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Has anyone suffered from lumbar spinal stenosis? Did you have surgery?
Spine Health | Last Active: Jul 11, 2025 | Replies (186)Comment receiving replies
I have SEVERE lumbar stenosis L3 L4 L5 with slipped discs! I have seen 2 neurosurgeons now and they both say if I have surgery I only have a 50/50 of it being successful WTH! seriously what kind of odds are going through such a major surgery for maybe nothing maybe worse with the knowledge that adjacent syndrome is most likely!!! So as of now I live in CHRONIC PAIN can only walk for 2 minutes at a time! I am a 62 year old woman who was a athlete and played tennis my whole life competitively! all I take for pain is advil as it does not really work flexeril doesnt work great,, and LYRICA was just prescribed and I just had ANOTHER INJECTION! AVOIDING surgery for now all there seems to be are complications! If ANYONE has any other pain medications to suggest it would be SOOOO greatly appreciated:) SRY for this long post,,, if you read it THANK YOU with my heart! cheers 🙂
Replies to "I have SEVERE lumbar stenosis L3 L4 L5 with slipped discs! I have seen 2 neurosurgeons..."
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@oveanlover1224
I have spine issues and 3 surgeries (2 cervical spine and 1 lumbar). Are you in the states or another country?
I had L3-L5 decompressed and fused in 2024 due to severe spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and neurogenic claudication. I was born with a narrow spinal canal (~10mm) so any degeneration or disc bulges/bone spurs cause me major problems.
Before lumbar surgery, I had significant pain, weakness and numbness in lower back, hips, buttocks, legs down to feet. After surgery, many symptoms improved but I have some residual hip/hip flexor pain. I also deal with weakness due to bilateral gluteal tendinopathy and bilateral hamstring tears. Have you ever had your hips/pelvis checked with MRI to see if you have something there also contributing to your pain?
Why have the surgeons said there is only a 50-50 chance of improvement with surgery? Why would they say this? Are they not confident in their abilities or do you have some permanent injury that would not improve with surgery? What does your MRI show in the report? Do you have any issues with osteoporosis/bone health or other health conditions that would make them think you have a lower chance of improvement post surgery?