Question
If I have had surgery to fix a bulging disk in my lower back why am I continuing to have pain and issues with my sciatic nerve. It has been almost a year since my surgery and the pain still feels as it did before surgery. It only happens some time not all of the time. I can't tell what triggers it I just know that it is very painful when I get it. I am a 38yr old female who is very active when pain allows me to be.

Answer
Have you heard of "failed back surgery syndrome" or FBS?
Back surgery for herniated disc has a pretty high failure rate.
According to the American Pain Society they do not recommend surgical intervention for all herniated disc cases.
They recommend a integrated multi disciplinary approach (think Chiropractic, physical therapy acupuncture)
All that being said, You should look into a treatment called Non-surgical spinal decompression.
I utilize a table called the DRX 9000.If you had a discetomy you could benefit from spinal decompression.
This treatment has helped countless amount of patients with chronic back pain and failed back surgeries.