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Spinal Fusion L4L5 for nerve pain

Posted by backissue @backissue, Jun 23 11:49am

I have a herniated disk and am scheduled for spinal fusion for L4 and L5 for nerve pain in left buttock/leg. Has anyone had different treatments that worked for this condition? I am active- golf, tennis, skiing, hiking. How does this surgery affect these? Worried about recovery time. My doc says I should be able to ski 26-27 season.
Have had cortisone injections, chiropractic and acupuncture, EMG, PT.

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cori | @ccchang | 20 hours ago
In reply to @ivycos "I had a spinal fusion 8 weeks ago. they went thru my abdomen where i have..." + (show)
Profile picture for ivycos @ivycos

I had a spinal fusion 8 weeks ago. they went thru my abdomen where i have had surgery for abdominal hernia operations more than once> nOW i AM HAVING SEVERE PROBLEMS WITH PAIN IN MY COLON ABDOMINe and very severe constipation. i had chronic constipation before but not like this. I think they did something wrong Has anyone else experienced this. It is awful. I am trying to set up an appointment with a colo rectal doctor. I also have a prolpsed colon.

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@ivycos I had bad constipation after a spine surgery last year. So I had a colonoscopy to check for blockage. No blockage. Constipation returned. I started drinking hot water with a slice of fresh ginger every night and every morning. Sometimes, I add lemon juice or rind too. Hoping that helps you too.

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cori | @ccchang | 7 hours ago
In reply to @northstar25 "I had L4L5 fusion with the ALIF procedure in Sept '25. After excruciating pain that summer,..." + (show)
Profile picture for northstar25 @northstar25

I had L4L5 fusion with the ALIF procedure in Sept '25. After excruciating pain that summer, I was so relieved to be pain-free, after the recovery period where ice packs helped reduce swelling on front abdomen and back. My
advice is to research your surgeon ( graduated from a reputable university in the US? where was residency/internship?) and then, give yourself time to recover thoroughly---don't rush the recovery! Be kind to your body, because spine surgery is a delicate, serious procedure. You may need to adjust some of your activities re: intensity or duration, but it's better than dealing with the pain you had before surgery! Best of luck to you!

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@northstar25 Who was your surgeon and which hospital? I had an XLIF in Sept 2025 as well but am still dealing with much pain and numbness.

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northstar25 | @northstar25 | 6 hours ago
In reply to @ccchang "@northstar25 Who was your surgeon and which hospital? I had an XLIF in Sept 2025 as..." + (show)
Profile picture for cori @ccchang

@northstar25 Who was your surgeon and which hospital? I had an XLIF in Sept 2025 as well but am still dealing with much pain and numbness.

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@ccchang I live n north central MN, (US) so had my surgery at Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby MN, about 25 mi from where I live. My surgeon was Dr James Stokman. He was great! Also Dr Evan Kelly was the gastro surgeon who did the abdomen work for the ALIF procedure, while Dr Stokman did the spine stuff. I am almost 73 yrs and in reasonably good shape, but NOT athletic. Daily exercise is basic household chores and gardening. I am not doing pickleball, backflips, bronco riding, running marathons, etc. I don't have pain except for the usual arthritis that comes with age. Best wishes to you for a good recovery!

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