Saeed Sam Sadrameli

It is not uncommon to experience pain after microdiscectomy. Majority of the symptoms should improve with time and certainly should not be as intense as symptoms prior to the operation. This type of pain is often referred to as radiculitis. Having said that, recurrent disc herniation can occur in 5% of patients and if symptoms are not improving, further evaluation is warranted.

85% of patients with sciatica improve and move on to be back to normal with time and medication/therapy. If symptoms don’t improve in 6-8 weeks, a consultation with a neurosurgeon (with an MRI Lumbar spine) is warranted.

Further evaluation with an MRI is necessary to make that determination. A consultation with a neurosurgeon is warranted if symptoms don’t resolve in 6-8 weeks.

Sciatica not self resolving with medications can be addressed with endoscopic spine surgery. Call our office to inquire more about treatment options for sciatica.

Nerves that have been damaged due to trauma or simply prolonged compression vary in length of recovery. While it is impossible to predict the extent of recovery, especially in the case of prolonged nerve injury, I often advise my patients that it may take up to a year to appreciate the full extent of recovery and where they are at one-year mark is likely what to expect longterm. There are out-of-norm exceptions to this rule as with any other concept in medicine and some patients may continue to recover further past the 12-month mark. Hope this helps.

Saeed Sadrameli, MD
Endoscopic/Minimally Invasive and Complex Spine Surgeon
Orlando Neurosurgery

Back pain has many reasons. Seeing your primary care is a reasonable first step. If the back pain is associated with leg pain or sciatica, an MRI can be considered and should MRI show any pathology, you can be referred to a neurosurgeon. Hope this helps.