Spine conditions: Told I would not walk without surgery

How long do they last though, the pain relief that is. Also do you have severe lumbar stenosis ?

Yes I know. What do you have and what have you tried ?

The trigger point injections I had were for cervical pain. They last a few months for me.
Kat

Responding to annie1: I had four level ACDF 11 months ago and four level lumbar decompression and fusion eight months ago. The original problems to correct are largely corrected. But know these are significant surgeries with an extended rehab required. Prior to surgery I tried shots, stretching, anti inflammatory drugs - helped for years but progressive degeneration demanded a more intrusive (surgical) solution. Wishing you the best!

I would see another doctor for a second opinion. I am not sure you want to start with a fusion when there may be other options. My first two surgeries were decompression surgery and they gave me 15 years of relief. I never did get much relief from injections but that varies from person to person. A fusion is major surgery. The surgery itself takes several hours and then there will be at least a year of recovery time. Also, there is no guarantee of pain relief. You want a doctor with a lot of experience and a proven history of good results for any back surgery. Try swimming in warm (83-90 degree) water to get some relief and strengthen muscles. I do water exercises and also walk in the water for one half hour. A neurosurgeon does decompression surgery and an orthopedic surgeon is recommended for a fusion. My spine is severely degenerative. I have spondylosis, spondylolisthesis, and scoliosis. I have bulging discs also. What you are feeling in your legs is probably sciatic pain. It's not unusual to not feel the pain in your back. As you age your spine will probably continue to degenerate. Let a good surgeon help guide you.

Thanks for your reply. Yes I am going to a neurosurgeon and after consulting with a very experienced surgeon who isn't practicing anymore who told me that I should not do fusion! Several of the surgeons I consulted wanted to do that and I walked away. the one I'm considering very seriously at first said he could just do the decompression but I might need a fusion later on. So I'm seeing him next week and I'm going to remind him that he told me he could just do the decompression without the fusion. If he insists that he has to do fusion I'll just keep on looking. Yeah I know our spines just degenerate and I do have that diagnosis DDD, degenerative disc disease. A few other people have recommended water walking but to be honest any kind of walking seems to trigger my main symptoms which are throbbing calf muscles and cramping. If you don't mind me asking, are you doing anything else or did you just find relief with the decompression surgery? Also if you want to tell me I would be curious where you're located so I could possibly consult the surgeon that you went to for decompression surgery if he or she is still working. Thanks again and if you want to share who your surgeon was and where they are that would be helpful.

@annie1027 Annie, Did the doctor explain exactly what decompression surgery is? They have to remove something to decompress a nerve. If that is part of an extruded herniated disc that is outside the spinal canal, sometimes that is removed, and those tend to re-herniate. These are questions to ask the surgeon. They are the expert to know what is best or what your options are. If a disc is bad and must be removed, something has to be placed in that space. It could be a bone disc for a fusion or it could be an artificial disk. A laminectomy cuts bone to enlarge the spinal canal, and doesn't remove a disc. Sometimes that is done along with disc removal and fusion. Every procedure has risks and outcomes. It's always a bit of a compromise and it won't be like never having had a spine problem. It is always good to get several opinions from surgeons you trust. Generally speaking, spine surgery at the lower end of the spine is a more difficult recovery and may have less predictable outcomes than cervical spine surgery. Leg issues and cramping may be caused by a cervical spine problem such as spinal cord compression or it may be caused by a lumbar spine problem.

Jennifer

I had two decompression surgeries several years apart. At my first surgery I had an L4 hemilaminotomy and an L5 hemilaminectomy with a partial removal of the herniated disc at that level. For my second surgery he enlarged the L5 partial hemilaminectomy and did a revision decompression of both the L5 and S1 neve roots. When I needed surgery the third, I had no choice but to have a fusion of L4-S1. After a decompression surgery, most if not all of your pain should be gone at least for a few years. I still have sciatic pain after my fusion but if I sit or do a stretch, that pain goes away quickly and I can resume whatever I was doing. The only other thing I have done after recovery from any back surgery was to either walk or as I suggested, swim. It has been almost four years since my fusion and I have pain everyday but it is not constant. L2 and L3 above my fusion which were a problem before my surgery are gradually getting worse. I have no pain in the area of the fusion. At the time of the surgery, the doctors felt it would be better to just do the two levels as that wouldn't interfere with my mobility as much as a three or four level fusion would have. My neurosurgeon was Dr. Richard Marsh at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. He has done all of my surgeries. The orthopedic surgeon who was a part of my fusion surgery is no longer with the clinic. I believe he was involved in a research project while he was there. I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near Lake Superior, 400 miles from Rochester. I hope you will at least try once to do water therapy. Pool exercises will put little to no compression on your spine, allowing you to work out without worsening your back problems. I always feel better for several hours after I have been at the pool. My other tip is to sit or stand straight and tall. Don't limp or favor one leg over the other! When you limp you are throwing your spine out of alignment and this will aggravate your back pain and cause more back pain.

Jennifer and Wandagoode,
the best advice come from those with experience. Thanks.
Would either of you hazard an opinion as to whether decompressive surgery would preclude the placement of an artificial disc.