A year ago I started to experience extreme shocks of pain below my left knee that my surgeon is attributing to the severe nerve compression at my L5-S1 foramen. This pain peaked in intensity about 6 months ago, and then it started to subside. I still have constant burning and tingling in both legs daily, but those extreme shocks that would last a second or two haven’t happened in months now.

Two reasons why this could be the case:

1. At the peak of my pain, I was living a pretty immobile life. My job was very active, but for short periods of time (I worked in professional sports. I would be physically active for a two hour game and then lay in bed or on the couch for the rest of the day before and after that). So, I think being inactive was not good for my nerves. I have since had to quit my job in professional sports because of my symptom complex. I have began working a retail job to maintain an income while I wait for surgery. Although my retail job isn’t as intense as my previous job, I am being active for far longer periods of time throughout the day. Instead of 2 hours of intense exercise, I am now on my feet for an 8 hour day (taking many breaks to sit, of course). So, I think that all the walking I’m doing at this job has helped alleviate the severe shocks of pain.

2. However, part of me is scared that because the nerve has been compressed for so long, it’s just starting to give up. The shocks of pain, to me, was the nerve firing and trying to give me full sensation. I hope this isn't the case. My surgeon tells me that the decompression he will be able to achieve via an MIS TLIF will fully eradicate my nerve symptoms immediately after surgery.

Thoughts?