recent l4 - l5 discectomy + laminectomy

[mmalone]

I  had an op roughly 5 months ago for an L4/L5 microdiscectomy and also a laminectomy on l5. Now I was off owrk for 11 weeks and had some physio. I have now returned fully to work but have still been feeling some sharp pains at times. The pains are not as long lasting or as numbing feeling as before but can be rather sharp and sore. I still also suffer the odd numbness and original pain but generally it is better than before.

I am 34 years old and need and want to keep fit etc but so far running etc is a little too much. Is this normal after this double op or should I be able to fully participate in all activities pain free after this time ??

any help or advise appreciated.

[Zak_Han]

Well,even soft tissue injures seem not so bad,but it is still hard to heal without right treatment.Treatment options vary depending on the degree of injuries and the findings or symptoms of your physical examination. There are situations where deep and intensive acupuncture  would be strongly recommended before any type of nonsurgical treatment. Take care!

[mmalone]

so basically you think this is pretty normal ?
I have another appointment with the surgeon in september but no planned physio, I was basically told to just do routine excercise to strenghten and things would progress. I was just expecting total pain free after 5 months and the aftercare and advise has been pretty poor except the follow up appointment in september planned.

[Zak_Han]

From the information given I would say that you have suffered what is sometimes called a chronic soft tissue injures to the lumber spine, which could have been present before the surgery. The surgery could aggravate , bring about more symptoms from this pre-existing problem and lead to sharp pain, etc.I would agree that physical therapy, intensive acupuncture, and mobilization exercises can be helpful.so perhaps you have to carry on alternative med treatment.
Good luck!