What if microdiscectomy does not relieve radiating leg pain?

Leg pain may persist while an irritated nerve settles, even after the disc material pressing on it has been removed. Ongoing symptoms can also reflect recurrent disc material, scar-related irritation, narrowing around the nerve, or a different source such as the hip or sacroiliac region. The pattern matters: pain that is gradually easing is different from pain that is worsening, spreading, or accompanied by new weakness.

Your clinician may review the operation, examine strength, sensation and reflexes, and decide whether imaging or another test is useful. Do not assume that persistent pain means the operation failed or that another operation is automatically needed.

Contact the operating team or a spine specialist for a planned review. Record where the pain travels, what positions trigger it, whether numbness or weakness is changing, and which medicines or activities help. Follow the movement and lifting advice you were given, and increase activity gradually within those limits. A rehabilitation plan may address walking tolerance, trunk control, nerve sensitivity and sleep. Take prescribed medicines exactly as directed; do not add, stop or combine them without checking with a clinician.

Seek urgent medical help for new or worsening leg weakness, loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness around the genitals or inner thighs, fever with a worsening wound, or severe pain that rapidly escalates. These symptoms need prompt assessment because they can signal significant nerve or postoperative problems. For persistent but stable pain, book follow-up rather than waiting indefinitely.

Ask: Could the nerve still be recovering? Does my examination suggest recurrent compression or another pain source? Would physiotherapy or imaging change the plan? Which symptoms should make me contact you sooner?