I so am dealing with sciatica caused by L5/S1 disc bulge. Attack occurred with little warning(Only mild knee pain and leg pain). Ended work day with those symptoms and followed usual routine before retiring to bed early. Awoke 10:30 pm to the worst pain in my life(This also includes time when I had a Fragmented disc on the right side L5/S1). By 2:30 I was in the emergency room getting a moraphine shot and a bucket of pills. It has been 1 month since then, I can walk but not without a limp and pain. Went back to my previous doctor that did my first back surgery 16 years prior and lo-and-behold he pull out my files(Not computer disc but the paper files). This man done an excellent job the first time and would trust him again. I now am trying Epidural injections. Will know something in 1-3 days!
If surgery is suggested by your orthopedic specialist, my suggestion is go for it. Quality of life is too important not to go for it. That is the very reason I had surgery the first time, I had nothing to lose!
Good luck!
Hi
thats encouraging to know, thanks. I guess we are all built differently and respond / recover in different ways....I'll bear in mind. cheers
As far as I know the nerves never recover....
For what it's worth (and I'll defer to others on the Forum), I was told in Physical Therapy/Balance Therapy that nerves can regenerate -- slowly -- at a rate of 1/2 inch per month. Someone I know with nerve damage said it took him 1 1/2 years to recover fully. I have a compressed nerve , damaged muscle, multilevel DDD, and two areas of spinal stenosis -- I'm using conservative non-surgical approaches and I've improved.