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Hi. I’m 49 years old and quite athletic. 30 years ago I had a spinal fusion from T3-L2. I experience occasional back pain but it’s mostly minor. If I’ve been very active for long periods of time, my back gets stiff and I have difficulty fully standing up for a little bit.
I just received an MRI showing severe facet arthritis, a few disc protrusions, bone marrow edema at the rod ending, and a couple spots of nerve abutment between L3 and S1. Some segments are better than others. There is also some vertebrae slip (less than 5 mm) between L4 and L5.
Radiologically, I look a mess, but I have strong core muscles and don’t feel much pain… yet. Am I just bound for surgical intervention no matter what?
I wish the surgeon who did my fusion better explained the risks of degeneration at the time. I did it for scoliosis and I mag not have corrected it had I known. I am scared about the future especially the idea of potentially being in chronic pain or immobilized in some way.
Replies to "Hi. I’m 49 years old and quite athletic. 30 years ago I had a spinal fusion..."
I’m not sure about this either. In my case it’s simply not relevant, as this was many years ago and the doctor is long retired.
I can’t figure out how to select your name when it pops up in PMs. When I select it, it disappears. I tried typing it with the @ symbol and without it. Frustrating! Also, where do I find forum guidelines ? Thank you
@maltamoch7 I think by maintaining core strength, you have probably helped yourself because that supports the spine. Being athletic can also hinder if your spine is getting jarred with exercise. The discs are acting like shock absorbers and when they start to shrink or collapse, that will put more pressure on the facet joints that may lead to wear and tear. I have read a lot on this, and the facet joints support 20% of the weight and the rest on the disc (I have also seen 30% suggested). I had a disc in my neck collapse by 50% and it did cause some facet arthritis.
On a positive note, when I asked my spine surgeon how to avoid needing more in the future, he told me to maintain my core strength. I own a gaited horse and riding him really helps my core strength. He doesn’t trot. I also have the work of lifting a heavy saddle up to my shoulder height and loading it in and out of my vehicle when I go see my horse. So that’s my plan to stay out of more spine problems.
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I don’t see anyone using their doctors names. Is there a rule against it?