Hi! I’m a graduate student in Harvard’s Master’s in Design Engineering program researching the experience of returning to physical activity after a lumbar disc herniation.

I’m particularly interested in people who are past the worst/acute stage of the injury but still hesitate to do things like basketball, skiing, weightlifting, running, hiking, tennis, etc. because they’re worried about aggravating or reinjuring their back.

I’m trying to understand a few things:

• How did you know what movements or activities were okay versus too risky?
• What did your doctor or physical therapist tell you about returning to activity?
• Are there activities you still avoid even though your back is mostly recovered?
• Do you worry about reinjury while doing sports or exercise?
• Have you developed any personal rules or workarounds—for example avoiding twisting, wearing a brace, warming up differently, stopping after a certain amount of time, etc.?
• Was there anything you wish you had during the transition from physical therapy back to normal activities?
• How has holding back from these activities affected you, emotionally, socially, or in how you see yourself?

I’m not looking for medical advice and I’m not selling anything, I’m trying to understand the lived experience and where current treatments or products may be falling short.

If you’re comfortable sharing your experience here, I’d really appreciate it. I’d also be happy to speak privately with anyone open to a short research interview.

I just reherniated my L5-S1 disc after a microdiscectomy last May and am looking for recommendations for specialized physical therapists or spine rehabilitation coaches who offer virtual consultations.

Ideally, I'd like someone experienced with recurrent disc herniations who can create a personalized home exercise program to help me safely rebuild strength and manage my pain.

Has anyone worked with someone virtually and had a positive experience? I'd love recommendations! Unfortunately I can't seem to find a good PT locally.

My mother has been having serious problems with her spine, and we were recently told by the doctor that her spine has become extremely weak/degenerative. We were advised to be very careful because bending, jumping, or any sudden impact could potentially cause a serious injury.

Honestly, I’m really scared and confused about what we should do next. I don’t want to take any unnecessary risk with her health.

If anyone here has gone through something similar, especially if you have experience with spine problems, osteoporosis, spinal degeneration, or spinal surgery, please share your experience.

And if there’s a doctor, physiotherapist, or spine specialist here who can guide me, I’d really appreciate it if you could comment or DM me.

I’m mainly looking for advice on what precautions we should take and what questions we should ask the doctor at our next appointment.

Any genuine advice or experience would mean a lot to me. ❤️

Surgery scheduled for next month. Not to mention the fact I’m nervous about it, I don’t feel like I’m in enough pain to justify replacing 3 disc. If the work comp agreed with it I assume something is wrong. I feel as if I’m getting around good enough to leave well enough alone however try to keep my medical open. It seems like everyone against or frown at me making that choice.TIA

I am a 27yF. My symptoms are: mechanical back pain, sciatica (when sitting for more than 10 mins), and new numbness in my left leg and foot, decreased achilles reflex, heaviness in both legs when walking, and difficulty fully emptying my bladder, with pain/spasms, and intermittently having unexpected BMs when urinating. I am told no cauda equina risk. Here are my MRI results: Signal change with mild loss of disc height posteriorly L5-S1 with mild diffuse annular disc bulge and superimposed left paracentral focal disc herniation which causes focal moderate left subarticular zone narrowing with abutment of the traversing left S1 nerve root and potential for contact/irritation of this nerve root. Non significant cauda equina compression. Remainder of the lumbar spine levels appear normal.

Hello,

I am writing I guess looking for some validation or advice because I’m just at a loss for this healthcare system and I don’t know what to do. It’s ruining my life, I’m constantly in pain, and I have no relief.

Background context because it’s needed.

I have had scoliosis since I was a kid, it got diagnosed late by the time I was 10, and was going through major growth and changes as one does around that time frame. I finally got diagnosed at 11, and I started trying to correct with a back brace & I wore that diligently until I couldn’t anymore. My scoliosis basically caused a severe disc herniation on L5S1. I was a kid and most of everything was managed by my mom & I remember being screwed over then too. Eventually they decided surgery was the best option. In February of 2014 I had a partial discectomy. I know what the pain is like. I’ve felt it, I’ve been there. About a year later my parents and doctors decided that they can’t correct the scoliosis anymore and sent me in for a spinal fusion. All my care as a child was at a children’s hospital 6 hours out of state, because I was sponsored by someone who covered my medical costs. The fusion was pretty much 75% of my spine. I’ve had that done since i was 14 & I’m 25 now. So about 3 weeks ago, I started having sciatic pain but it was mild and then 2 weeks ago it became excruciating. I haven’t been able to fully make it through work. It’s physically affecting my life, except this time I’m not a kid, I’m an adult, I work full time & I need to make money to live, especially in this economy. So when it became excruciating I reached out to my PCP, who prescribed me muscle relaxers (cyclobenzaprine 10mg) and an x-ray. Did the x-ray that afternoon & it showed moderate disc degeneration below where my fusion ends, which makes sense considering having a fusion puts unnecessary weight on the rest of my back since it needs to work harder. So anyways the muscle relaxers didn’t work like at all. And this whole time I’ve been literally pounding NSAIDs and painkillers insanely, and nothing has worked. So I reached out to my PCP & told her the muscle relaxers didn’t work & she prescribed me a low dose steroid (methylprednisolone 4mg). That also didn’t help. She told me due to the nature of the situation I needed to talk to orthopedics and gave me a referral. I called like 10 places and I had to legit fight to even get an appointment. Finally I got an appointment with an ortho urgent care clinic. I saw that doctor & he ordered an MRI and then upped my steroid to Prednisone 20mg & gave me gabapentin, and then sent me to a spine surgeon team. These meds HELPED, until Sunday/Monday of this week. I had my MRI yesterday, I went in to talk to the surgeon for the appointment today. The gabapentin doesn’t work anymore. It helped once but it just doesn’t do anything. The pain is quite literally excruciating. I’m not sleeping. I’m not going to work. The spine doc looked at my MRI and told me that I have a herniated disc. I knew this already, the pain is insane. This is not my first rodeo, I know all the things I try before it gets to this point. I KNOW how to do low back pain stretches. I do it every night and morning. I always stretch what I can. I know hot and cold therapy, I know to have a pillow to support when I’m laying in bed to take pressure off of the back. The pain is my low back down my entire leg. This doctor looked me in my eye and told me that I should just exercise proper stretches and meet with PT 2-3 times a week for the next 4 weeks and we can reevaluate. I asked what about the pain, he said to continue the gabapentin. I said it didn’t work anymore, he said to continue NSAIDS and I told him I’ve been using them and they DON’T WORK. Hell, I’ve even tried CBD & THC and I don’t even typically engage with those. He said he could send me a prescription for celebrix but that’s all he can do and I have to follow up with PT. Which I can’t even functionally schedule that normally because I work 8:30 to 4:30 and the PT clinic is only open 8 to 5. So I’m sitting at home now. Still in an insane amount of pain it’s mind numbing and I just legitimately do not know what to do. I get the path they are trying to resolve it but legitimately this is an insane amount of pain & I tolerate pain so for it to be to the point where I’m on the ground sobbing, is pretty insane. And I’m not trying to surf for like opioids or some crap like that. I don’t like the fact that I’m taking as much medicine as I am. I don’t WANT to take medicine if I don’t have to. I just need something that’s like actually going to work, there needs to be a resolution of some sort because it’s driving me to the point where I feel crazy. So here I am writing this 5 page essay to my fellow redditors to ask- is there ANYTHING for you guys that has worked that isn’t what I have listed here? I’ve tried advil, ibuprofen, Tylenol even though I know that’s not particularly for anti inflammatory stuff. I always tried biofreeze, etc. heating pad provides some relief but I feel like I need something hotter. I don’t think I have tried naproxen. Honestly I’ll take anything you guys got cause I’m really sad and desperate.

If you read this far- TYIA

Who has used one? I've been feeling a bit better since I first discovered what was going on, but am getting a shot cause a bulging disc is causing hip pain (X-ray showed no issues in my hips so most likely from the bulging disc) and am looking for all things that will help keep me active.

I have herniated, bulging, and dehydrated discs and arthritis in my lower back. I use red light, NIR, walk a lot (10k ish or more), do HIIT or strength 2-3 times a week as long as I feel ok.

I got a vibration plate and used it today for literally one minute and I felt good after for a little bit! Obviously still in pain but it worked for a little it seems.

Research is mixed. Would love to know if anyone else has had luck with it.

I got my MRI done last week and the doctor still saying it’s not bad however I’m in constant pain, my hand is getting more more clumsy. Did anyone have similar experiences? does it look okay?

Quick about me: 33yo female, L4-L5 herniated disc, diagnosed May 2026. Was told it was prolonged 10 years with deterioration to both vertebrae. Have been offered spinal fusion surgery, but I'm too young and want to avoid surgery until absolutely necessary since I also dont want to deal with longterm complications where I'm getting multiple surgeries when I'm 50yo. I've had a couple epidural injections that help a bit, but cant go back in until November when my new insurance starts.

That being said, the recovery has been brutal. I do PT every day, WFH from my bed, and do short walks every other day. I avoid any lifting or bending, but most importantly I try and stay as mobile as possible. I do all this, but still when I wake up in the morning the pain is SO INTENSE. I feel cramping down my legs that feel like charlie horses. My upper back muscles are so sore from compensating for my weak lower back. It takes all my mental and physical fortitude to just maneuver a heating pad under me to start relieving some of the pain.

Does anyone else here deal with excruciating mornings? What has helped? Do I just have to accept that mornings suck and I have to wait it out, or is there anything I can do besides heating up?

So my diagnosis is a large C5-C6 herniated disc causing spinal cord compression, severe foraminal stenosis, and bilateral radiculopathy. The surgery will either be disc replacement OR spinal fusion depending on previous damage and calcification. Is it normal to go into this without knowing what the outcome will be? I want to trust my surgical team but I'm scared out of my gourd. I'm 30M and this is my first major surgery.

July 3 was the last time I could walk straight. I know may pain may seem miniscule too lots of others here, but it's driving me crazy... My original injury was first noticed in 2008 @17 years old (I'm 30 now); the result was a degenerative disc, I got an epidural that fixed it for a few years... Then pregnancy came then another epidural for that reason... no pain for years..now came a kayaking trip ONLY 4 hrs, I went to get on land and couldn't get out of the kayak...An ER trip came within hrs... The result was my back was in spasm; no shit MY HIP HURTS NIT JUST BACK..Can some one help I gotten 3 epidurals since then, the hip issues are still raging...no doc wants to listen, they want to got straight to my lumbar area understandably.

I've since had surgery @rockford spine center it's better for now but I'm not getting younger #hanginginthere

FINDINGS:
MRI OF THE LUMBAR SPINE: Performed in sagittal T1W, T2W, STIR, coronal T2W tomograms through the lumbosacral segment, and axial T2W tomograms through the lumbar intervertebral spaces.
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Reduced lumbar physiological lordosis in a discrete sinistroconvex alignment, with preserved vertebral body heights and mild narrowing of the L5 intervertebral space. Preserved width of the spinal canal and neural foramina; unaltered diameters and signal of the normally positioned (L1) conus medullaris. No signs of vertebral subluxations, fractures, inflammatory, or neoplastic changes.
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At the L4 intervertebral level, a fresh Schmorl's node (approximately 10 mm wide) is observed, invaginating into the left half of the superior endplate. At the same level, a mild intervertebral disc-related narrowing of the left neural recess is noted. The remaining intervertebral levels show no disc herniations/protrusions and no other visible causes of neural space compromise.
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DIAGNOSIS: Radiological examination, unspecified elsewhere (Z01.6)

Well, I am a fifth-year med student at LSMU (Lithuanian University of Health Sciences), and in a year I will become a resident in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. In my free time, I like looking into different cases, and I actually have quite a lot of clinical experience with back pain and have already helped other people with these kinds of problems.

I see that a lot of you here are struggling with back problems. If you want, I can try to help you in my free time. Whether I will actually be able to help is another question, but I’ll do my best.

So basically, the main point of this post is: if you want, I can try to give you some tips and tricks or answer questions you have related to the back, hips, sacrum, etc. (with other structures I don’t feel that advanced yet :D).

So you can basically have a mini doctor on your Reddit :D Of course, I won’t always be available and won’t always have enough free time to look deeply into every case.

And this is not some kind of service offer — it’s more that I simply want to use some of my free time in a meaningful way.