My husband had a discectomy. how long should the post-op pain last?

Short: The sciatic pain should be cleared up immediately after the surgery. However the incisional pain may last for about a week to 10 days.

Depend: Discectomy is performed to eliminate pain arising from a compressed/irritated nerve root. Unfortunately we have no way of knowing the internal damage to the nerve. Therefore numbness and tingling may persist. When there is no internal nerve damage, the patient may awaken with immediate relief of leg pain.