Anyone had Lumbar discectomy

Talltree_2

My understanding is that a ruptued disk will get better by shrinkage ... but it can take ages, and of course there is the risk of nerve damage, the operation shortens the recovery period by a lot ... I read up all about it at the time.

After 2 years many people .. the majority who had the operation were considerably better (85%) and those who didnt were not ... however after 5 years the picture changes to 50%, however 15% were worse at the 2 year period. I considered 85% odds good enough ... and fortunatly my gamble paid off.

The other problem is that backs can hurt for many reasons ... A ruptured disc is just one .. and the reasons are for pain can be far from clear, in my case it was very clear what was wrong, the worse consequence of all this is something called "Failed Back Syndrome".

More than anything maintain a positive attitude and don,t let the b**** get you down, keep moving and be careful.

Westywoodpecker

Talltree wrote: »

If possible see if if a neurosurgeon will take you on
... they are much more delicate and far better than the normal ortho surgeon IMHO.

As a nurse who nurses approx 15 patients a week, I could not agree more. Good sound advice.