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Severe lumbar nerve pain

Spine Health | Last Active: Jul 31 9:37am | Replies (56)
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@sb4ca

Thank you for answering. Did/do you have significant degenerative scoliosis? Is that why they wanted such a long fusion? The surgeon said that the surgery is very hard. Like you, I wouldn't want to do a long fusion either. But if this stemmed from scoliosis, did they discuss in what way that may impact a progression in the future?

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Replies to "Thank you for answering. Did/do you have significant degenerative scoliosis? Is that why they wanted such..."
Phil, Alumni Mentor | @upstatephil | Mar 17 10:31am

I was never diagnosed with scoliosis. Rather - it was stenosis which I managed for decades with exercise, use of NSAIDs, and occasionally a bad stretch of pain.

When I started experiencing sudden-onset dead leg I grew concerned about personal safety. What those MRIs showed was advanced stenosis throughout my entire spine (I saw the pictures myself) with some subluxation which was the root of the dead leg situation.

The spinal column degeneration was so severe and so pervasive (the entire spin...) the doc wanted to decompress and fuse about everywhere. After researching, I decided to do about half the job and cross my fingers that would be enough.

As for future progression? That is unknown and unknowable, I believe. The degradation (over the past 30 years) has been non-linear. Might degradation slow? Or stop? Or accelerate? No one can accurately make that sort of prediction.

What sort of docs are you talking to now?

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