@draw @sueholdenf @rainerhans
I am 54 and have severe congenital cervical and lumbar stenosis, degenerative disc disease, cervical spondylitic myelopathy (spinal cord flattening/conpression), radiculopathy, small fiber neuropathy, sciatica, etc. I had ACDF surgery on my c5c6 to relieve pressure and injury to my spinal cord. It helped recover better control of my bladder, arms/hands, and ability to walk without feeling like I was wearing cement boots. I am delaying having lumbar surgery l3l4l5s1 as long as possible and my doctor agrees. I have significant pain/numbness/weakness in my lower back, hips, buttocks, legs and feet and get spinal injections to help with pain (they work for me but not everyone…really depends on doctor injecting in the right spot), use lidocaine pain patches (like Salonpas brand), and use capsaicin nerve pain creams. I cannot sit, stand or walk for long due to pain and weakness. Moving positions in bed is difficult and I do use cervical pillow, pillows between knees, etc. I have hurt myself while moving in bed and need to be careful not to twist my spine too much. I use on Tylenol now due to NSAIDs causing gastritis/esophagitis. I started taking a low dose of Gabapentin at night (100 mg) for nerve pain. I also take antidepressant Bupropion to help with depression due to chronic pain and health decline. Strengthening your core and stretching has helped me manage pain (have done Miranda Esmonde White’s Classical Stretch/Essentrics videos which are helpful for those needing floor options to start exercising gradually). My doctor who has done my spine injections told me that many who get lumbar spine surgery still deal with pain and need injections so surgery may not resolve all problems and could introduce new problems. If you have other options to manage your condition to delay surgery, you may want to explore them fully. Get updated EMGs, MRN, nerve conduction studies, MRIs to narrow down the exact locations of spinal cord or nerve root compression and if PT/injections would help delay surgery as long as possible.

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