Looking for Helpful Advice With Ongoing Discomfort

[aacatt]

39M 5'11" 195lbs Caucasian, no medication, drink socially, don't smoke or do drugs

Some background, I have a long history with lower back pain. L5-S1 right side microdiscectomy in 2020. Tried rehab and plenty of other medical professionals never really getting anywhere.

In 2020, a few months after my surgery I got on to a rehab plan from a physio. It was going well and a few months later I got back into the gym lightly. I did a lot of core back then with a lot of bracing and breath work. My hip flexors have always been tight from all the sitting I do, but one time I was doing lunges in the gym and in my lower front abdomen I felt something give way slightly (think of the pathway of muscle connected to the bottom of the quad to the deep core.) Then continuing on with other exercises in the upcoming weeks, my front low abdomen, almost right behind the pubic bone, felt worse and worse. I began to get pain and had no strength in that area anymore. So for example, leg raises would be awful. If lying on my stomach, holding one leg up and resisting would be awful.

So I got UT imaging done and they found 2 minor inguinal hernias but after seeing 2 different doctors they said they didn't think the hernias were at the cause of the issue. They said it was probably a deep muscle and they couldn't do much about it. I would just have to let it heal on its own. Well here we are 3 years later and it's just gotten worse. Every stride of every run I do I feel it on both sides. It's tight, its painful and I feel like if I keep pushing I could tear something or re-injure it.

In addition, my lower right back is always tight still and left lower back is getting pretty bad now too. My SI joint or lower right spine feels like it locks up daily. My nerve root feels pinched all the time. My glute med is pulled to the max all the time. My QL feels grindy, crunchy and overall terrible. Possible, facet joint wear and tear? I just generally always favor my right side and its becoming very hard to maintain activity as a 39 year old male. Sports are all out of the question. I've all but given up on the Canadian health care system. I know there is a wealth of knowledge on the internet from real people with real life experiences. Someone out there has to have experienced this before.

My gut is that its a deep muscle tear (psoa, abductor, hip flexor), spinal instability or the herniated L4-L5-S1 discs getting worse and bulging or herniated anteriorly and pushing on sensitive muscle tissue or nerves that are in that area. Holy crap please help me if you understand this injury.

[Zjunky]

Been there with the L5/S1 issue. It sucks.

But don't get medical advice from random people on the internet. See a medical professional (and not chiropractic BS).