Surgery for a herniated disc

I had a herniated disc 20 years ago. Caused by pulling up linoleum in my kitchen.. Extremely painful. This led quickly to debilitating sciatica which was eventually treated with 2 steroid injections into that area of my spine. The first injection was very effective, the second stopped the remaining pain.

hi annie1, sometimes herniated discs repair themselves. Best not to put them under pressure. Physical therapy can help modulate exercise that might exacerbate the disc. Sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees can be helpful because it keeps your spine aligned. NSAIDs unless they are otherwise contraindicated. Ice for numbness and heat to relax the muscles. You might try a lidocaine patch. I hope it heals quickly.

@tillymack
Did anything help with the actual pain from the herniated disc not the sciatica? I'm seeing a pain management doctor tomorrow so I hope he'll have something to help me.

In my case it was nerve pain I was feeling. Pressure on the nerve by the herniated disc.

Had the same 35 years ago. Traction is my way of controlling the pain that, in the beginning, was the worst thing I’d ever felt.
Now days I use an inversion table when I feel anything coming on. And once in a while to keep the disc from bulging out.
If you can avoid surgery do. As I met others with back issues like this, all of the ones that had surgery were doing worse than others. Here’s a picture of the table. Cheap on fb marketplace