@lizann45 Linda K, Welcome to Connect. It's good that you have had 2 opinions about your spine because as a patient you need to know if any surgeon you see is on the right track. There can be variability in how they see things and what procedures they would advise. Sometimes we don't hear what we want to hear and that comes as quite a shock. That is where some knowledge is helpful to understand what the risks are of not fixing a problem that can be fixed surgically if you are a candidate. Make sure to always ask that question of your doctors.

Spondylolisthesis is the slipping of one vertebrae past another one because the disc between them is weakened and not holding them in place as it should. A disc like that doesn't heal itself, and that problem can get worse. Effectively when it slips, the spinal canal gets smaller likes beads on a string that are offset and pulling in opposite directions.

Stenosis is the narrowing of a passageway and that can happen in the central canal where the spinal cord is, or in the foramen which are the spaces between vertebrae where the nerve roots exit the spinal cord. If you have both central canal stenosis and slipping of vertebrae, you've got 2 things working on compressing your spinal cord. Often that may be accompanied by a disc that has herniated into the canal and bone spurs that grow there trying to stabilize it. The spinal cord is pretty unforgiving of physical insults, and with enough pressure, the nerve cells start to die and dissolve in the spinal fluid leaving a mottled appearance on an MRI. That can be permanent damage resulting in disability to whatever part of the body it was serving. Also consider what happens with aging, and how will something get worse in 10 or 20 years. There is also a ligament up the back of the spine that can enlarge and also press on the spinal cord.

Compression of the spinal cord can cause all kinds of weird and diffuse symptoms that can confuse doctors because you don't know what part of the cord will take the hit as it floats in the spinal fluid. It could cause gait disturbance and walking with a limp as it did for me, or problems with functions of the bladder or bowel. I had bone spurs pressing into my spinal cord, but it was decompressed before permanent damage occurred.

I can also tell you that my experience was that spine fusion surgery wasn't that bad for my one level C5/C6. Compared to the broken ankle that happened a few years later, spine surgery was a lot less painful and an easier recovery. How much listhesis did you have? What levels are affected? What are your concerns about fusions?