Uncertainties

How much nerve recovery can I expect?

This is always an uncertainty. When a nerve root is compressed sufficiently to cause symptoms there is likely to be some damage to the delicate microscopic nerve fibres. If significant this may cause some loss of nerve function. Some (often quite a lot) of this damage is recoverable, and frequently it will recover quite quickly although sometimes the recovery may be slow. Some of the damage may not recover. Recovery from sciatic pain is generally good, although some discomfort may persist. The outlook for any loss of feeling or weakness is more uncertain, although the prognosis is more often favourable than not.

Will my back pain symptoms get better?

The local inflammation of structures around a disc protrusion often causes some back pain, and this can be expected to improve after your surgery. However, the disc will also have some degenerative changes and these can be a cause of ongoing or later symptoms of back pain. After losing material in the disc protrusion the disc may not function quite as well. It is a bit like taking some of the stuffing out of a cushion. Exercising appropriately, keeping your back strong and keeping your weight down all help to reduce the risk of later back pain.

Is more material likely to prolapse out later?

The risk of a further disc protrusion is in fact quite low, but it can occur, either early on (within the first few weeks) or later, sometimes years later.

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