L5 S1 Discectomy 6 months ago but now cannot walk

Hello . I am so sorry to hear about your issues. I had L5S1 microdiscectomy on March 20th this year. I only recently regained some reflex in my left foot in that I can now walk on tiptoe. I think in your case there is obviously something else going on especially after a good recovery. If I were you i would get a second opinion. Did the surgeon recommend anything at all? Physio??

It could be scar tissue or with all the heavy walking you did you havw bruised the area inside and there is some swelling. When I went back to the gym I sat on a rower type machine to ride and I wasn't sitting properly. After the ride I began to get numb in the left leg again and my surgeon told me that I probably had some bruising. I was told to not exercise and take anti inflammatory tabs and pain killers and ice Area. This set me back a great deal. But it took a few weeks to settle down. Did he offer any anti inflammatory meds?

Try an Osteopath he will check if your hips ar aligned if you were walking onuneven  ground this could have caused the suture joints to have worked their way out causing the weakness as the disc are weak above the Sacrum. The osteopath will check this by looking at your legs from the back.. If one is short this will be the problem and you need manipulation of the S1 joint..this will stop any nerve pressure or odd pains.. Takes a week or so to settle..I have chronic back pain from Nursing.. These people helped me more than any surgeon.

THE STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND LOCATION OF THE S-I JOINTS

The sacrum is the meeting point of tensional and compressional forces meeting from above and below, as noted earlier.  The sacro-iliac (or ilio-sacral) joints are the less mobile of the joints involving the sacrum (meeting of sacrum and ilia or "wings" of the pelvis); the other joint is the lumbo-sacral junction (meeting of sacrum and lowest lumbar vertebra, "L5/S1").

In the healthy state, most of the sacral movement occurs at L5/S1; some movement occurs at the S-I joints.  Said another way, because it is more tightly bound to the ilia than to L5, the sacrum is functionally "more part of the pelvis than it is part of the spinal column".

In the dysfunctional state, the sacrum becomes (functionally) "somewhat more part of the spinal column than of the pelvis" and compression and twisting forces at the S-I joints strain the ligamentous connections, and muscular contractions ensue to stabilize that unstable situation.

Hi John,

I too am sorry to learn of your distress.  I have recently had extensive back surgery (my 2nd) with rods and screws (am an older senior citizen).  Also have daily migraines--whole other problem.  I too would recommend getting a second opinion,  Something has happened and you need to find out what it is.  Good luck and prayers.  One day at a time ....

Many thanks for your replies, they make sense. It has got to the point now that I cannot walk up stairs without triggering muscle spasms which then end up with me in a tumble at the foot of the stairs. I did do a lot of hill climbing in early May, steep up and down, and this may have triggered something also mistakenly I did a "plank" exercise (for the 1st time) on the morning the symptoms came back. I am visiting an  Oestopath on Tuesday so will see what she says. I know I do not look level on my MRI. 

Surgeon said no rigorous physio for the time being as may aggravate any inflammation. I think it is more than an inflammed S1 nerve though ? I am taking Naproxen, Amitriptylene and today Diazepam.

Many thanks again, any further thoughts welcome.