Joint pain post MD

5 months post L5/S1 microdiscectomy, no improvement — surgeon now suspects facet joint. What are my options?

I’m an active 30 year old female and I’ve had chronic low back pain for nearly 10 years. About a year ago it progressed into my leg and foot, which led to an L5/S1 microdiscectomy in December 2025.

Felt great for two days post-op, then the pain came right back. Five months later I’m essentially where I started. MRI confirmed no reherniation — small bulge but not touching the nerve. Since then I’ve tried more PT, gabapentin, Lyrica, a steroid injection, massage, and acupuncture. Nothing has helped.

My surgeon now thinks it may be the L5/S1 facet joint all along. Prior to surgery I did have a right L2-5 medial branch block, but I’m not sure if that covers L5/S1 or if that’s a completely separate procedure.

Has anyone gone through something similar — surgery that didn’t resolve things, only to find out it was the joint? Any experience with diagnostic blocks or RFA at L5/S1 specifically would be really helpful. It’s been a long road.