Spinal Spondilosis at L4:L5

I was told my spondylosis is inherited, but now has progressed to spondylolisthesis because no doctor chose to treat it. Now the entire spine is herniated and bulging and they won't fx anything. I am 75 and wish I would have pushed doctors earlier in the deterioration to fix it. Get educated and have the worthless doctors fix it. Now I live in constant pain and can only take Tylenol. Very painful if it slips out of place.

I am so sorry....I am 63. Tylenol seems to be the fix all and to be honest it's like taking candy. While I don't want to do pain pills that dont' help Naproxen works great the two times a week or so I take it. Can't take Nsaids. My Mom is 90 and had a back back all her life. She actually had another back surgery at 85 and did well but in PT had a heart attack. Luckily she was ok but she still struggles with her back constantly. They did say that if the other things don't work that they can do surgery but it's always a last resort and after my knee replacement I don't want anymore surgery as it's been two years and I still have knee issues. Sadly I just went to back Dr. for the first time. Cortisone works great but not something you can take daily. With all our technology you would think they would have come up with something other than surgery.

@cindymattern
Spinal injections don’t work for everyone but I have had about 6-7 of them and they would work for 3-4 months at first but then stopped working. I ended up getting decompression and fusion of L3-L5 due to significant pain/weakness and numbness and neurogenic claudication. I’m 55 and female and dealt with worsening pain for 12 years and finally decided to get the surgery after injections stopped working and I could not stand or walk without my feet going numb.

@daisy22 with them not wanting to do surgery on your spin could you try a spine stimulator. I knew something was wrong after my surgery but was told get a stimulator after seeing my Physiatrist about it he agreed and sent me to 3 other surgeons and finally to Mayo Clinic to find out I have a screw loose. They recommended leaving it alone and putting in a stimulator, I finally gave in 2 weeks ago and got the band aid ( I mean stimulator) it was a God send I was 95% pain free until I bent to far and moved the leads so now I’m waiting to see what their going to do.

Hi Cindy,

Sorry for what you're going through. I've been through it myself.

There seem to be two things going on - the spondylosis, which is degeneration of the discs between vertebrae. That can cause or contribute to sciatica, a pain down the back side of one leg and buttocks. This happens when the degenerated disc puts pressure on the sciatic nerve.

You also indicate you have a bulging (not ruptured) disc. An epidural should help with both conditions you describe, and reduce inflammation. Bulging discs usually shrink back to their normal size, especially with the epidural (cortisone) that will relieve some inflammation.

I could go into more detail, but these seem to be your immediate issues with L4 and L5. I would give the epidural a try and see if that gives you relief (and hopefully solves your pain problem for at least a while).

I hope this helps, and I wish you the best. Another good thing to do is apply ice to your lower back.

All the best.

Joe

Hi Daisy,

I'm sorry for what you're going through. I have the same condition. Spondylosis is the degeneration of the discs between vertebrae in the spine. The "listhesis" part means at least one disc is now sliding ahead of the disc below it, possibly putting pressure on the sciatic nerve. Pressure on the sciatic nerve causes pain, sharp pain, in the back of one leg. The lower back itself isn't affected by pain, but that's the source of the pain in the leg.

I'm 70 y/o now, and I have all these problems with my lumbar spine. I'm also very active at the gym (everyday) and work with a trainer to keep all my core muscles in shape. The core muscles surround the lower back - there are around 30 of these muscles. My spine Dr. has told ne my strong core is all that is standing between me and fusion surgery.

I don't know if this is an option for you (getting to a gym, ideally with a well-educated trainer), or if you already exercise. Just a thought. It's not easy at our age to go through these lower back problems.

All the best to you Daisy!

Joe

Naproxen is an NSAID.

It is....but the only one I can take a couple times a week and it doesn't bother me. Sadly, I can do no others for some reason.

Naproxen is an nsaid