Hi
I had a disc L4, L5 S1 bulging (I wasnt aware of the severity just thought bad back pain) and when on a holiday in spain Aug 2009 it fully prolapsed onto my spinal cord causing numbness in my saddle area and i could not use my left foot. All my nerves where twitching an moving on their own on my left calf muscle. I was rushed to have a n MRI scan they said I need immediately operating on to remove the discs to free the spinal cord. After the op I couldnt walk without a zimmerframe, had no feeling on the left side of my buttock and vagina.I was free from pain but told I had nerve damage due to the severity of the prolapsed discs. Now today 1 year and 4 months later I have improved so much I can walk, move my toes, cant stand on tip toes yet but determined to do so. The buttock has partially come back to life. Have faith, believe miracles do happen. I read the book The Secret at the time and refused to be a victim of the nerve damage and am doing much better than the doctors in the UK said I would. Have faith :)
Claire
I've had an EMG which showed a compressed nerve followed by an MRI which showed DDD and stenosis. I have no pain but do have nerve damage radiating into my left leg which interferes with my walking. I've been treated by a neurologist who has advised against surgery -- I'm receiving PT and balance therapy -- and it's helped. As far as surgery my feeling is that you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. I wish I felt it offered me a cure but I've seen too many people who continue to have the same or worse degrees of nerve damage post-op.
I second Jo427 and feel you should have an EMG and MRI so that you know exactly what you're dealing with and can make informed decisions.
Its really impossible to speculate on whether or not the nerve damage you have can be rectified. After 20 years I'm inclined to think that it can't. I have permanent in numbness in my leg too, after a PLIF at L4-5 eight years ago, I waited too long to have surgery.
You really need to have an MRI to see what's going in there and I think a EMG would be usefully too.
Take Care
When did the sneeze occur?
I have a similar issue. If you've had the nerve damage for 20 years, whatever nerve damage exists is probably permanent. I've been told that nerves heal at a rate of about 1/2 inch per month, so for the sciatic nerve, you are looking at up to 2 years for recovery. After that, what you have is what you have. Now, that assumes that your problem is entirely resulting from the nerve damage. I don't know what type of strengthening you've tried.
I have had spine problems for a long time, too, and last year had a similar situation where a disc that had been bulging for a long time totally herniated...very badly. This was L5/S1. I had excruciating pain. It was two months before I was able to get surgery (I did not go to ER, perhaps I should have). Anyway, almost 8 months after surgery, I still cannot raise up on my toes on the right side, have no ankle reflex and diminished knee reflex. Calf is atrophied, and is concave on the inner-upper portion. That area does not flex AT ALL. I have seen zero improvement with this despite swimming/pt for several hours a day.
I hope you'll post an update...I see you posted this a long time ago.