Thanks for sharing your experience Heisenberg, although I am sorry you didn't get better results.

Since I had laminotomies from S1-L5 in 2014, I haven't had a recurrence of sciatica. The holes drilled in those vertebrae kept the vertebrae structure intact and also provided room for the sciatic nerves.

I have stenosis, scoliosis, and listhesis, which I think is called "spondylolisthesis" (basically it's one vertebra sliding ahead of the vertebra below it) and I have disc degeneration and the presence of osteophytes. I'm 71 now and ran about 25 marathons in my 30s and 40s. All that pounding certainly didn't help. But my ortho conditions I attribute to heredity, not running.

While I don't experience sciatica pain anymore (I've been through it twice, excruciatingly painful), my lower back is very stiff in the morning, not painful. My surgeon has told that my physical conditioning, specifically my core strength, is holding my lumbar spine together. I also lost 40 lbs since 2023 - from 190 lbs to 150 lbs - I'm 5'10" - and I think this has helped. I'm in the gym everyday and I'm grateful for that.

Most of the stories I hear seem to be like yours, regret over having the fusion surgery. As long as I don't need it to relieve sciatica, I'm holding off on this surgery.

Since 2022, I've had both knees replaced, right hip, and left shoulder. All were very successful and I have access to a great ortho clinic, including a spine surgeon. Even so, fusion is one surgery I'd like to avoid.

FWIW, I started dry needling therapy in the last three months, combined with "cupping". I have found it to be more effective that deep tissue massage to relieve tightness in my lower back.

Thank you so much Heisenberg. I hope that you find some relief, and thanks for sharing your story. Means a lot.

Joe