Hi Matthew

Yes it does sound like things are taking a long time to settle. However given that you are 5-6 weeks post surgery it is too early to say if the surgery has failed. Things may settle yet. One would hope that the the leg symptoms should be much better by now and I think that is concerning. You should be able to walk further by now - one would expect some discomfort but you shouldn't be in agony. You have a right to be frustrated and concerned and I would definitely seek a frank discussion with the surgeon at your next review.

In terms of the evidence for laminectomies with discectomies (I couldn't find anything that included Rhizotomies) by far the majority do settle down while 14% of patients go on to have persistent pain. Have a look at this site for a summary of a review of several clinical trials:

Results after lumber discectomy for back/leg pain

This minority that have persistant pain is a well documented problem. Your surgeon should have informed you prior to you giving consent that there is a possibility of ongoing problems.

Targeted exercise along with fitness programmes are generally helpful - particularly when the pain turns chronic as it is in your case. You should have started specific strengthening and endurance exercises, not jiust walking but this needs to be guided by your own surgeon and physiotherapist. Exercise should be aimed at increasing your day-to-day activities rather then reducing your pain. What I mean by that is it may be unrealistic to expect exercise to reduce pain but you should be able to do more before the pain gets worse. If you like I can see if I can find some evidence for specific back rehab post-laminectomy.

With your pain medications there are some heavy duty drugs you are taking. Generally this is appropriate for an acute setting but can create problems for you in the mid to long term. You need to get a review of your pain medications as your pain is now becoming chronic. In chronic pain different regimens of medications are often more effective than the current ones you are taking.