L4 L5 titanium discs

@krispine
Have you tried spinal injections of lidocaine and steroids?

I have had cervical and lumbar spine surgery c5-c6 and l3-l5 to decompress and fuse with titanium plates and screws. I am a 55 year old female and have no regrets getting the surgeries. I actually need surgery on c6-c7 now. They can adjust medications for pain preparing for, during and after surgery taking into consideration any allergies to medications.

Long term, chronic pain can cause anxiety and depression and getting some relief and improvement of quality of life is worth it. Get a 2nd and 3rd opinion from orthopedic spine specialists to help you make the best decision for you.

I had an L3-4 artificial (titanium) disc replacement in 2008 and went home the next day. I did take oral opioids for a short period of time but the pain was not that much worse than the back pain I was experiencing prior to the surgery. That pain was totally relieved by the artificial disc. Everyone’s pain experience is different and there are other modalities to manage it besides opioids. I hope the opioid free types of pain meds in development now may be available to you soon. Best wishes for successful improvement of your situation.

Hi.
Yes, I have had 5 injections. The lidocaine relieves the pain for several hours (or less) but so far, no substantial response to the steroids. Diagnostically, the injections are helpful in defining the specific area. Interestingly, I had 4 titanium discs put in in 2021 (C3-C7) and recovery was a non-issue. In fact, I am not even aware of them now all this time later. My surgeon said I had one of the better responses to the procedure. You would think, then, given that success, that I would not be struggling with this decision. I think my concern is the belief that cervical vs lumbar is a totally different ballgame with more risk in the lumbar region. My surgeon told me that it is roughly a 50/50 chance of a successful recovery with one of the risks being repeat surgery. Given my allergies to pain meds, I am trying very hard to come up with an alternative. I understand swimming is great as it exercises that back with no risk of overextending while at the same time building up the surrounding muscles for greater support. Yes, you are correct. Depression is a very real issue with long-term pain even for someone like myself who is not normally given to that. I think, again, exercise may be part of the solution in that it naturally improves mood. Thank you so much for your input. It is very helpful!

Yes. Thank you for your input. I am going to pursue swimming in an effort to alleviate pain and improve mood.

If I can suggest something about swimming - if you use a swim snorkel (available at a good sporting goods store like Sports Basement) it will prevent discomfort/irritation that can happen from twisting when doing the crawl. I am fused from T12 to L4 and find that swimming is great for managing pain - endorphins are natural pain relievers. Also, as you get stronger from the exercise, the pain tends to lessen.

Thank you for those insights. Very helpful!!

I am debating over disc fusion versus disc replacement for L4-5. Sounds like you had a positive experience with disc replacement. Can you recommend the clinic/surgeon that you used?
Ty!

Anita

@amnorris I am a cervical spine surgery patient. You may want to research some of the artificial disc manufacturers. One that was in clinical trials when I was getting surgical opinions is the M6 disc which has more normal motion as they say. Sometimes the manufacturers websites have references for doctors who use their products. From reading clinic trials, if a patient had 4 mm of slipping of vertebrae, that was a deal breaker. My surgeon at Mayo could have done an artificial disc in my neck at C5/C6, but I chose a fusion instead. I'm not sure if he also does lumbar artificial discs. There are pros and cons to anything you chose. This is my surgeon, Jeremy Fogelson, who is a deformity specialist.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/biographies/fogelson-jeremy-l-m-d/bio-20055624

Thanks so much for sharing that info Jennifer. I really appreciate it. Based on what you mentioned with the 4mm of slipping.... I would be immediately put in the "no replacement" category. I am learning as I go and have hopefully some medical opinions coming my way soon which should help answer my questions more definitively.

Again, thank you.

Anita

@amnorris I hope you find a surgical solution that is right for you. Surgery is a lot to recover from and lumbar surgery is a lot more difficult than cervical surgery. I was lucky that I could have just a donor bone disc so I have no hardware in my neck. I stayed in a neck brace until fused and it was worth it. I do react to metals as I found out when I fractured my ankle. I had that hardware removed after I was healed. Spinal hardware is usually considered permanent except when there is a revision surgery.