How long can recovery continue after spinal surgery?

@carmine1237
Have you had follow-up MRI to check veins/arteries post surgery? My understanding is your surgery is related to blood vessels and arteries where there is malformation. What were your symptoms before surgery and how old were you when they started?

I had cervical and lumbar decompression and fusion surgeries to address spinal cord/nerve root issues but your surgery seems more tied to issues with blood flow through spine and supporting lower half of your body. If blood flow is not optimal, it could affect oxygen reaching your muscles and nerves/cells to keep them healthy.

Have you seen an orthopedic spine specialist and/or neurosurgeon to check spine health? Have you seen a neurologist for EMG/nerve conduction studies/small fiber neuropathy of your limbs to check nerve health?

What type of surgeon did your fistula surgery?

It's been over a year and a half since I had my operation on L4, L5. I'm still improving. I expected to be up and running after six weeks. No such luck. My doctor has finally found a pain killer for me that works well. It's called "Mint-Tramadol, acetominophin" Pardon the spelling. I can take one to two, three times a day. I've never taken more than one every 24 hours. It's like I never had a back problem.

I made pies from scratch on Friday and no problems. That meant that I was standing on my feet for quite awhile. Without the pill, that would have never happened or I would have been in excrusiating pain.

Prior to the new medication, I would take two Tylenol every four hours and I would not get any meaningful relief until after I had taken six pills every four hours apart.

Think positive! one day you will suddenly realize that you have made an improvement. It may not be a huge improvement. Just tiny steps at a time.

@carmine1237
P.S. I was told for my type of spine surgery for lumbar spine (they removed bad discs, fused my vertebrae L3-L5 levels, put in rods and screws to stabilize, etc.), it takes about 3 months to recover from surgery and a full year to notice the full effects and benefits from surgery. I just started physical therapy at 2.5 months post surgery and would hope to notice benefits within 1-3 months. It seems your long recovery even with PT shows there may still be issues with your spine, blood flow and spinal cord/nerve roots that affect your lower body strength. Updated MRIs of your cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine can provide a surgeon with a full view of what it happening structurally and how it ties to your symptoms. The weakness in your legs is similar to what I had with compression in my lumbar spine causing neurogenic claudication. It sounds like you may also still have some vascular claudication. An orthopedic spine specialist/surgeon or neurosurgeon may be able to help pinpoint the cause of your weakness in your legs.

Thank you so much for your response. My neurologist at Johns Hopkins has
not suggested a MRI. But I will raise the possibility with him.

@carmine1237
Have you had follow-up MRI to check veins/arteries post surgery? My understanding is your surgery is related to blood vessels and arteries where there is malformation. What were your symptoms before surgery and how old were you when they started?

I had cervical and lumbar decompression and fusion surgeries to address spinal cord/nerve root issues but your surgery seems more tied to issues with blood flow through spine and supporting lower half of your body. If blood flow is not optimal, it could affect oxygen reaching your muscles and nerves/cells to keep them healthy.

Have you seen an orthopedic spine specialist and/or neurosurgeon to check spine health? Have you seen a neurologist for EMG/nerve conduction studies/small fiber neuropathy of your limbs to check nerve health?

What type of surgeon did your fistula surgery?

It's been over a year and a half since I had my operation on L4, L5. I'm still improving. I expected to be up and running after six weeks. No such luck. My doctor has finally found a pain killer for me that works well. It's called "Mint-Tramadol, acetominophin" Pardon the spelling. I can take one to two, three times a day. I've never taken more than one every 24 hours. It's like I never had a back problem.

I made pies from scratch on Friday and no problems. That meant that I was standing on my feet for quite awhile. Without the pill, that would have never happened or I would have been in excrusiating pain.

Prior to the new medication, I would take two Tylenol every four hours and I would not get any meaningful relief until after I had taken six pills every four hours apart.

Think positive! one day you will suddenly realize that you have made an improvement. It may not be a huge improvement. Just tiny steps at a time.

Thank you so much, Eliza! Your message has given me some hope. ☺️

Thank you for your thoughtful response. Yes I have had MRIs post surgery and I was told that my spinal cord showed steady recovery. (but that is not what I have experienced yet.)

Three neurosurgeons at Johns Hopkins performed the surgery.