Intervertebral foraminoscopy is a minimally invasive way to treat lumbar disc herniation. Although the incision of the surgery is small and traumatic, it is still a traumatic experience for the patient, what issues need attention in daily activities such as walking and rehabilitation after surgery? Is it possible to relieve the symptoms of leg numbness through exercise and at the same time prevent recurrence of the disease? Do I need any aids when walking? Patients are not restricted to walk after surgery and do not need any auxiliary tools. However, during the first month after surgery, you can wear a back brace while walking to allow the disc to recover quickly in a relatively safe environment and reduce the risk of recurrence. However, it is not necessary to wear a lumbar support when lying down. What should I pay attention to in my daily life such as going to work? There are no special restrictions on daily life after surgery, mainly avoiding sedentary and weight bearing bending for three months, and office workers should get up and move for ten minutes every 30-40 minutes of sitting and avoid driving for a long time. There is no restriction on activities after surgery, instead, patients are advised to move around appropriately. You can do exercises such as swimming, but avoid exercises with high lumbar weight-bearing, such as lifting barbells. Should I do functional exercises? Many patients have leg numbness that has not completely disappeared after surgery and are hoping for relief through functional exercises, which is not correct. Functional exercise can only strengthen the muscles of the lower back and lower limbs and relieve the symptoms of postoperative limb weakness, but it does not work on nerve damage symptoms such as numbness. To alleviate numbness, one can only rely on one’s own recovery and medication assistance. Generally, three months after surgery, patients can do exercises such as five-point support or small swallow fly (as shown) to strengthen the strength of the lumbar back muscles, increase the stability of the lumbar spine, delay the aging of the intervertebral disc and reduce the chance of recurrence. Insist on practicing 2~3 times a day for 10 minutes each time. What factors affect recurrence after surgery? The chance of recurrence after laminectomy is 2% to 5%, and the reasons for recurrence are mainly related to age, degeneration of the disc, and post-operative lifestyle. Some people have abnormalities in their own lumbar spine structure, such as poor stability or disc texture, which can increase the chance of recurrence; in addition, good lifestyle habits should be developed after surgery, as strenuous physical activity, bending, weight bearing, and heavy lifting can increase the risk of recurrence. Generally, the intervertebral disc will slowly recover within three months after surgery, which is the peak period of recurrence, and the chance of recurrence is smaller after three months, but there is still a possibility of recurrence if you don’t pay attention to protection and keep sitting and bending. Since intervertebral foraminal surgery is less traumatic, there is less scarring of the tissue, so you can still choose to do intervertebral foraminal surgery after recurrence. Tip: For outpatients and inpatients, you can scan Dr. Yu Zhengrong’s QR code to complete check-in and communicate with the doctor online. For patients who scan the code, be sure to upload X-rays and MRIs to facilitate future communication with your doctor: X-rays to see if there are any abnormalities in your skeletal structure and to understand the puncture channel during surgery, and MRIs to see herniated discs and nerve compressions. These two tests are necessary for the doctor to develop a targeted treatment plan.