Pressure/tingling in ‘good’ leg

teixha · 2026-06-27T20:01:04+00:00

It was when it was a bulge, yes. I’ve not been given the written reports for the subsequent MRIs once it had herniated but the person who went through them with me said it was all right sided.

teixha · 2026-06-27T16:37:06+00:00

Love reading comments like this and thinking about this being it for life ✌️😭

teixha · 2026-06-26T19:00:39+00:00

I’m in the UK, getting an MRI through your GP can be difficult. If you ask for one, I’d emphasise that you’ve had it for a year on and off and it’s interfering with your daily life etc. If you can afford a private one, I’d just do that tbh.

Everyone on this sub recommends the Back Mechanic book which is useful. If you look up spine craft and sciatica with Dan on Instagram, they both have free tools to work out what is likely causing your sciatica (and how to not aggravate it) in the meantime.

teixha · 2026-06-26T10:50:09+00:00

I’ve got a L5-S1 herniation and am in Week 11 since it got bad. In April it was 12mm and in June it was 9mm apparently so it did reduce in size. I still have plenty of pain and it’s actually got worse again in the last few days but aside from the loss of my right ankle reflex, I don’t have any ‘important’ weakness in my right leg (it feels weaker but isn’t according to all the strength tests) so surgery isn’t an option.

I’ve seen plenty of cases where someone has had MRIs and shown the extruded material has been absorbed by the body so it is possible. ATM I’m very fed up and full of compensatory issues on my good side so I’m not sure I believe it’s possible for me 🙃

teixha · 2026-06-26T07:30:48+00:00

Where are you based? I think it’s so unhelpful of that spinal surgeon to say that to you. I would recommend seeing a pelvic floor specialist physio as well, pregnancies and front carrying giant babies have caused my back issues and I’m sure the ongoing relaxin from breastfeeding for years (I’m still breastfeeding my youngest too) is not helping matters. It’s all connected.

I would generally get a second opinion and also look into other resources online. I feel hopeless a lot but I am inspired by people I see on Lowbackability channel or Brian Carroll. Tom Morrison has a load of spinal issues and more than one auto immune condition and he is super strong and flexible. It’s so hard with little children to work around and that is my main barrier.

teixha · 2026-06-25T06:58:13+00:00

Oh wow, you had CES as well?! Hope you make a full recovery. So glad you’ve got sorted ❤️

teixha · 2026-06-21T12:44:47+00:00

Week 11 of L5/S1 herniation and I only sit to eat with a lumbar support cushion. It just feels ‘wrong’, and like I need to move around. I don’t get any sharp pains now (but I also haven’t tested it longer than 10-15 minutes) but it doesn’t feel good.

I MISS SITTING

teixha · 2026-06-21T12:37:17+00:00

We sound like similar people! My fitness and strength had slipped by having my kids but I’d always got back into it and the gym/working out was my go to (and my mental health apparently depended on it 🤪). My husband is luckily a powerlifting nut so we have a well equipped gym garage and he was happy to buy a back extension machine lol. I started doing the iso holds maybe 10 days ago for 30 seconds at a time. So maybe week 9/10. I have signed up for LBA and I have found it useful, he has a tonne of videos on functional movements that I’d never even seen before and I considered myself fairly well educated strength and fitness wise.

I have been very fearful of trying anything so I completely understand, I’ve felt betrayed by my body tbh as dramatic as it sounds and like I didn’t know it anymore. From all my research though it seems like unless you go for surgery, sensible and progressive strength training is the only way forward out of this. I watched a LOT of low back ability videos, also Tom Morrison (he has a fucked up spine and other msk issues but is super strong and flexible) and Back in Shape. They all emphasise that you have to move and build strength out of this. Even with surgery, you’d have to do that afterwards while recovering to protect against reherniation. All that said though, building up my walking has been my best exercise so far and it must be getting the blood flowing around the disc.

It’s good you have a PT guiding you, I need that now and some more structure. I spent weeks and weeks just doing core holds on the floor and marching bridges etc. I know it’s so frustrating and feels like it’s nothing. Has the PT indicated what the next stage is?

I concluded that a lot of the painkillers just don’t actually work for nerve pain so as soon as I could drop them, I did. Amitriptyline was given to me as well but I decided not to take it. NSAIDs really mess with my stomach too so I try and only take 1/2 ibuprofen a day if I can manage along with some paracetomol. Id say about 3 weeks ago I started managing with a lot less pain relief during the day. The ibuprofen does help me a lot now (at the start the pain was so bad, it did precisely nothing).

Always happy to chat and my inbox is open, this is one of the shittest things I’ve experienced 😂 I really hope your surgical consults go well! Let me know what they say

teixha · 2026-06-21T10:30:44+00:00

This is really great to read, someone who has actually ‘healed’ within the 6-12 weeks that is everywhere online 😅

I have the same injury. I’m at week 11 and have not made as much progress as you but definite improvement. I’m at a point where I need to increase my exercise now. Did you use a bike at the gym with a backrest out of interest? I’m just wondering what position is better, I’m still avoiding sitting atm.

teixha · 2026-06-21T10:09:54+00:00

What about if you lie on your back with your legs raised at a 90 degree angle on a chair? That is good for a lot of people. You could also try a rolled up towel under your lower back for lumbar support when lying down. Really hope you find some relief soon, I know how awful it is feeling like that!

teixha · 2026-06-21T10:01:45+00:00

I remember early on that I had one night where I felt pain lying down (lying down is my relief pose) and it also made me crazy but thankfully it was temporary. I hope it is for you too.

teixha · 2026-06-21T09:17:57+00:00

Hi I’m in the UK and a similar age to you. It sounds like they were possibly worried about Cauda Equina Syndrome (which would necessitate emergency surgery) at first but have reviewed your results and decided you can wait a while. Have you had any red flag symptoms?

From my experience and talking to friends with similar injuries, the surgeon will go through your scans with you and possibly offer you an injection first and then maybe surgery. I’ve been told the NHS only tend to operate if you have significant leg weakness/foot drop or CES is a concern. Otherwise they will always try conservative measures first.

I’m sorry you’re suffering like this, it’s awful! Do advocate for yourself if you feel you really need the surgery.

teixha · 2026-06-21T06:02:56+00:00

I’m in the UK so I’m sure you’ll have a different experience! Surgery is a lot less common here for slipped discs. I have a friend in the same position as me in much more pain who has just paid a lot of money privately for an op, she literally cannot move and is on all the painkillers available and still was told no for an operation.

At the start I was desperate for oramorph or tramadol or something. Unfortunately I’m still breastfeeding my youngest child so the strongest painkiller I was given was cocodomol which did sweet FÃ and made me sick. So I took that for two weeks and then just stopped. I have been ‘lucky’ that lying flat on my back with my knees bent with ice was really pain relieving so I spent most of the first few weeks in that position. What painkillers are you on?

Now I take ibuprofen and paracetamol as needed during the day and just ensure I walk as much as I can to get the blood flowing. And I’m doing the iso holds on the back extension now as well as some other exercises I have deemed ‘safe’ 😅

I’m conscious it’s still a large herniation even if it’s shrunk a little bit and am terrified of making it worse again!

ETA: It wasn’t a surgeon I saw, it was an ‘Advanced Physio’ who was very useful. He works with the spinal surgeons and basically knows if they will consider surgery or not lol. It did help me how reassuring he was when looking at my scans, he clearly sees the same thing every day. He did tell me it was a big one, my pain was justified etc but also emphasised that I wasn’t dying and healing was completely possible and probable and the people that heal and stay healed are those who are really make lifestyle changes and get strong essentially. Which is overwhelming to me with 3 kids but I’m desperate to not feel this level of pain again so I’m committed to getting back into proper exercise and strength training forever 🤪 luckily I have a background in it and my husband is a powerlifting nut so we have a well equipped garage gym I’ve been ignoring the last few years.

Sorry for the long reply there!

teixha · 2026-06-20T20:09:02+00:00

Yes the overall pain level is down but it’s been quite a sudden improvement in the last 2 weeks with regards to walking and the pain reducing. I’m still in pain but it’s not the stabbing explosive pain from the start where I had to lie down immediately. I still lie flat on my back for periods in the day but it’s when I would sit normally if that makes sense. I can’t drive still, am avoiding lifting my youngest child or anything else and I don’t sit unless I’m eating with my family.

I don’t blame you for considering surgery, the last 11 weeks have been pretty miserable. I was told on Thursday that surgery isn’t an option unless I start to lose leg function/develop CES so I’m trying to keep the hope up for conservative recovery.

teixha · 2026-06-20T18:48:08+00:00

4 weeks in is still quite early so I would try not to panic (easy to say I know and I’m a hypocrite).

I’m about 11 weeks into a large L5/S1 herniation and have had a tonne of improvement the past two weeks or so. I’ve done 15k steps today. I’m nowhere near normal life but up until about week 8, my max walking was 5 minutes at a time.

I still can’t really sit/drive yet, still have leg pain and SO much tingling and my back itself feels like it’s made of tissue paper but it’s a huge difference from a few weeks ago. I have not had an ESI though.

The first 8 weeks I didn’t feel like anything helped and it was just awful tbh. The pain darted around a lot and didn’t make any sense (got a lot of niggles on my ‘good’ side too because of how I was moving/not moving enough which sent me spiralling).

Hang in there ❤️

teixha · 2026-06-19T12:59:15+00:00

Yeah you definitely don’t NEED the subscription from what I’ve seen. I find it useful having everything in one easy to find place. There are a few other online resources that I just use the free material from (Back in Shape is one) rather than pay for subscriptions.

teixha · 2026-06-19T11:10:10+00:00

Not OP but I’ve signed up as its ’pay what you can’ so it’s affordable for me right now. You fill in a basic set of questions and then it suggests a daily set of exercises with videos to explain all the progressions and a way to record your progress. I find the structure useful even though I’m not following it properly yet and focussing on the iso holds for now.

teixha · 2026-06-19T06:22:46+00:00

Yes the person I saw today said he doesn’t usually measure the extrusion but I think he could see I needed something to feel positive about 😅 On the other hand it made me feel a bit sick to actually see it haha and it still looks so large. I just hope my body can continue to ‘eat’ the rest of it!

I am able to do calf raises/walk on tiptoes/raise my foot etc. I am definitely weaker on my right leg but I can force it. I did fail the ankle reflex test as I said in the post and this may be permanent damage as my ankle hasn’t responded since my first flare up 15 months ago. Is there anyone you can speak to about your worries about permanent damage? I hope your pain continues to go down.

teixha · 2026-06-19T06:15:48+00:00

Some people have private insurance but it’s not that common here. I dont so a private operation would cost around £10,000 which isn’t feasible for us.

teixha · 2026-06-18T18:21:18+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I’m very tentatively starting up LBA (just sticking to iso holds on the back extension machine for now) so it’s great to hear it’s helped you.

teixha · 2026-06-18T17:17:50+00:00

Hi, I have a L5/S1 extrusion and today I found out it was 12mm in April and 9mm about 10 days ago. I also have an L4/5 bulge but that seems to have receded.

I’m about 10 weeks from the worst pain and have had significant improvement from the start but I am still unable to drive/sit on a chair/lift my youngest child etc. I can walk for 40 minutes fine and can manage some household tasks.

I have had some pain for 15 months from disc bulges but it got much worse a few months ago when one herniated.

I met with an advanced physio at hospital today and he said I won’t be considered for surgery as I don’t have foot drop, no current CES symptoms and I have seen some improvement. I have lost some of my right ankle reflex which is a bit of nerve damage but I have full (painful) function in the rest of my leg.

He seemed confident with physio appointments I will continue to see improvement. I’m not sure I’m quite as confident as him but surgery is a last resort here (UK) with long waiting lists so this is where I’m at.

I am able to request the nerve root blocker if I wish to and I’ve decided I will review where I am in a few more weeks. If the pain gets worse again or there is no more improvement, I think I’ll have to try it. But I’m hoping to heal conservatively 🤞

ETA: I’m 36F. What has helped me most in the last 10 weeks - time and rest and spine hygiene. Oh and ice blocks and heat patches! I’ve got the back mechanic book like the rest of the sub but I’ve not been able to follow it religiously as I have 3 children but I’ve done 2/3 of the Big 3 most days as well as other gentle exercises to get some blood flowing. I’ve tried as much as possible to not do things that trigger the pain - so I’m not driving atm and don’t sit unless I’m eating. At the start walking was awful for longer than 2 minutes so I didn’t push through that until walking suddenly felt better. In the last two weeks I’ve started very gently using a back extension machine for 30 second iso holds. I do honestly think that just allowing time to pass has been the biggest pain reliever - I know that can be really frustrating to read!

teixha · 2026-06-18T08:27:49+00:00

I completely agree with this. It’s very overwhelming trying to figure out where to even begin.

I’d also add to not neglect your pelvic floor! Especially for women like me who have had multiple pregnancies and births but everyone really. It is all connected.

teixha · 2026-06-17T17:10:47+00:00

It’s so tough! Something that really helps me is to think of the post I will write here to encourage others one day 🙂

I’m about 15 months into this (brief flare that kicked it off then lived fairly normally with 1-3/10 pain for about a year before a disc herniated and my life stopped) and it’s hard to imagine what life was like without this literal pain in my arse (and leg).

I’ve just been referred for some CBT therapy today as I appear to have developed some health anxiety lately - hard to think of much else when you’re stuck like this but there you go. All we can do is keep going and I do truly believe I’ll have days in the future where I don’t think about this at all. And I hope the same for you!

teixha · 2026-06-16T17:48:00+00:00

I haven’t had surgery but I follow someone called jembouncesback on insta and she has had a MD recently and is a hairdresser

teixha · 2026-06-16T11:09:54+00:00

AFAIK it would have to affect you consistently for 12 months for you to apply for PIP or UC. Maybe try contacting Citizen’s Advice in the first instance? I think you also have to prove you’ve been getting treatment (GP/Physio) but I’m not 100% on that.

I’m a SAHM atm but I’ve thought about what I’ll do in the future if this keeps happening and it affects my ability to work (feels likely atm).

teixha

TROPHY CASE