F33 why won’t a 3.5mm disc bulge warrant surgery if I’m petite when a large man would be able to get surgery on a 4mm bulge?

Yeah, my understanding is that surgeries like microdiscectomies are very successful, but only if the patient is correctly indicated for surgery in the first place. I've had two surgeries to repair massive herniations and both procedures helped me tremendously and I'm very glad I had them done, but they only helped me regain strength and function in my leg (I had motor deficits) and cut down the radicular pain. They did not help much with the chronic lower back pain I have, which I manage with PT, core exercises, walking, etc.

OP, back pain is such a struggle and I'm sorry you're hurting! One thing a physician told me is that with back pain, sometimes an MRI will look like a total disaster, but the patient is walking around without much pain. Sometimes an MRI will look great and the patient clearly has a lot of pain. It's tough to navigate and I hope you find some relief.

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