ADRSupport Community - Introduction from Queensland, Australia

Hello

I have just joined the forum.

I am 32 years old and have 2 degenerated discs at L4/5 and L5/S1.

My history is:
- Aged 17, herniated L4/5 due to poor lifting technique whilst working as a care assistant. Had sciatica and a foot drop at the time
- Had an L4/5 percutaneous nucleoplasty a few months later with no noticeable improvement. If I could have my time again, I would have just stuck with physiotherapy and not had the operation as the outcome would have probably been the same
- For the next 3-4 years I was able to get back to sports at university, I suspect because I was young and could compensate well
- I remember around 2013 starting to having back pain during soccer practice and after matches. Since then, gradually over time, I required less activity to trigger pain. I remember some days waking up in the morning with a foot drop again having played soccer the evening before
- In 2018, I stupidly went on a trampoline and this caused sudden severe pain, with recurrence of L4/5 herniation and smaller L5/S1 herniation to the right side but I had no symptoms in my right side. Managed this conservatively following the Stuart McGill methods with excellent effect in terms of pain reduction
- However, I still found that (what I would consider) low-intensity activity like going for a leisurely bike ride, would cause pain. I remember simply mounting or dismounting the bike would cause acute pain, which was followed by a few days of lower achy back pain requiring paracetamol + ibuprofen. But if I'm honest with myself, I have never truly committed to the McGill program

- So currently, I am committing to the McGill program. Day-to-day I would say that I am either completely pain free or have minimal pain. However, I have not gone back to consistently doing the things that gave me happiness e.g. cycling, running and/or playing soccer.

- My current plan is religiously follow the McGill program (for those interested, read Back Mechanic, then Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance) for 6-12 months. If this does not allow me to return to playing sports and enjoying physical activities again, I would at least speak with a surgeon about ADR at L4/5 and L5/S1. Are there any particular surgeons in Queensland or in Australia generally with a reputation for having lots of experience with ADRs?

Thanks