Mostly recovered but still not 100% after over 12 months

Hi All,

It has been a while since I have made an out and out post myself.

Background:

35 Male, 160 LBS, 6 Foot.

I injured my back in November 2024 after sleeping awkwardly on a couch (I'd imagine that I already had some level of disc degeneration before this incident).

My main symptoms initially were chronic back ache which lasted until January 2025 where I went to get an assement from a private physio. Around this time, I had taken up running again and was working my way up to consistent 5Ks a couple of times a week.

During this time, I believe I started to aggravate the nerve, I pushed through on the recommendation from the PT that this was fine.

Late March 2025 my sciatica went nuclear, I later got a private MRI which confirmed the following;

At L4/L5 there is mild dehydration and a broad based posterior bulge with early facet hypertrophy and moderate stenosis of the lateral recesses traversing L5 Roots. The l4 foramina are patent.

My journey:

Ever since, I have been on a rehabilitation journey, ever since I have consistently walked approx 10K steps a day, sometimes more. I try to swim a handful of times a week, got a standing desk and limit sitting for long periods.

I have come a long way, I remember when it was hard to lace my shoes, to sit for 15 minutes and to sleep through the night. I am grateful for how far I have come.

Concerns:

However, I can still 'feel it' to some degree, my SLR, although improved is still not near 90 degrees. I cannot sit flat with my back and legs straight. I suffer with anxiety, depression and ruminating is also a symptom of mine.

The thought of surgery still terrifies me, I doubt I would be offered the Micro, given the majority of the nasty symptoms have healed up nowadays. My Physical Therpay surplus renews in April, as does my health care benefit. So I intend to utilise both in the coming months.

Like many of you fellow sufferers, this has consumed my thoughts for way over a year now and small setbacks and reminders really sting.

I'm not actually sure what I am after here, maybe words of encouragement that I can continue to improve? Or its possible this is just a vent post.

Thanks for reading.