Has anyone suffered from lumbar spinal stenosis? Did you have surgery?

@patriciajennye @franknstein

I have had back problems most of my life. When I was younger, I pretty much ignored it. However, about 7 years ago, my trips to the chiropractor and for massage no longer worked to ease the pain. I had taken so much ibuprofen that I got ulcers from it. I can never take it again and at the time Tylenol wasn't helpful. I reached a point where about once every 3 months my back would "go out" and I had acute pain and used a wheelchair until it got better. I had an MRI an MRI 6 years ago and the doctor told me I had 4 herniated disks in my lower back. I refused to do anything about it in terms of surgery as I had heard horror stories from my brother about his back surgeries. I simply tolerated the pain and I started back into Yoga which had helped me for years. I also started seeing a chiropractor again when I was having acute problems. Massages were pretty regular to keep me going.

This most recent acute pain was MUCH worse than previous episodes. I decided to see my new doctor St. Jude's in Fullerton, CA. He referred me to the Spine clinic there, and they did an MRI and xrays. They explained to me that I have spinal stenosis, degenerative disk disease, herniated disks at L4, L5,, L3, L2, spondylolisthesis, amyloidosis, and a compound fracture at my C7. I was shocked to see how bad it was. My L5-S1 was impinging on my spinal cord, and my L4 was extremely out of alignment. We decided to take care of the L5-S1 first, with outpatient Laminectomy surgery to fix the impingement on my spinal cord. It was very successful and all the pain on my left side, hip thigh, knee, ankle and toes was/is gone. However, my L4 was still causing chronic pain on my right side, hip, thigh, knee, calf, ankle and foot. The surgeon said it would take major surgery with rods and pins to repair it, and he recommended I try everything before taking that step.

So, I tried acupuncture, physical therapy (2rounds), and pain medications, i.e., Tramadol 50mg 4x day, Gabapentin 900mg 3x day, Baclofen (I don't remember dosage or strength). It was about that time that I found Mayo Connect. I read on this site early on about a treatment called ART, Active Release Technique that some people found helpful. I decidedto research it, and found that the theory is that muscles and nerves get bound together after a trauma of some kind at some point in your life. This therapy uses very very deep muscle massage at the same time your body part is moved. It is focused on one spot at a time. I decided to find a practitioner in my area and try the ART. When I looked I discovered that some chiropractors used ART. I found the most qualified Dr. of Chiropractic in my area and saw him. He told me I needed 2 sessions a week for 3 weeks, and it would cost $95 a session. Medicare doesn't cover it. That's a lot of money for me, but I decided to try it anyway. After 3 weeks, I was nearly completely pain free, much to my delight. I continued to go every other week for a couple more months and was pain free. In the meantime I got off the Baclofen, and the Gabapentin. I continued the Tramadol until this December when I began withdrawing from it. I now only take 1/2 a Tramadol when I need it. I've been traveling a lot lately so that has me in some light pain. I go for a tweeking about once a month now. I see Dr. Andrews for my ART on Wednesday this week.

I cannot tell you how much this treatment of ART has helped me. I walk with no pain, even up stairs. The part of my body is causing pain right now is my neck an left shoulder from my C7 fracture. I get cervical radiculopathy in my left arm that is excruciating. I don't get it as often as I used to, and we are using ART to work on that right now. My chiropractor also uses laser treatment to heat my muscles before he works on my muscles and bones. It's working for me. I'm hoping to avoid surgery again for a long time. The surgeon I had was wonderful, so if you live in Orange County CA, and can't get into Mayo, I can provide his contact information. I too prefer Mayo, which I have been to 3 times in the past (once with my husband's heart attack), but my surgeon here is excellent.

Let me know how things go for you and if you decide to follow up on anything I have suggested here. As a Volunteer Mentor, I am not a medical professional; I am here to offer my real life experience and to support you in your decisions about what will work for you. I hope you find relief from your back pain.

Gail B
Volunteer Mentor

Has anyone had L2-pelvis decompression and fusion?
77 year old active male with aches in buttocks and legs for year (coincides with starting statin) has been recommended fot this surgery. Can anybody describe the effectiveness of this procedure?

I have L4 & L5 advanced spinal canal stenosis, grade 1 anterolisthesis of L4 &L5. Also Grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis. This was diagnosed by MRI. The clinic I am seeing wants to do lumbar fusion. I am worried that if I go through with this, I will be worse off than now (if that is possible). I have heard stories about people who have regretted having fusion. They go in through the abdomen, move some stuff around, then flip you over on your stomach, go in through the back to put the hardware in. Anyone have any experience with this surgery? Please advise!! I need help fast!!

I have L4 & L5 advanced spinal canal stenosis, grade 1 anterolisthesis of L4 &L5. Also Grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis. This was diagnosed by MRI. The clinic I am seeing wants to do lumbar fusion. I am worried that if I go through with this, I will be worse off than now (if that is possible). I have heard stories about people who have regretted having fusion. They go in through the abdomen, move some stuff around, then flip you over on your stomach, go in through the back to put the hardware in. Anyone have any experience with this surgery? Please advise!! I need help fast!!

@northstar25
I can empathize. I have the same as you and had surgery to decompress and fuse L3-L5. My surgery helped me reduce back pain and weakness/numbness down to my feet. My L4 was also slipping over L5 and this level was totally blocked (causing neurogenic claudication).

For my surgery, they went through the back only. They had to remove discs, cut away arthritic bone that was compressing my spinal cord and nerve roots, put in disc spacers and hardware. It was a really painful surgery and 3-6+ month recovery (takes a full year to see the full effect of surgery and reduction of symptoms). I am in my mid 50s and had 2 cervical spine ACDF surgeries and 1 lumbar open surgery.

Did they say why they would go through your stomach and back and why they couldn’t just go through your back? You should get a couple more opinions from reputable and highly reviewed/rated surgeons before picking one. My 4th orthopedic spine specialist surgeon is who I chose to do all 3 surgeries.

How long have you been suffering? Did you try physical therapy and steroid injections?

I have L4 & L5 advanced spinal canal stenosis, grade 1 anterolisthesis of L4 &L5. Also Grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis. This was diagnosed by MRI. The clinic I am seeing wants to do lumbar fusion. I am worried that if I go through with this, I will be worse off than now (if that is possible). I have heard stories about people who have regretted having fusion. They go in through the abdomen, move some stuff around, then flip you over on your stomach, go in through the back to put the hardware in. Anyone have any experience with this surgery? Please advise!! I need help fast!!

@northstar25
I can empathize. I have the same as you and had surgery to decompress and fuse L3-L5. My surgery helped me reduce back pain and weakness/numbness down to my feet. My L4 was also slipping over L5 and this level was totally blocked (causing neurogenic claudication).

For my surgery, they went through the back only. They had to remove discs, cut away arthritic bone that was compressing my spinal cord and nerve roots, put in disc spacers and hardware. It was a really painful surgery and 3-6+ month recovery (takes a full year to see the full effect of surgery and reduction of symptoms). I am in my mid 50s and had 2 cervical spine ACDF surgeries and 1 lumbar open surgery.

Did they say why they would go through your stomach and back and why they couldn’t just go through your back? You should get a couple more opinions from reputable and highly reviewed/rated surgeons before picking one. My 4th orthopedic spine specialist surgeon is who I chose to do all 3 surgeries.

How long have you been suffering? Did you try physical therapy and steroid injections?

I’m so sorry to hear about what you’re going through. I’ve had two extensive Lumbar Spine Laminectomies and Fusions, plus spacers and rods. I only have one Lumbar disc yet to be operated on, plus a lot more up my spine, but you get the point.

The first thing I would tell you is that I’ve interviewed orthopoedic surgeons and neurosurgeons for my surgeries and I would always choose a highly-regarded neurosurgeon over a highly regarded orthopoedic surgeons. There are two reasons for this: 1) Am orthopoedic surgeons is more highly trained in matters pertaining to your spinal chord and central nervous system - where there is the most risk in an operation on your spine, and 2). A neurosurgeon has much more extensive and intricate training. If a neurosurgeon, heart surgeon and orthopedic surgeon are in an operating room together, the neurosurgeon is always the leader for just this reason.

Next, I’d want to know if your lumbar spine pain is affecting the functioning of your arms, legs, or other parts of your body outside of your spine. My neurosurgeon decided to operate on me the first time because my right leg/hip wasn’t functioning and made if difficult to impossible to walk, depending on the day. My second surgery took place only after my right leg and hip made had me limping severely and my right glut was in non-stop spasm. I’m not a doctor, but I do know that my neurosurgeon (and many others) do not operate on people with back pain alone. (I believe one-third of adults in the US report back pain.). I’d still see a neurologist associated with a practice that includes one, or more neurosurgeons. My bet is, though, that they’ll prescribe alternate, non-surgical forms of treatment.

One more note: please be cautious about neurologists, surgeons, or pain management doctors who prescribe opioid-based pain meds any more than short-term (30-60 days). Even if you’re awaiting surgery, opt for non-opioid spinal injections first. They can be remarkably helpful.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Hope this is helpful. I am retired operating room scrub nurse. By going through the abdomen and securing the spine is what we called a “360.” My guess is that your spine needs much stabilization. Here is what I found on the Internet for you to help you understand: A 360 lumbar fusion, also known as an anterior/posterior lumbar fusion or circumferential fusion, is a surgical procedure that stabilizes the spine by fusing vertebrae from both the front (anterior) and back (posterior) of the spine. This approach is often used for patients with significant spinal issues like degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis, or spinal deformities.
Hope this helps.

Is the 360 lumbar fusion also used to repair Scoliosis? Do you know or have you heard any feedback on Scoliosis curve with a severe rotation in the trunk area ? Once the scoliosis Curve is repaired Does a trunk rotation D rotate at all ?
Is the 360 lumbar fusion also known as a LLIF Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion ? I've had this done on L3 L4 & L4 L5 I have a kyphoplasty in L2 that was crushed after the kyphoplasty can this be bridged over to fuse up to T9 T 10 & T11 from the L3 L4 fusion ? ? ?
Also, I have been In a review. With Mayo, Arizona for the Scoliosis repair for approximately seven weeks. I understand it’s very difficult to get a surgeon to perform this procedure as it takes up to eight hours and sometimes more.. I can’t help, but wonder if the rotation in the trunk is going to increase the curve put pressure on the lungs from the ribs the longer it takes to get it repaired ?

I need this procedure done sooner rather than later !!!

Any Suggestions?

Thank you in advance for any replies ~