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Getting dressed. Putting on socks. Picking something up off the floor. And yes, even putting on your shoes! After herniated disc surgery, your surgeon may give you a list of precautions commonly known as the BLT restrictions: No Bending, No Lifting, and No Twisting. These precautions are intended to limit certain movements while your back heals.

Cold can numb sore tissue and take the edge off aching and muscle spasms. After a microdiscectomy or other spine surgery, the muscles around your back often tighten up as they heal, and ice is a simple, drug-free way to ease that discomfort. Many people use it alongside their prescribed pain medication, which may help them rely on that medication a little less.

A toilet seat riser adds a few inches of height, so you have less distance to lower yourself and less force to stand back up. Many models also have handles or arms that give you something sturdy to push from instead of twisting or straining.

Although these kits are marketed for hip surgery, the tools solve the same problem for back recovery: they let you do daily tasks without bending at the waist.

Yes, you will start to feel normal again after a microdiscectomy. The recovery from a herniated disc and surgery is an emotional rollercoaster full of small victories of improvement, but also rushes of fear or anxiety. Tiffany joined me on this episode of Bed Back and Beyond to discuss the emotional trauma of this surgical recovery, and to celebrate the return of joy in her life.

We compare reherniation pain to a normal flare-up of sciatica pain.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re exhausted. Not just tired, but worn thin by pain that refuses to let you sit, sleep, or feel like yourself. You may be wondering whether microdiscectomy surgery is the right step or whether you should keep pushing through conservative treatments a little longer. You’re not alone. On a recent episode of Bed Back and Beyond, I spoke with Mary, a rehab nurse, mother, and grandmother whose life was brought to a sudden halt by a herniated