Looking for some advice/direction on how to best rehab my situation. Suffered a lumbar herniated disc – L5 disc protrustion compressing the transiting right L5 nerve root within the subarticular recess. This was diagnosed by MRI in early January 2021.
I imagine I suffered this after getting back into weight lifting after a long hiatus. Started doing straight leg dead lifts and felt a uncomfortable feeling in my back after a warm-up set and one month later I had the worst radiculopathy imaginable. I had blinding pain for about 2 months but this drastically improved after a epidural steroid injection. I had two more injections in the following months with little improvement.
Over the course of the last year I’ve had a course of daily radicular pain. Primarily right glute and right inguinal region with some discomfort in my right calf and foot. Still cannot bend at the level of the waist with straight legs however I am much more mobile as long as I bend the right knee with any sort of lifting/movement. I wake up in the morning with 4/10 pain and as I walk I can get it down to 2/10 but it remains constant throughout the day. I have some significant relief with ibuprofen but I am getting tired of taking it as I am worried about long term side effects. I
I have never done formal PT however I’ve done home therapy. McKenzie press ups and stretches. I feel some temporarly relief but admittedly I only do these exercises for 4-5 days in a row before giving up given lack of relief.
My buddy recommended I check out this website. I’m an MD myself in emergency medicine. I’m farily functional. I lack any motor deficits however I’m pretty intolerant to lying on my back unless I’m having some degree of lordosis. I walk with a limp for the first 30 seconds after getting up from a resting/sitting position and this is getting very annoying. I’m hoping to get some advice on moving forward – primarily if the low back program advertised here has helped people with similiar issues. I’m trying to avoid surgery at all costs but now almost a year since the injury I’m starting to lose patience. I’m hopeful to get back into lifting as I’ve been out of the gym since the injury but fearful of injury. Up for trying anything.
Thanks for the input!