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Hello, so a while back I had some good convos through folk on this forum regarding back issues - "Prolapsed disc woes"...
Thankfully I am now on the other side of this and getting better. I had an MRI and the results showed a large sequestration (ie part of the disc had "broken off").
At the time, I was suffering with incredibly painful sciatica, which resulted in A&E admission, being prescribed Oxycodon, gabapentin etc. It was pretty grim and I was bed bound for a while.
As I said, I am on the other side now and can walk 4 miles without pain and have daily exercises to do (around stretching hamstrings) which have greatly helped. I am also seeing a very good chiropractor who is NOT trying to crack my disc into place but it simply helping my body to heal.
Question is - Returning to riding. I am not riding at the moment, but does anyone have any experience of when to start with gentle road stuff. I have a commuter e-bike with suspension seatpost and dutch style sit-up-and-beg riding position, which is ideal.
I don't want to do any damage whilst things are settling down, so any advice greatly appreciated.
I think I started with short, gentle road rides after 3 months. As I recall I don't think I had any problems from that point on and I even think within 9 months was putting in some decent long gravel rides again.
One thing I didn't do at the time which I regret was identify the weaknesses that caused the spasm which caused the prolapse, as they've come back to haunt me although thankfully not quite as catastrophically.
I started the same as you, but ended up with a microdiscectomy for cauda equina. So similar, but quite definitely different!
My recovery started with walking, i was up to 3 miles in about 3 weeks. The first 2 weeks were incredbly hard, i was exhausted from the tiniest effort. After 3 weeks i turned a corner and came on leaps and bounds (metorphorically!)
I walked for a good while avoiding the bike all together (and the hamstring stretches you mentioned were a catergoric no from my surgeon and physio)
My first ride was 10 miles on the road (on my MTB so i was sat more upright, i couldn't tolerate position of my road bike) 2 and a half months after surgery. I got on fine (apart from the lack of fitness) and road every other day for approx 10 miles on the road.
My first offroad ride was a further 3 weeks later. This was too soon, i was in pain the next day, and it lasted a good few days. I rested a week, then got back to the 10 mile road ride every other day, by now i could tolerate the position of my road bike, but felt i was pushing too soon, so stuck to the MTB. a further 3 weeks later i went offroad again, no pain, no twinges and i just felt "right". From here i just got back to normal, fitness/upper body srength was an issue (proir to surgery i had been bed bound for 2 months). Hard to quantify until it happened, but all of a sudden i just felt like i was capable again. And never looked back.
I hope this helps in some way, until i was a bed bound cripple, off my head on every drug available, i had no idea how debilitatng a back injury could be. They were some dark dark times, hope you are mending well.