Spondylolisthesis and pars defect: Considering L5-S1 fusion

None of the surgeons were candid enough to say that the recovery would be brutal and the surgery might not work. So that's good to hear. I am stuck between getting Spinal cord Stim or trying more alternative methods like Acupuncture and chinese herbs at a training center that is supposed to be very good.

I had the Medtronic’s unit. I didn’t have calf pain. Lower back pain and burning feet. Along with my meds, the SCS dropped my pain from a 7 down to about a 3.
Only doing the SCS trial cam tell you if it will help your pain. Worth a try.

Keep us posted. My sister keeps telling me to get acupuncture. People I talk to about it, tell me it helped but they did not sing its praises. I read a long time ago that the Mayo Clinic says that there is no evidence that it works. Maybe somebody here has some info on that.

thanks for your reply. I did have acupuncture many years ago when my stenosis first started, with a Chinese recommended practitioner and actually it didn't help then. I just happened to meet someone who's in training at a Chinese medicine School that's has a good reputation and she kept telling me I should try it for about three months in order to see some change. But I don't know if I want to wait three more months since I've been dealing with this for six years now. Anyway thank you for your response.

"Try it, you'll like it", goes an old commercial. Of course they want you to try it for three months. More dough in their pockets.

I have tried it off and on for years out of desperation.
No luck.

Thanks for your response, my question is what were/are your symptoms from the nerve that was damaged? I had a L5-S1 fusion with disc replacement 6 weeks with ago. I’m recovering slowly but making good progress. Since I started walking a mile a day the last 2 weeks, I have started having nerve symptoms in my legs and hips. Surgeon thinks it’s from the nerves that were being compressed are now being stretched by the increased activity, that this will resolve over time.

There you have it. Cynical me. I have been down your road. Even the dos aren't sure as what to do. I had L5-
S-1 fusion for supposed spondylethesis. If I could go back in time time, I would not have the surgery. Four months of recovery and no better. What'sinteresting is that two previous MRIs showed nothing of the sort. Suddenly, it appeared out of nowhere and I needed surgery? A little too convenient. Has anyone discussed a spinal cord stimulator. I had the Medtronics unit implanted, and it helped quite a bit. Unlike fusion, you can hav a trial that will give you an idea if it will give you pain relief. A relatively simple procedure done in the pain specialist's office. Worth a shot before you go ahead with a non-reversible procedure.

Hi all. I'm sorry for the suffering you're experiencing. I had S1L4 spinal fusion 2 and a half months ago. I had horrendous pain on my left thigh but the worst at the time was on my inner thigh. It felt like my thigh was being ripped up and down with a searing knife. I saw my neurosurgeon and after an MRI spondylolisthesis was diagnosed. I was shown the mri and saw the slipped disk. I chose surgery because I could not stand that pain any longer. It was every second of every day. It seems better but in the process of the mri and x-ray it was discovered that I have osteoarthritis in the hip which is causing a world of of pain. I will see the ortho surgeon and am anxious to hear what he has to say. I have to wait 6 months before I can have hip replacement. I am looking forward to it because as you all know constant pain ruins our quality of life.

I have not tried the stimulator, but a friend of mine had one for a different back problem and it was a life saver for her. That's my next question when I go back to the dr.