Success stories after lumbar fusion?

I did not have a fusion but was given a choice between a fusion and laminectomy or laminectomy only knowing upfront that I may need a fusion in the future. I opted for the fusion, age 62. So far, great results! I am retired and back to our beef cattle farm operation and chasing my 1 and 3 yr old granddaughters, cycling on my road bike, kayaking. Happy I chose laminectomy only at this point.

@legeke Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm glad the laminectomy worked for you. I had a laminectomy L2-S1 in Nov 2022... and it gave me back the ability to walk. But I still have issues with neuropathy in my feet and legs.... and with balance. So the fusion will be the next step if I decide to take it. I'm 73 and thankful my grands are 14 and 11... as I couldn't run after them at this point. Best wishes!! Mike

Yes, Mike, me also regarding walking. And I have neuropathy also still. I am curious if you have worked with PT for your balance? If not, I would certainly try that first. My balance was off after surgery but I also had both hips replaced and had weaknesses from all the surgeries.
Sending you healing prayers for the future and whatever you decide

I had a L2-L3 fusion in 2019 that was a fail. It was from what my current surgeon described as surgical error. Use of older equipment etc. I ended up in a wheelchair for 5 years. This year I had my surgeon from Mayo Rochester do a revision/addition L2-L4. Not only am I out of the wheelchair but I don’t need my walker or cane. So glad I opted for the fusion.

@domiha
I am a 55 year old female who had L3-L5 decompression and fusion surgery (included laminectomy and using hardware to stabilize my spine). Before surgery, I was dealing with congenital stenosis, degenerative disc disease and neurogenic claudication. I had pain/weakness/numbness from lower back/hips/buttocks down to my feet on both sides. This made standing, walking and sitting difficult and really limited functioning.

I had the surgery because the spinal injections stopped working for me (had them at the worst site L4-L5). It was a really painful surgery and the first few weeks were the most difficult but I took one day at a time and can tell you I am glad I did the surgery. My pain/weakness/numbness has reduced and I can walk my dogs now without my feet going numb. I started PT last week to work on strengthening my lower body muscles, especially hips/hip flexors, since they have deconditioned over time plus I worked at a desk job so long. I was dealing with bilateral gluteal tendinopathy and bilateral hamstring tears before surgery.

You may want to do PT before surgery if you can to strengthen your muscles to help you with mobility post surgery recovery. That is what I wish I would have done before surgery.

The more levels you have done, the more restrictions on movement. Have you gotten a 2nd or 3rd surgical opinion? Do you need to fuse L5-S1? That seems to be a post surgical problem for some.

Good luck gathering information and making your decision. Hope you get some relief and recovery of some quality of life.

@domiha
P.S. I should have mentioned that I just had my surgery in August 2024 (about 2.5 months post op).

Yes, legeke, I did PT before and after the laminectomy. Then, a couple of months after the cervical fusion in May 2023, I did more PT. They were aware of my balance issues and worked on strengthening core as well. I plan to ask my PCP for a referral for MORE PT when I see him in a couple of weeks. Perhaps with a different therapist. Take care! Mike

Hi, @dlydailyhope I have done a couple of rounds of PT.... about six months each... but I still have the balance issues. The PT was aware of the balance issues and worked with me to strengthen core...
Your first paragraph sounds a lot like me.... except that my stenosis was not congenital.... and I'm 73yo. I could hardly walk before the laminectomy because of pain in hips and legs. I had spinal injections.... and I have had them every four months for the past year... but I can't tell they make much difference.
The leg pain was so bad before the laminectomy that I coud have had the neuropathy/numbness/tingling before the surgery but I would not have noticed. My lower legs seem weaker than before I had the stenosis diagnosis. The stenosis is a bit strange, too... obviously it was there and getting worse with time... but at 71 I had no problems walking and working in my yard... I had occasional back pain and aches I attributed to aging. But one morning in Sept. 2021 I woke up and both feet felt like they had a 20lb weight attached to them. I could hardly move. My PCP sent me for an MRI... and then I was sent to a surgeon. I saw several before deciding on one.... and ONE of the neurosurgeons I did not choose said, "We will put a spacer between L5 and S1. If not you will be back within a year." The surgeon I chose was excellent... and my surgery went well... but now he is suggesting that the fusion might resolve the remaining issues as I have no disc left between L5/S1... and two discs above that are compromised. As he explained it, he would remove the disc tissue and place a spacer between the discs ... and that would create more space between the vertebrae... and thus decompress the nerves as they exit the spine in that area. He says the surgery would be done in two procedures.... the first day he would do the ALIF and remove discs and put plates to hold them in place. Then, the following day he would go in through my back and put rods and screw to my spine to give mroe stability. Was your fusion a two-part procedure? Another question.... do you FEEL the hardware/rods?
Thanks for sharing! Best wishes for your continuing recovery! Mike

It sounds as if the results from spinal fusion are a mixed bag. I had a fusion at L5-S1. Spondylithesis was noted in MRI(supposedly, but previous ones did not mention it). It did not help with my pain. I have since done research on fusions. It seems that most fusions are done to stabilize the spine. Pain reduction MAY be a by-product, but not usually. Thay handily refer to it as "failed back surgey syndrome". Very convenient.

With any surgery, there is no guarantee, obviously. I was just hoping to find a few people still here who had a lumbar fusion and noted a great improvement.
Has anyone had a fusion done in two procedures? The surgeon told me that if he fused L3 to S1, he would do the ALIF one day to remove the discs and replace with spacers... then use titanium plates/screws to hold those in place. Then, the following day, he would go in through my back and put a rod with screws on each side of my spine. I "assume" this may be because I have had the laminectomy L2-S1 and he wants to add extra stability??
Originally, I had understood that the ALIF would be all he would do. So one 3 to 4 hour surgery one day, then another 3 hour surgery the next day. Sounds pretty gruesome!! Best to all! Mike