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Any realistic alternatives to surgery for severe lumbar stenosis?
Spine Health | Last Active: Apr 8 8:35pm | Replies (47)Comment receiving replies
@ou14mejc
Thank you for your input.
I just came back from my appt with surgeon and I have to go on RX for osteoporosis for several months before he is willing to do a minimally invasive decompression, but I was shocked to find out it will still involve screws and a fusion. I have several months before I go back to digest everything. What is the TOPS procedure? I have a 70% narrowing in spinal canal. I can walk for 30-40 minutes if I push it.
Good luck with your procedure!
Replies to "@ou14mejc Thank you for your input. I just came back from my appt with surgeon and..."
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@jpeach I have been on a daily injection of Forteo for two years now. If not, I probably wouldn’t be looking at surgery because of osteoporosis. I have moved into the osteopenia category after two years…Yay! I do not want a fusion, due to the stress above and below the fusion that will leads to more surgeries. The TOPS is a new surgery in the US that avoids a fusion and allows movement. It’s supposed to alleviate the stress above and below the fusion. It has been done in Europe 12 years or so, but was just approved here in 2023, so many doctors haven’t been trained to do it. You can look up TOPS spine surgery to find out more. Good luck to you as well. I’ve delayed surgery as long as I can. My ER visits are more frequent and I’m having trouble walking, standing and sitting.