Who has had successful fusion surgery that has osteoporosis?

I always get a second opinion! The first surgeon I saw told me I needed a 360 because I have a slipped disc (stenosis too). I have seen two surgeons since and they both recommended a fusion of L 4-5 and a laminectomy. I have an appointment consultation to see if I can have the TOPS procedure instead of a fusion. The recovery time is less and since I live alone, it would be extremely hard to take care of myself, my home and my yard for the first year. I had osteoporosis and just finished the Forteo injections. My back is now strong enough and I am no longer in the range of osteoporosis. Good luck with your procedure!

I am 73 and have osteoporosis. I have had stenosis of lumbar spine with degenerative disc disease, foraminal stenosis, radiculopathy etc. my main symptom is that my calf muscles throb painfully after walking even if it's just a few steps. I had a laminotomy to me without fusion but now I was told I need fusion however several surgeons have warned that with my osteoporosis that could be risky. How many people out there have had successful fusion with osteoporosis. I would need three levels fuse. Thanks

Hi @annie1 - just wanted to let you know that I moved your post to this discussion so that you could talk with others who've had fusion surgery who also have osteoporosis:

- Who has had successful fusion surgery that has osteoporosis? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/who-has-had-successful-fusion-surgery-that-has-osteoporosis/

Have the surgeons you've seen commented on why they think you are experiencing the calf muscle throbbing when walking? If so, what did they say?

@lisalucier
Going on for 7 years already but they said it was probably from the stenosis compressing the nerves. Recently one surgeon wanted me to get some kind of vascular test which I have to do. As far as the osteoporosis discussion let me look into that I might have been the one who posted that actually.

@shirleyhibb26
I think your pain probably is different than mine because I was told that RFA doesn't work for me cuz I have pain most all in my legs not my back. They said RFA only works for back pain. How long did the fusion last before you had your pain come back?

@lisalucier
Actually that was me that started that discussion a month or so ago. I'm going to put another question out to everyone. I think it's probably necessary for a surgeon to want you to have a dexa scan and CT scan if you have osteoporosis before fusion surgery? I read in a NIH research article that are in HU. That stands for hounds field units I think and is much more precise than the dexa scan. I already had bad luck just with a laminotomy and I think it's because of my osteoporosis. I got a pars fracture from the surgery. I don't want to risk anymore things going wrong because of my osteoporosis.

@annie1
Hi
I had fusion of L1-L5 on October 13, 2025 and the pain was back at the end of January 2026. Bad pain but yes only in my back, does not go down my legs at all. I have had the 2 tests either numbing agents and now in 2 weeks I’ll be able to do the RFA. I’m hopeful it will take the pain away!!

Hi @annie1.
I had a long fusion in Oct. for scoliosis correction. While going through the hoops to find out if I was a candidate they discovered the osteoporosis. I was started on Forteo and took it for 6 weeks prior to and paused for 6 weeks after. The HU score is what the surgeon went by to move forward with the surgery. I had chronic pain for years and had ran out of solutions. The surgery is rough and recovery is rougher, but I have no pain in my back! I have some nerve sensitivity but it is nothing comparatively. I’m continuing to take the Forteo and have had no side effects. I don’t go back to the endocrinologist until October and will likely have all the scans at that point. There’s a lot of information to take in. This forum is a wealth of knowledge. Wishing you the best.

@annie1 I am in the same boat you're in with the stenosis and other degenerative issues, but I also have severe osteoporosis. Fusion at from L4 to S1 apparently is imperative in my case -- I was told by a neurosurgeon yesterday that if I don't have the surgery, I will eventually lose my ability to walk. The surgeon I saw has a track record of dealing with patients with "weakened bones" and uses a bonding cement in the fusions as well as the usual pins and screws. Still, there is no guarantee of success. But in my case, because of a badly slipped disc and an unstable spine (among other issues), it seems my only option. I think you would benefit from talking to a surgeon who has experience with osteoporotic patients. Wishing you the best!

@bayhorse
Hello well thank you but they all say they know what they're doing with osteoporitic patients none of them are going to admit that it puts me at high risk. At least here in New York. They just say they can do it as long as I'm on the bone building medication and that they're going to use the cement augmented screws. You can't get an answer about how many patients they have had failures with. I had a failure with this one surgeon not with fusion but with just a laminotomy which caused a Pas fracture and made my come back. He said he would do a fusion now with the augmented screws but it took him 2 years to admit that he had caused the Pars fracture. I am struggling because I am in pain but I don't know if I should trust him. I know there's plenty of other surgeons and good ones out there. I'm going to get another dexa scan which he doesn't even require before surgery.