<s>[INST] 44 year old male, herniated the l4/l5 disc 8 years ago. I still have occasional bouts of back pain, some of which can be debilitating for days.  I also have periods of weakness in my legs (normally both) that can continue upto 2 / 3 days at a time.  I have also noticed that since I damaged my back I am less likely to sleep through the night without having to get up 2 or 3 times for the toilet.  Should I now be looking at possible surgery [/INST] HiT hank you for asking ChatDoctorI have gone through your query. Your problem is most likely due to nerve compression due to Lumbar disc herniation L4L5.MRI is necessary to rule out the extent of injury or compression. In such cases I advise my patients with muscle relaxants like thiocolchicoside NSAIDs like diclofenac and neurotrophic Chat Doctor. I also advise them to do muscle strengthening exercises and send for physiotherapy along with this. For some I prescribe belts for wearing in lower back also. If no improvement with all these or the extent of nerve compression is more than surgical options like microdiscectomy or chemonucleosis. Hope this may help you. Let me know if you have any further query. </s>