Like a large percentage of the population, at some point in your life, you may ‘put your back out’. For most of us, that may be some acute muscle discomfort or some slight mild sciatica, which given some rest, gentle mobility exercise, and pain relief, will probably disappear in a few days or weeks. However, like a small percentage of people, this may be a bit more sinister and involve a prolapse of one or more of the discs in your spine, which will need back surgery.
Two years ago, I prolapsed three of my discs, L3, L4 and L5. After three months, my sciatic discomfort hadn’t gone away. Instead, the pain gradually increased.
Fast-forward to a month ago. I’d had two MRI scans, a failed nerve root block procedure and copious amounts of painkillers that did little to help. Poor sleep and little to no exercise had also taken their toll. I finally went under the knife for a triple discectomy and nerve decompression.
In simple terms, the surgeon trims away the parts of the prolapsed discs pressing on the nerves, hopefully relieving the pain.
Apart from an unexpected side effect, the surgery was a huge success. I lost feeling and sensation in my left leg, which I expect to return to normal eventually. But what should you expect when it comes to recovery?
The first few weeks of recovery
Despite being relatively active and fit, I hadn’t prepared myself for the fatigue. For the first two weeks, I did little beyond resting flat in bed. My back needed rest, but the fatigue in my legs also made standing difficult.
I had to wear tight compression socks to reduce the risk of blood clots following surgery and during my limited mobility. After the first week, I started walking gently around the garden. These walks lasted just 5–10 minutes, two or three times a day. I also had to factor in the stairs, both to reach the garden and to eat my meals. Some days, that alone was a tough challenge.
In week two, I started my physiotherapy plan. My physio wrote it specifically for me, covering 6–12 months of recovery. It explained in detail what I should and shouldn’t do each week and month.
I performed simple exercises three or four times a day. These helped strengthen my core muscles and readjust my posture, which had suffered because of the pain.
At this stage, my plan limited sitting to a maximum of 15 minutes in a chair. Sofas and comfortable chairs were off limits. I could stand still for only one or two minutes at a time. Otherwise, I had to lie in bed to minimise excessive load on my spine and keep potential inflammation down.
During weeks three and four, I returned to work. As a personal trainer, this was tough! I could manage only three or four hours a day. For 12 weeks, I also couldn’t lift anything heavier than a can of beans.
The numbness in my leg meant I couldn’t drive. I relied on my wife and some of my incredible clients to act as my taxi. The first few days went well, but by the end of the week, my legs felt fatigued. I started using a walking stick more often.
Looking ahead, my plan rules out sitting on a sofa or soft chair until the end of September. Exercise remains strictly limited to a few activities.
My physio also explained that, because of the extent of my surgery, there are some exercises I won’t be able to do again. The risk of further prolapse means this will affect my work to some degree. My compression socks come off at the end of week four.
Adapting to daily life and prioritising rehabilitation
Alongside these physical challenges and restrictions, what else have I had to come to terms with?
For 12 weeks, I can’t bend forward or reach up. That might not sound like a big deal, but it affects so many everyday tasks. I can’t dress or shower without help, lean over the sink to brush my teeth, or bend down to pick up my dog or cat. I’ve had to adapt.
Moving less has also brought some slight weight gain. As I lose aerobic fitness, even simple tasks leave me out of breath.
The situation puts pressure on those closest to you, too. In effect, they become your part-time carers. That can tire them out, both physically and emotionally.
For me, having back surgery has been a great thing, especially after waiting so long. But the short-term and long-term recovery can take much longer than you expect.
The two main pieces of advice I would give are:
- Be patient. Don’t rush to get back to normal too quickly.
- Focus on rehabilitation before fitness.
Having spent almost 30 years helping clients with injuries and rehabilitation before and after surgery, I consider these the most important points.
Your mind may feel ready to get going, and your external scars may look good. But you also have to consider what’s happening inside, where you can’t see the healing.
My situation is a little out of the ordinary. Someone having a single discectomy may get back on their feet and return to everyday life much sooner. Even so, they may experience many of the same challenges, just for a shorter period.
Listen to your physio and follow the plan. Doing too much too soon could hurt you and set your recovery back. No one wants that!
Good luck!
Two years ago, I prolapsed 3 of my discs, L3, L4 and L5. After three months, my sciatic discomfort didn’t go away, and the pain gradually increased. Turn the clock forward to a month ago, and after two MRI scans, a failed nerve root block procedure, copious amounts of painkillers that didn’t do much, poor quality sleep and little to no exercise, I finally went under the knife and had a triple discectomy and nerve decompression.
In simple terms, this is a procedure that involves the prolapsed discs being ‘trimmed away’ from the nerves they are resting on, which hopefully relieves the pain. Now, apart from an unexpected side effect of the procedure (loss of feeling and sensation in my left leg that will eventually return to normal), the back surgery was a huge success. But what should you expect when it comes to recovery?
Being relatively active and fit, the most significant element that I wasn’t prepared for was fatigue. For the first two weeks of post-op recovery, I pretty much didn’t do anything but rest flat in bed, not only to allow my back to rest but because I couldn’t really stand up due to the fatigue in my legs. Because of this, I also had to wear tight compression socks to prevent the risk of clots due to my procedure and my immobility. After the first week, I did start to gently walk around the garden, but this was limited to 5-10 minute efforts, 2-3 times per day. I also had to factor in walking up and down the stairs to do this and to eat my meals – this in itself was a tough challenge some days.
In week two, I also started my physiotherapy plan. This plan was written specifically for me and is scheduled to last for 6-12 months and highlighted in detail what I should and shouldn’t do each week/month for the foreseeable future. Simple exercises were done 3-4 times a day to help a) strengthen my core muscles and b) re-adjust my posture, which had become bad due to my pain. At this point, I was only permitted to sit in a chair (sofas and comfortable chairs not included) for a maximum of 15 minutes. I was only allowed to stand up statically for a maximum of 1-2 minutes; otherwise, I was to lay in bed, all to minimise excessive load on my spine and keep potential inflammation to a minimum.
Week 3-4 I want back to work, which as a Personal Trainer, was tough! 3-4 hours of work per day was the limit, as was lifting anything over the weight of a can of beans (for 12 weeks). At this point, I couldn’t drive due to the numbness in my leg, so relying on my wife and some of my incredible clients as my taxi was essential. For the first few days, all was good, but by the end of the week, my legs were fatigued, so using a walking stick increased.
Looking ahead, I am not permitted to sit on a sofa or soft chair until the end of September, and exercise is strict, limited to only a few things. My physio also broke the news that due to the extent of my surgery, there are some exercises that I won’t be able to do again, so this affects my work to some degree, purely due to the risk of further prolapse. My compression socks come off at the end of week 4.
As well as the physical challenges and restrictions above, what else have I had to come to terms with?…..
Well, I can’t bend forward or reach up for 12 weeks; no big deal, but if you think about it, this affects a lot of things. For example, you cant dress yourself on your own, you can’t shower yourself or lean over the sink to brush your teeth, you can’t bend down to pick up your dog or cat. You have to adapt to the situation.
Add on to this slight weight gain as you are not moving much and getting out of breath doing the simplest of tasks, again because you are losing aerobic fitness.! The situation puts a lot of pressure on your nearest to, in effect, become your part-time carer. This then tires them out both physically and emotionally.
So to summarise, having back surgery is a great thing, especially if, like me, you have been waiting months or years but expect that potentially, the short and long-term recovery will be a lot longer than you think. The two main bits of advice I would give would be to a) BE PATIENT and don’t rush into getting back to normal too fast and b) FOCUS ON REHABILITATION BEFORE FITNESS.
Having spent almost 30 years helping clients both with pre and post-op injuries and rehabilitation, I would say these are the most important. Your mind may be ready to get going, and the external scars may look good, but it’s what is going on inside that you can’t see that you have to consider!
Its worth noting that my personal situation could be classed as a little out of the norm, and those that have a single discectomy may well be on their feet and back to everyday life a lot quickly, but there’s a good chance you will experience a lot of what I have but for a shorter period of time. Listen to your physio and follow the plan; too much too soon and you could hurt yourself and go backwards-and no one wants that!
Good luck!