After a microdiscectomy, leg pain often eases quickly, sometimes as soon as you wake up. The back itself takes longer. Expect about THREE months before you’re back to all your usual activities.
Most people go back to desk work at around four to six weeks. Physical jobs can take up to three months. Numbness and pins and needles usually settle more slowly than the pain.
Walking is your main job early on. Little and often, a bit further each day.
Week by week
- Days 0 to 2: up and walking the same day or the next. Many people go home within a day or two. Some back soreness around the wound is normal
- Weeks 1 to 2: short walks several times a day, building up slowly. Change position often. Sitting is usually the least comfortable, so keep it short
- Weeks 2 to 6: walks get longer, and gentle exercises start, often with a physio. You may feel good enough to overdo it. Build up steadily
- Weeks 4 to 6: back to desk work for most people, ideally with a phased return and chances to stand and move
- Weeks 6 to 12: strengthening for your back, hips and legs. Heavier tasks come back gradually. Manual work often returns toward the end of this window
- Months 3 and beyond: some mild discomfort can hang on for up to three months. Nerve symptoms can keep improving for longer
Your surgeon may give you different limits. Use theirs.
Sitting, driving, work and lifting
- Sitting: keep it to short spells at first and get up regularly. A firm chair with good back support is easier than a soft sofa
- Driving: once you can do an emergency stop confidently and you’re off painkillers that make you drowsy. Start with short trips and take breaks on longer ones. Check with your insurer
- Going back to work: around four to six weeks for most desk jobs. Physical work can take up to three months. A gradual return helps
- Lifting: light things held close to your body are usually fine early. Heavy lifting, especially bending and twisting at the same time, comes back gradually over the first few months
- Exercise: walking from day one. Swimming and cycling usually come a few weeks later, once the wound has healed. Running and contact sport come last
Numbness and leftover symptoms
- Pain goes first. Once the pressure is off, leg pain often eases quickly
- Numbness and tingling take longer. A nerve that was squeezed for weeks or months recovers slowly, often over several months
- Some numbness can stay for good, especially if it was there for a long time before surgery. It is usually a small patch and often stops being noticeable
- Weakness often improves over weeks to months. Your physio can help rebuild strength
- Some leg twinges in the first weeks are common as the nerve settles. A steady trend matters more than a single bad day
The surgery takes the pressure off. The nerve still needs time to heal.
Can the disc slip again?
- Yes, but most people don’t. On average, about 1 in 20 people have the disc herniate again at the same level
- Studies vary a lot, so you’ll see higher and lower numbers quoted
- Re-herniations tend to happen early, often within the first months after surgery
- What you can do: build up your activity gradually rather than jumping straight back to heavy lifting, and keep up your strengthening once you feel well
For what happens to the disc itself and why it presses on the nerve, see slipped disc. If you’re still deciding whether to have surgery, see sciatica and slipped disc: how long it lasts. If your leg pain is from narrowing of the spine instead, see spinal stenosis. If you’re having a bigger operation, see laminectomy recovery or spinal fusion recovery.
Go to the emergency department now if
- New numbness around your genitals or buttocks, the area that would touch a saddle
- New trouble peeing, not being able to pee, or leaking pee or poo without knowing
- New or rapidly worsening weakness in one or both legs
- Sudden severe leg pain returning with any of the above
- Chest pain or sudden shortness of breath
The NHS also advises getting help quickly for new leg pain, weakness or numbness after back surgery.
Call your surgeon today if
- The wound is red, hot, swollen or oozing
- You have a fever or feel unwell
- Clear fluid is leaking from the wound, or you get a severe headache that’s worse sitting or standing and better lying flat
- Your leg pain comes back after it had settled
Mention it at your next review if
- Numbness isn’t improving at all after a few months
- Your foot still catches or slaps when you walk
- Back pain is stopping you getting back to work
The leg often feels better in days, but the back needs a steady three months.