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Can a herniated disc come back after surgery? Is there anything that can reduce the risk of reherniation?

In this episode of Bed Back and Beyond, I sit down with Greg Lambrecht, inventor of the Barricaid® Annular Closure Device, to discuss one of the biggest fears patients have after a microdiscectomy: reherniating a disc.

Greg shares the personal story that inspired the development of the Barricaid, explains how the device works, discusses who may be a candidate, and reviews the clinical research that led to its FDA approval. We also have an honest conversation about patient selection, situations where the device may not be appropriate, and why reducing the fear of reherniation can be just as important as reducing the risk itself.

As always, my goal is to provide balanced, evidence-based education to help you better understand your treatment options. This interview is intended to educate patients and encourage informed conversations with your own spine surgeon. Every treatment has potential benefits, risks, and limitations, and no single treatment is right for every patient.

In this interview, we discuss:
• Why some patients are at higher risk of reherniation after a microdiscectomy
• What the Barricaid Annular Closure Device is and how it works
• Who may be a candidate for the device
• Who may not be a candidate
• The clinical research behind the Barricaid
• FDA approval and what it means
• Reasons why some patients still require additional surgery
• Questions patients should ask their spine surgeon
• Hope for patients recovering from a herniated disc

🎙️ About My Guest

Greg Lambrecht is the inventor of the Barricaid Annular Closure Device and has spent decades developing technologies aimed at reducing recurrent lumbar disc herniation after microdiscectomy surgery.

📚 Coming Soon

This interview is the first in a new series exploring treatment options for herniated discs. Future episodes will include:
• An independent review of the published clinical evidence on the Barricaid, including benefits, risks, adverse events, and remaining research questions.
• An interview with neurosurgeon Dr. Betsy Grunch, discussing how surgeons determine which patients may benefit from the Barricaid and how they counsel patients considering this technology.

💙 About Bed, Back and Beyond

My mission is simple: to be a hope and a help for people recovering from herniated discs, sciatica, and spine surgery. Through patient stories, conversations with spine experts, and evidence-based discussions, I hope you'll feel more informed, less afraid, and encouraged that recovery is possible.
Support the show
Was this episode helpful to you? If you would like to support my work on the show, you can buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/bedbackandbeyond
Have a positive story of recovery to tell?  Head over to  https://bedbackbeyond.com/share-your-story/ to apply.

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That sick feeling after surgery when pain suddenly returns, and your brain jumps straight to “I re-herniated” is more common than almost anyone admits. We walk through what that fear looks like after a microdiscectomy for a herniated disc, why it can feel traumatizing, and how to slow the spiral when your symptoms flare.

We break down the difference between normal microdiscectomy recovery pain and true reherniation symptoms. You’ll hear why nerve healing can stay loud for months, why post-op inflammation can spike around 10 to 14 days, and why pain that shifts, eases with rest, or improves with icing may be a flare instead of a setback. Then we get specific about the red flags and the more classic “this feels like before surgery” signs: sharp shooting sciatica, worsening day by day, losing your windows of relief, and pain triggered by coughing, sneezing, or bearing down.

We also talk through what actually helps you make decisions: the simple self-check questions, when to call your surgeon, when to push for a new MRI, and why a steroid dose pack (like a Medrol pack) can sometimes calm inflammation fast. Finally, we cover your options if a reherniated disc is confirmed, including conservative treatment, physical therapy, injections, and when revision surgery may make sense, plus the long game of building a healthy spine so your muscles support your back like a brace.

If this helps, subscribe, share it with someone in microdiscectomy recovery, and leave a review with the question you want us to tackle next.
Support the show
Was this episode helpful to you? If you would like to support my work on the show, you can buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/bedbackandbeyond
Have a positive story of recovery to tell?  Head over to  https://bedbackbeyond.com/share-your-story/ to apply.

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One wrong twist can change your entire relationship with your body. Tiffany joins us to share how a well-meaning yoga for healthy aging class, plus hypermobility, turned into an L5-S1 disc extrusion and brutal sciatica that made normal life feel impossible. The pain isn’t just physical. It’s the way time slows down, sleep disappears, and your world shrinks to pacing the house while you count the days until relief.

We get specific about the recovery journey people search for when they type “herniated disc surgery recovery,” “L5-S1 sciatica,” and “nerve pain after back surgery.” Tiffany walks through the misstep of thinking it was piriformis syndrome, what finally changed after an MRI, and the moment a trip and fall pushed her from “this is hard” to “this is unmanageable.” We also talk about what surgeons don’t always emphasize enough: nerve pain may not vanish right after surgery because nerves need time to calm down and heal.

Then we go where the real work lives: fear of reherniation, anxiety spikes from tiny sensations, and how to stop comparing your timeline to strangers online. Tiffany also shares a crucial PSA about gabapentin tapering, withdrawal symptoms, balance issues, and why self-advocacy matters when a standard protocol doesn’t fit your nervous system. If you’re early in recovery and wondering whether joy comes back, this conversation offers honest reassurance and practical perspective.

Subscribe for more recovery stories, share this with someone living with sciatica or back pain, and leave a review if the show helps you feel less alone. What part of recovery do you wish more people understood?
Support the show
Was this episode helpful to you? If you would like to support my work on the show, you can buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/bedbackandbeyond
Have a positive story of recovery to tell?  Head over to  https://bedbackbeyond.com/share-your-story/ to apply.

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Your ribs hurt, your heart races, your stomach is off, you can’t take a deep breath, and somehow you keep getting told the problem is “just anxiety.” That gap between what you feel and what you’re told can make anyone doubt themselves, especially with thoracic herniated disc symptoms that don’t look like the classic lumbar or cervical patterns. 

I sit down with Sophia, a Chilean artist living in Brooklyn, whose life flips overnight after an accident leaves her with multiple herniated discs including severe thoracic disc herniation at T7-T8. She shares what it’s like to spend months searching for a thoracic spine MRI referral, hearing “too rare” from doctor after doctor, and realizing the thoracic spine can create rib pain, shoulder blade pain, heart palpitations, trouble breathing, gastric issues, brain fog, headaches, and even autonomic dysfunction when the spinal cord is involved. We also talk about the very real emotional toll of being dismissed, sedated, and forced to keep pushing when you’re exhausted. 

Sophia explains how she taught herself spine anatomy, hunted down thoracic case reports, and finally found a surgeon who performed a transpedicular thoracic discectomy. She walks us through the procedure, why thoracic spine surgery is more complex, what recovery restrictions look like (no bending, lifting, twisting), and how physical therapy helps you rebuild after being bedridden. After getting her life back, she turns that hard-won knowledge into action by building a support group and the Thoracic Spine Health Foundation, connecting people to information and doctors who actually understand thoracic disc disease. 

If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with someone who’s being gaslit, and leave a review so more people can find it.
Support the show
Was this episode helpful to you? If you would like to support my work on the show, you can buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/bedbackandbeyond
Have a positive story of recovery to tell?  Head over to  https://bedbackbeyond.com/share-your-story/ to apply.

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A herniated disc doesn’t just hurt, it can rewrite your whole identity overnight. I’m joined by Katie (Katie Sorta Wellness on TikTok), a hypermobile mom of two who went from long-term “normal” chronic back pain to a frightening postpartum flare that left her shaking, bedbound, and unable to care for her baby the way she wanted to. She walks me through the exact timeline, why her symptoms ramped up over the first day, and how months of cycling pain finally led to an MRI and a serious conversation about nerve damage risk. 

We also get specific about what helped and what did not. Katie explains why stretching can backfire for hypermobility, how pelvic floor physical therapy and postpartum hormones can complicate stability, and why she believes you should feel a signal of progress with a new physical therapist within just a few sessions. We talk about practical survival tools like pillow-based sleep positions, lumbar support for car rides, and gentle decompression, plus the mindset shift of asking more questions and walking away from providers who are guessing. 

Finally, we dig into the real recovery work: corrective exercise, muscle activation, glute engagement, and rebuilding core strength after a C-section with approachable movements like wall planks and the McGill Big Three. If you are dealing with sciatica, an L5-S1 or L5-level disc issue, postpartum back pain, or the fear of reinjury every time you sneeze, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review with the one lesson you wish you heard sooner.
Support the show
Was this episode helpful to you? If you would like to support my work on the show, you can buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/bedbackandbeyond
Have a positive story of recovery to tell?  Head over to  https://bedbackbeyond.com/share-your-story/ to apply.