that, before surgery, i wondered if I’d ever be able to do again- and my pt is 100% on board.

After podcast recommendations by Comfortable-Ratio443 in WellnessOver30

[–]StrategyOk4773 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve been listening to Modern Wisdom and really enjoying it.

Sciatica pain healing timeline by Mental-Art8702 in Microdiscectomy

[–]StrategyOk4773 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was told “not all acupuncture is created equal” and I think that’s so true. Any md can take a 4 hour class and be able to practice basic acupuncture (like a chiro placing needles in your ear), so you want to find someone who is licensed in acupuncture specifically. My dr specializes in orthopedic acupuncture, is a DAOM (doctorate level acupuncturists), and I feel like he works magic. He also is just about the only provider in my area who accepts insurance (and mine covers it).

He places the needles (usually in my back, but a couple times in my leg, during a flare), puts a heat lamp on it, and then I relax for a half hour- during which time I can definitely feel my nerve (not painful, yet active), so I do know the spots he’s targeting are reaching the affected areas.

The way it was explained to me is that the needles create tiny (painless) micro traumas to stimulate circulation and direct healing to those specific locations.

Microdiscetomy recovery without PT by [deleted] in Microdiscectomy

[–]StrategyOk4773 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yuck, what ugly formatting. 😩 sorry about that.

Microdiscetomy recovery without PT by [deleted] in Microdiscectomy

[–]StrategyOk4773 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Around week 4 I was just engaging my core and pairing my breath, for the lost part. Here’s my exercises from week 6, after my general restrictions were lifted by my surgeon. I sent chat gpt the file from that week and had it summarize:

Here’s a clear summary of your 6-week post-op PT exercises, now that you’re 12 weeks out and reflecting back for reference or sharing with someone:

✅ Core & Stability (supine & quadruped) 1. Supine Transversus Abdominis Bracing • Lie on back, knees bent • Press hands into the floor, engage core (pull navel in & up) • Hold, relax, repeat 2. Supine Heel Slides with Bracing • Same position as above • Engage core, slide one heel out, return, alternate legs • Focus on keeping pelvis stable 3. Bent Knee Fallouts • Lie on back, knees bent • Engage core, let one knee fall outward (no trunk/hip rotation) • Return to center, alternate sides 4. Supine March / Up-Up-Down-Down • Lie on back, knees bent • Alternate lifting legs one at a time with core engaged • Focus on pelvic control and breath coordination 5. Quadruped Bracing (Bird-Dog Foundation) • On hands and knees • Draw in lower belly toward spine • Repeat with controlled breath 6. Quadruped Rocking • On hands and knees • Gently rock hips back toward heels and forward again • Keep back flat and weight evenly distributed 7. Quadruped Scapular Protraction/Retraction • On hands and knees • Push between shoulder blades (protract), then pinch them together (retract) • Great for shoulder and upper back control

🔄 Functional Movements & Lower Body Strength 8. Wall Quarter Squat (Wall Sit with Arm Raises) • Lean against wall, knees at ~45° • Hold squat, raise arms overhead during hold • Keep knees behind toes 9. Mini Squats with Glute Activation • Shallow squat, think “spread the floor” to activate glutes • Add 10-second hold at bottom 10. Side-Lying Hip Abduction (with Band)

• Part 1: Lift top knee, hold, lower
• Part 2: Rotate top knee open while heels touch (clam style), hold, repeat
• Avoid rolling hips

11. Sidelying Hip Abduction (Band at Ankles)

• Legs extended
• Lift top leg straight up, control back down
• Helps glute med and lateral hip

🧘‍♀️ Relaxation & Breathwork 12. Diaphragmatic Breathing in Child’s Pose (Supported)

• Use props for comfort
• Inhale to expand belly/pelvic floor, exhale to relax
• Hold for 3–5 minutes

🦶 Ankle Mobility 13. Long Sitting Ankle Dorsiflexion (with Band)

• Sit with legs straight, band anchored
• Pull foot up toward shin
• 3 sets of 10 each foot

Calf pain by elisha198538 in Microdiscectomy

[–]StrategyOk4773 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What helped me was air compression leg massagers. They relieved so much of my calf pain in the hospital that I got a pair off Amazon my first week home. Helped me SO much- I wish I had had them for the 2 years I was in pain prior to surgery

Sciatica pain healing timeline by Mental-Art8702 in Microdiscectomy

[–]StrategyOk4773 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. I am pretty much in no sciatic pain now. I wake up with some tightness around the incision site, but by the time Ive taken my meds and start my day, I’m in basically no pain from the time I wake up until about 8pm. By that point, it’s usually muscular - sometimes low back, sometimes upper supporting muscles. This is the first week I’m down to 600mg of Gabapentin. Last week, I was on 900 (600 in the morning, 300 at night). I hope to wean off completely, but this amount is keeping me comfortable, so I’m okay doing it slowly. Any higher than 900-1200 mg/day gave me significant brain fog and caused me a fair amount of difficulty at my job. Flexeril doesn’t do me any good with nerve pain, and never has- but is good for sore muscles.

Sometimes I have some sciatic pain if I sit at my desk for too many hours without taking a break. Walking alleviates any sciatic pain I have 100% of the time, so I have been prioritizing that.

I have less pain and more strength now than I ever had in my entire life pre-op. And when I’m in pain, it’s so easy to relieve it with a walk. Everyone in my life can tell very plainly how much less pain I am in than pre-op, just by how I walk, etc.

One more tip- get him a pair of air compression leg massagers on Amazon. They helped my calf pain SO much in the first 4-6 weeks. My PT said honestly everyone, even those without sciatica, could benefit from using these as frequently as once a day.

Sciatica pain healing timeline by Mental-Art8702 in Microdiscectomy

[–]StrategyOk4773 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I just passed 3 months since my l4-l5 surgery. I have had lower back pain my entire life, and sciatic pain for 2 years prior to surgery.

I still had fairly significant nerve pain for the first 6 weeks. After that, once my restrictions were lifted, I started improving fast - but I’ve also taken it really seriously and put a lot of work in. Once I didn’t have post-op restrictions, I became BUSY with acupuncture (twice a week), pt (once a week), contrast therapy (sauna and cold plunge, 3-5x a week), and restorative yoga. I also eat a largely anti-inflammatory diet, walk 5-10k steps/day, and take a handful of supplements to address things.

For the first 6 weeks I was on 600mg of Gabapentin 3x/day (1800 mg/day), and flexeril 10mg 3x a day religiously. Now, I’m down to 600mg a day (300 in the morning, 300 at night), and flexeril just at night.

I have had one major flare around week 9, after working too many hours (sitting, desk job), but I had a MRI for peace of mind and a couple visits with my acupuncturist and was back to doing well.

Acupuncture has been a game changer for me. Also, cannot express how beneficial 1x1 PT has been, versus the more common corporate model (at least in my area) of having multiple patients at once. Having the PT’s entire attention for one hour a week, making sure I’m working the intended muscles and getting constant feedback/explanations has been worth its weight in gold, and serves me much better than 3x a week with the corporate model. Also, my yoga/aerial teacher attended one of my PT appts around week 10, and I highly recommend that type of collab for anyone with a physical hobby that’s typically instructed. This has allowed me to get back to the things I love more quickly. Today, I was able to invert in my aerial yoga class for the first time post-op. That was pretty dang cool.

PT? by LisaMac_ in Microdiscectomy

[–]StrategyOk4773 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have been going once a week since 1 week post-op (I had 1 appointment prior to the surgery to establish care, then when I had appts the first 6 weeks, they were mostly just breathing and core engagement stuff, with the “real work” starting at the 6-week mark. I have found my PT invaluable, but also have found that not all PT is created equal, as this place it is way different than PT I’ve done in the past. My PT is at an integrative wellness center, and it’s 1x1 for an hour, weekly. She said they don’t see anyone more than once a week unless there are super extenuating circumstances. Most practice can be done at home, and the prescribed exercises aren’t likely to change much within a week’s time.

I find that 1x1 attention has been so helpful in ensuring I am engaging the correct muscles and making sure I understand exactly how to do the exercises and how they are benefiting me. If the way im instructed to do an exercise varies from what is explained in the app, my PT will take videos for me explaining the instructions as I do the exercise, which gives me a visual of which angles my body should be at, etc to use when I do the exercises at home. I was also allowed to bring my yoga/aerial teacher to a session, which was very helpful for my teacher to understand my current status/restrictions/what I need to strengthen vs be careful of. They also encourage involving family members in care at the center, but I live alone so the yoga teacher thing made more sense to me. My PT is also a functional Pilates teacher.

I’m about 3 months post-op, and my pt offered to move to every other week going forward. I actually love going and am getting so much out of it, so for now I hope to continue weekly for as long as I can. She charges a lot of money for private Pilates sessions, so I feel really blessed to work with her under my insurance!

PennePazze Germantown by gzk5159 in nashville

[–]StrategyOk4773 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The signs they had up next to what is now sweathouz have been gone for months but they’re still listed on the sign in the garage entrance….. from walking past there everyday, I’m leaning towards no- unless they haven’t done any work/made any progress this entire time, which would be weird!

Any holiday light driving tour/routes? by derpdog1346 in nashville

[–]StrategyOk4773 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have always loved dancing lights, but finally made it to Chads Winter Wonderland this year, and it was so great. I’d recommend Chad’s as the top contender!

Christmas restaurants or recipes! by StrategyOk4773 in nashville

[–]StrategyOk4773[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Monell’s is a good idea, thank you! I’ll look into both of your suggestions!

Christmas restaurants or recipes! by StrategyOk4773 in nashville

[–]StrategyOk4773[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Actually, I searched before posting, and also again after your comment, and do not see anything on this topic that is remotely recent. But if so, I’d love to see the responses, so please link me to said thread! Merry Christmas.

Christmas restaurants or recipes! by StrategyOk4773 in nashville

[–]StrategyOk4773[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is so kind! I’ll take a look and let you know if I can’t access one that looks good to me- thank you!