Same problem; HNP @ L4-L5, with radiculopathy/sciatica. Was losing strength & control of Rt leg. Microdiscectomy/laminotomy cured the sciatica and restored full function. Had a good five months or so back at work, full-duty. Gradual deterioration, at first back just achy, but better next day. Then needed whole weekend to feel better. Then had to back off on activity level to avoid pain flare-ups. Eventually had to quit working altogether, currently on disability. Constant lumbar pain (4 on 1-10 pain scale is my "baseline;" it gets worse from there.) Tried PT... immediate worsening of pain. Tried numbing injections @ facet joints (6 shots at once) which actually did help. Went back for the 'full monty' (Radiofrequency Lesioning... burn the nerve) which helped for only a short while, and not very much at that. Pain slowly worsening. Asked about spinal fusion as maybe a cure... surgeon sent me for a 'discography' to see if fusion would even help (turns out, NO.) THAT HURT!! Now looking at another numbing injection at one specific facet joint (L4-L5, Rt), as he suspects that piece of anatomy based on what he did in the O.R. and my pointing out the "core" of the pain. That's tomorrow. Meanwhile, the sciatica has returned big-time. If I get relief, we'll try a "carpet-bombing" approach to RF Lesioning; apparently, numbing is kind of a diffuse thing, covers a fair amount of real-estate, whereas the RF Lesioning is a precision, pinpoint thing... it's possible to simply "miss" the target with a single burn. If that fails, it looks like I'm on acupuncture, massage/energy workers, drugs, a TENS unit, and cautious Yoga. Scar tissue ALWAYS forms whenever there is tissue damage. Removing your existing scar tissue will only result in MORE scar tissue. It's futile. There's a possibility that the nerve root is adhesed (stuck) to the scar tissue, and that can be fixed; it's not the scar tissue itself, per se, but the affect of the scar tissue on surrounding structures (like adhesions of the bowel after abdominal surgery.)

Ross, were you spending 4 to 6 hours a day doing just stretches. Do you know if doing these will help to break up scar tissue? Hope you had a great weekend.

The scar tissue does not cause the pain according to my doctor. It's the inflamed nerve. I too have been having problems with an inflamed nerve at the root base l45. Now I have been to many doctors spending thousands (and this has been after surgery) and nothing has worked. I went to a traditional Chinese acupuncturist yesterday and she explained a few things that made sense. Diet is very important. I will make this as brief as I can. Lemmon squeezed in to warm water, no ice, drink in the morning. Hot tea with ginger is good also sometime in the day. Take milk out of your diet. Eat or drink nothing cold. Chicken broth made from chicken bones or fish(if you can take that) No tobacco. There a bunch of foods out there that can reduce inflamation. Also do get acupncture done. This doctor also put patches on me in the affected areas that have medcine on them. This is my last hope and I am keeping my fingers crossed. I did feel better yesterday after leaving. Also don't use artificial sweetners.