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Spondylolisthesis: My Spinal Fusion at L-4-L5 went well.
I had minimally invasive spinal fusion on July 16, 2019 at Saint Mary's Hospital. All went well. Nerve pain was immediately gone after surgery. I am now 4 weeks post surgery and walking up to 2-4 miles/day. I used to only get .5 miles in before my nerve pain in the lower right part of my back and right leg would get worse. I would have to sit or bend over to get relief. I used to take epidural shots for my back but was only getting 3-4 months relief or shorter. I tried physical therapy with very little benefit. I'm glad I did the surgery. I went to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for the Minimally Invasive approach rather than open spine surgery that my local doctors were recommending. MI surgery faster recovery and less pain. Just wanted to share my story to help others that are dealing with similar issues that I had.
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I underwent MIS (Minimally Invasive Surgery) for L4-L5 Spondylolisthesis in February 2025.
Before the surgery, I was experiencing pain primarily in my left leg. Interestingly, the day after surgery, the pain on the left side disappeared, but I started experiencing pain and stiffness in my right leg, particularly in the calf area. Naturally, I was concerned, but my surgeon advised that it could take 4-5 weeks to improve.
In reality, it took around 12 weeks for the pain and stiffness to gradually subside. Thankfully, more than a year later, I am feeling much better and have no major issues.
However, since the surgery, I have not returned to any structured exercise, running, or gym activities. I would now like to improve my fitness safely.
Has anyone experienced a similar recovery journey after L4-L5 surgery? What types of exercises, stretching routines, gym activities, or running programmes did you find helpful? Are there any activities that should be avoided even after a year of recovery?
I would greatly appreciate hearing about your experiences and any advice from those who have gone through a similar situation.
Sorry, this isn't related to an answer to your question, but I have my L4/L5 vertebrae that are bone on bone and causing chronic back pain. I'm a 78 year old male. So, I'm at the point where the pain management specialists want to perform a radio frequency ablation; this following two successive medical branch blocks. Would you recommend that I do the radio frequency ablation versus what you had?
Should I see a neurologist or an orthopedic spine specialist instead of continuing what seems to a line of failures with the pain management specialists?
What does MIS surgery entail? Even with my L$/L5 problem, and I have another set of vertebrae that are bone on bone, with all the other vertebrae showing bulging discs of moderate degree, say 2 to 4 mm, but I do an hour on my recumbent bike daily at a decent exertion level and it does not bother my back one bit. I do it more for knee flexibility rather than back therapy though. In the gym, there are two machines that I think would give you back support while helping you strengthen other leg and abdominal areas -- 1.) the "leg press" where you sit back in a flat back chair and press forward on a plate with your legs, strengthening your thigh muscles. 2.) The other is a bench seat you sit on and with a sort of handlebar at your head and shoulder area, you do like a modified partial sit up raising a weight that strengthens your stomach muscles. It is variable in resistance, as most gym machines are. You start out slow and light resistance, building it up over time.
Thank you for sharing your story it gives me hope that my minimally invasive spine surgery will work out. I’m having MI surgery for the same reason you did. I have Spondylolisothesis in my 3-4 vertebrae and degenerative disc disease in my 4-5 lumbar vertebrae. I’m having both levels fused. I got 3 opinions from 3 different surgeons and they all basically said the same thing. The surgeon I went with made me feel comfortable and answered all my questions. I have severe anxiety/ depression and sought mental health therapy, because I was so scared about this surgery and was having panic attacks. This really helped me and it helped my pain, because I was so tense and anxious it helped me relax. I have medical PTSD from having 4 lumbar discectomies in my 4-5 lumbar disc, spread out over many years, due to a congenital abnormality in my 4-5 lumbar vertebrae and hips.
@cira3
You sound like you’re going through the same as me. I almost thought I typed this. I started Evinity. I just had my second injection. I will have a less an abrasive spine surgery this month. He will shave the bone making room for the nerve. Out patient surgery. We will know if it worked in 3 months but my pain will be gone. God willing 🙏
@laughlin1947 Just an fyi, a neurosurgeon and an orthopedic spine surgeon are both equally qualified to perform back surgeries. Some also specialize in Minimally Invasive spine surgery, but this type may depend on your particular medical case. You’re amazing to be so dedicated with your exercise regimen ! God bless you .