Spinal Fusion Surgery – Good or Bad Experiences?

I go in tomorrow for L5 S1 fusion

@sb6088 Have you asked what would happen if you avoid surgery and your spine condition progresses? Aging affects discs and they dry and shrink a bit. If they are weakened, a crack may open up causing a herniation. As discs shrink, the vertebrae bones get closer together and vertebrae can start to fuse themselves if bone spurs grow and the bone remodels from uneven pressure. That may create a condition that is inoperable and with less space between the bones, there may be compression at the nerve roots.

Surgery is a big decision and your recovery and experience won’t be the same as someone else’s. Getting second opinions and more will help inform your decision. Lumbar surgery has a long recovery and is more difficult than cervical surgery because you are bearing most of your body weight on the lower spine. You may get different solutions from different surgeons. Ask how soon surgery is recommended and how long you could wait. Ask if physical therapy can help. Often a heath insurance company wants to see physical therapy tried before authorizing surgery. Take your time and make an informed decision and ask lots of questions about how your life will change after surgery because of lost motion of the spine.

How much pain are you in now? I believe your decision should depend on this. I had to have a fusion, as I broke my back, crushing L1. Since the first fusion I have had to have two more. The first fusion failed and the surgery was performed in 1986. There is a tendency for the bones to wear out below the fusion.

@dawnj
I hope all goes well and you find relief.

@sophie46
Generally I have a moderate to severe level of pain which can vary day to day. I take painkillers but have for so long they don't seem to work that well anymore. I do worry about long term damage but am so scared to have the surgery. I hope you are feeling well.

@jenniferhunter
Thank you very much for the information. I have to say what you described definitely gives me something to think about. I did have a doctor say to me that I won't be able to walk in the future due to my condition.

I went to a surgeon and have to say that after he described the risks I was very apprehensive. I'm also currently doing physical therapy now but its mainly for my knee after surgery. I do plan on researching this more but have to admit I'm very scared of having the surgery.

Difficult decision for sure....

I am 69 y/o. In 1974, I incurred what they called an acute Grade 2 Spondylolisthesis with a pars defect after a football injury my senior year in high school. My football days were over.

It was unstable, but I was then strong and only had recurrent episodes of LBP for many years. It was generally relieved by flexion and rest. Finally, about 2009, I got to where I could only walk a few steps w/o severe LBP w/o any real radicular symptoms. I gave in...and elected to have surgery because my NCS/EMG studies were positive, even though I still had virtually no symptoms of radiculopathy.

Surgically, I had a plate put anteriorly onto a couple of lumbar vertebral bodies. Posteriorly, I had screws and a bar put in unilaterally. Additionally, I had a cage put in, (I'm not sure at what level) and I was told that I had a bone allograft done, for further stability. I was placed in a lower body cast and sent home with a bone stimulator. It was a big and painful surgery. (oddly, after surgery, I began having intermittent pain and burning in my toes and the soles of my feet) My neurosurgeon said that it would go away in about a year. It did not.

Over the last few years, I have deteriorated. My balance and proprioception are affected. I cannot walk on uneven surfaces. I can only walk about 30-50 steps without LBP and severe neurogenic claudication which is generally relieved by sitting or lying on my left side.

I now have numbness, pins and needles, and significant burning in the soles of my feet, generally when I walk or when it is cold. I am not diabetic. I have somewhat controlled hypertension. I am post triple bypass surgery since December 2022. Other than my bp meds, I take 600 mg Neurontin 5X per day. Allergy: Lyrica - swelling in feet (at least that's what my neurologist said)

I have been refractory to spinal injections and ablations.

Obviously, I did not have a complete decompressive laminectomy due to the doctors’ fear of making my Spondylo more unstable.

I feel that my L5-S1 Spondylo is stable now. My CT/MRI studies do show degenerative disc disease and mild to moderate stenosis of the lateral recess and IVF. Additionally, it shows hypertrophy of the ligamentum flavum. I do have a disc bulge, at what level, I am not sure.

No one including my regular doctors, pain management, and neurologist have been able to help. I need help, but I am not sure where I need to start.

My goal would be to be able to walk again without the pain and neurogenic claudication that I am currently experiencing.

My fusion worked, It stabilized my Spondylo, but I have issues now that were never previously addressed. I think a complete decompression and fusion may have been a better alternative for me back then.

Good luck!

@sb6088 You are not alone. At first I was terrified and having panic attacks every day for 4 months. I knew I was in trouble and the only way out was surgery. I’m an artist and was loosing the ability to hold my arms up and control them. With that, I would loose the ability to do my paintings that I had trained for and worked for so many years doing what I love to do the most. I guess the choice was love or fear, and I put love first and worked on understanding and deprogramming my fear. I wasn’t born being fearful so it was learned from my experiences and I decided to “unlearn” the fear. The day I asked myself why I was doing this by letting fear run away with me was the day I took steps to change that story. You can do it if you want it, and it will change you and free you for the rest of your life.

You can start by writing down your fears, and then start asking yourself why you feel that way and what happened, and how did you think about it. Is there another way to look at the past and draw a different conclusion?

I've had spinal fusion procedures done on my neck on 2 different occasions, at the C5-C6 and then C7-T1 levels. They happened about 18 months apart, and the results have been mostly positive in my case. A piece of donor bone from a cadaver was used both times.

I had C2-T1 fused about 7 years ago. It hurts all the time.,I have not been able to do my therapy and exercises for about a year., once you stop - the pain is always present. I hope to be able to workout and receive PT soon. It makes all the difference in lessening the pain. But! At least zi can stand tall and not bent over.