Herniated disc..

Hi  PAUCHUK, your back problem in my opinion is never going to be the same as it was before your disc herniated. I had sciatica from the age of 19 and suffered my prolapse at 33. Always had physical jobs and the specialist first question was have you got a physical job, basically i had worn the disc out before its expiry date were his words. It all depends on how much your disc has worn because that will determin how much your disc is pressing on the nerve which is why you get the pain down your leg to your feet. Operations are not always successful and you would probably still be left with pain after surgery. I would say from experience is to keep doing the exercises, especially some physio as this will strenghthen your back muscles and put less strain on the spine. Because of your nature of work its always going to be about wear and tear unfortunately. Also have you had a MRI scan because this will tell you the extent of the damage.

Sorry i just seen you have already had mri scan. I would suggest a second opinion on your mri scan. Only to see if another technique can be done to solve your problem.