@leslie324, I see that you are still curious about laser treatment for your spinal stenosis. While we wait for other members to chime in, is this something you have asked your surgeon about or plan to ask your surgeon about tomorrow? I can certainly understand not wanting to be laid up for a long time, especially since you are also a caregiver for your husband. Could you update the group on what your surgeon says about laser therapy tomorrow or how long surgery would lay you up?

Justin,
Thank you for your reply. The orthopaedic surgeon I saw today actually did not recommend surgery in my case, saying it might help the pain down my leg but could likely make my back pain worse. As for laser treatment, he expressed concerns based on what he has seen from his patients' experiences when they come back to him. One had incorrect surgery which he had to fix. I did ask if my problems could get worse and was told only 15% of patients do so the odds are on my side. He asked me to return to the Pain Clinic to continue my meds and whatever else that Doctor recommends. I'm very relieved and will continue doing my physical therapy exercises, taking senior yoga, losing weight for less pressure on my back and walking as much as I can. My husband came with me and was also satisfied with the outcome. Leslie324

@leslie324. I just wrote about my experience with ART, Active Release Technique therapy. I have spinal stenosis and herniated disks at L4-L5, and degenerative disk disease. Last December, 2016, I had a laminectomy on my L5-S1. It was completely successful and my pain was relieved. However, I still had constant pain in my right hip buttock, thigh, knee, calf and foot. I had trouble walking and couldn't go up or down steps without great pain and difficulty.

My surgeon encouraged me to explore all other ways to decrease pain as surgery would be major. He had me start with Physical Therapy, which I went to for 3 months with no relief. Then, someone on Mayo Connect said they tried ART Therapy and said it worked for them. I researched it on Google, and found a chiropractor who had multiple ART training certifications. I then I researched him, and asked a trusted masseuse who he would recommend for ART. He gave me the name of the same doctor I had picked myself.

I saw Dr. Andrews for 6 sessions, 2 a week for 3 weeks. Then I have seen him once a month for 3 months. I felt better immediately after my first session and each session left me doing better. Now after 4 months, I am essentially pain free. During this time I have also withdrawn from 3 different pain medications. With each one I stopped taking I felt better. (By the way refuse to take Gabapentin or Lyrica--bad meds for pain.) I am now almost finished withdrawing from Tramadol 50 mg. Next week I m finished.

I have no pain walking and no pain going up or down stairs! It's totally amazing to me how well the ART Therapy has worked. It works by doing very deep muscle/ligament massage at the same time they are moving various parts of your body. The purpose is to release nerves and muscles that gotten bound together. It worked for me and I can't say enough good things about it. I hope this is helpful for you.
Thanks,
Gail B

I forgot to say that part of the ART Therapy used Laser treatment to heat the muscles/ligaments in the area being worked on, allowing the muscles to become more relaxed so they can "let go" more easily. I think it helped, but I didn't try ART without laser treatment. My sessions were $95.00 each. Pricey but worth it. I live in the LA area.

Thank you Gail. Your pain sounds exactly like mine. I will meet with the chiropractor on Thursday. Hope he can help.