Herniated disc recovery: a physician’s personal journey

Summary: Dr. Eric Dessner, an eye doctor, suffered a terrible herniated disc that left him in extreme agony. The pain was so bad he couldn't get out of bed for two months and had to ride to work lying flat in the back of an SUV. He was terrified of simple things, like sneezing or sitting down for a haircut. His MRI looked so bad that surgeons thought he would definitely need an operation. The intense pain even made him question if the human body was designed poorly.

But over the course of a year, his body healed itself without surgery. Special cleanup cells in his body, called phagocytes, slowly ate up the leaked disc jelly that was pressing on his nerves. As he got better, Dr. Dessner realized that the flexible discs in our backs are actually amazing because they let us move, play sports, and live active lives. Going through this painful, scary journey gave him a deep appreciation for the miracles of the human body and its built-in ability to heal.

For more details, see kevinmd at kevinmd.com/2026/03/herniated-disc-recovery-a-physicians-personal-journey.html (opens in new tab)