Thanks Tony. I'm very happy to hear about your outcome!

I think I had a very similar procedure. It was referred to as a laminotomy (sp?). The surgeon removed the lamina from the back of the S1, L5, and L4, creating small holes in the vertebra without challenging the overall structure. This did two things. First, it opened the back of the vertebrae and provided space for the nerves to expand because along with the lamina, bony growths (osteoarthritis) were removed. And then second, through those openings, he removed any additional arthritic spurs he could reach.

But the result was the same as yours. I got instant relief from the awful sciatica pain in the back of my legs, and the structure of the vertebra was more or less maintained - as you point out, unlike a laminectomy which really weakens the vertebra.

Also like you, my recovery was very fast. My first night home was rough and only because the surgeon was moving nerve bundles around and it took time for them to resettle. Sitting down was a bit of a challenge.

But yeah I was back at work in a few days. That was well over 10 years ago and I'm 69 y/o now. I'm so glad someone else found a responsible surgeon who took the less invasive route.

My surgeon explained that the laminotomies may not produce the desired result and fusion would then be required. The first surgeon I saw would only do fusion. As of today I have no fused vertebra and plan to keep it that way.

All the best!

Joe

Hi Tony - so may I ask where you live (state is fine) and who the doctor is? Not sure if there’s a way to private email with this forum or not. I’ve not heard of this procedure before. Willow

I struggled for years from terrible pain at the same points as you. Although I did have a cyst on my S1 I had the same procedure at 52, I'm now 64 and will never let anyone but a neurosurgeon touch my spine! Glad it has worked for you too.