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Can you play tennis after spinal fusion and laminectomy of L4 and L5
Spine Health | Last Active: Mar 23, 2024 | Replies (9)Comment receiving replies
@karima The more you use it the greater wear and tear on our joints. If you’ve played for 70 years and stayed active good for you. But depending on what specifically is wrong with your back you need to be careful. PT after any back surgery is a must and then build on that as a starting point. Also check to see what your Dexa scan show for spine health as this can effect healing. I’m 71 post fusion L4-S1 in 1990 and although active I’ve got OA of spine and PN in both legs. So the more active you are post surgery the better. Surgery is your last resort.
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Thank you for responding. I have tried everything but surgery. I am going to have a laminectomy- L4,, L5. Hope to play tennis again, but walking without pain is number one.
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"I’m 71 post fusion L4-S1 in 1990 and although active I’ve got OA of spine and PN in both legs. So the more active you are post surgery the better. Surgery is your last resort."
If I'm reading this correctly, you had the L4-S1 fusion when you were approximately 35 years old. I had back pain since I was 32 and I'm now almost 70. I took prednisone for nearly 35 years for autoimmune inflammatory arthritis. Now they say I have severe OA and they want to fuse the worst of it at L4-5 but possibly my entire lumbar spine. I don't think all that damage was caused by OA.
Surgery will be my last resort but pain will be the "deciding factor." Pain almost decided it 10 years ago but I wiggled out of it.
I had PN too but now they call it significant nerve damage.