Spondylolisthesis with pain in thigh. Ideas?

@doege Welcome to Connect. I remember how I felt when a surgeon told me I needed surgery for my compressed spinal cord. I knew that was the only way to decompress it by removing bone spurs from inside the spinal canal. I was a fearful patient and I had to figure out how to get past that and I did. My surgery was for a bad disc in my neck. I was having problems walking because of spinal cord compression in my neck. I didn’t want to become disabled, and I had the choice to prevent that by having surgery.

As much as we all wish to avoid surgery, there are times when it is the logical choice. With your difficulty walking that is getting worse, you have to ask yourself how much are you willing to loose? With instability moving the vertebrae, that is affecting nerves and that at some point may cause permanent damage. Nerves may heal, but generally the spinal cord does not have the same ability to heal. At some point, the damage may become permanent. If you loose the ability to walk, life becomes difficult with mobility issues. I have been through this with my parents who became wheelchair bound and it becomes a burden to family members. Hiring caregivers is expensive. It was a burden to me when my ability to earn a living was compromised because I had to step in and care for my parents. As time goes on, their health issues get worse and it requires more time from me.

There is a lot to think about. You may want to seek opinions from several spine surgeons because it is a big decision to have surgery and you want to best surgeon you can find with expertise in what you need.

May I ask what your spine specialist has advised for you? It sounds like you have been working on this for awhile if you’re in physical therapy.

Hi ive been through the same the pain randomly moves around im in for surgery 12th May ive been cancelled on at least 6 times so far

If you ever get any ideas or suggestions, I would be following you. Have the same issue. So we’re just alike.

@dawnj I’ve had the same. It radiates from my lower back, around the front and down the front and side of my thigh. It’s a stabbing pain that won’t even let me get up out of a chair. Terrible pain…I had to make an ER visit. Hope you feel better.

@jenniferhunter, if you don't mind me asking, did you get a spinal fusion?
@doege, apart from pain, how do you know your spondylolisthesis is getting worse-- is it the pain level or inflammation spreading throughout the spaces?

I have Grade 1 lumbar spondylolisthesis, severe stenosis, and radiculopathy. I've been going to PT for 7 months and have had two epidural shots. I've noticed some of the right-sided radiculopathy has lessened with PT (or luck). However, I did get RT-sided hip, glute, and some groin pain, so I think, like a few of the folks here, the inflammation is encroaching on the nearby nerve spaces.
I've noticed that the more PT and exercise I do, the less the pain.
I would like to delay surgery as much as possible, but at the same time, a part of me agrees with @jenniferhunter-- sometimes surgery is necessary given a candidate's condition.
I created a short list of spine surgeons, visited two of them, and am hoping I can manage this injury so I won't need surgery for another 10 years. Let's see!

@ou14mejc my legs actually stop working all together so watch out incase it happens but apparently its not an emergency

@nyresearch Thank you for asking. I had a choice of single level fusion or artificial disc replacement for C5/C6. My disc had collapsed 50%. I had concerns about my body reacting to metals and my surgeon agreed to do a fusion with only a bone graft and no hardware and that is what I had 10 years ago.

There can be issues with artificial discs and the body can grow bone around them in some patients attempting to stabilize it. Anything screwed into the spine depends on solid bone quality to hold it in place. Metal is more rigid than bone which has a bit of ability to flex. My hope was that having all bone in my fusion may help me avoid adjacent disc problems and I do everything I can to maintain proper spine alignment and core strength. When I get muscle spasms that shift my alignment, I work with a physical therapist to correct it. I have done a lot of myofascial release to loosen the scar tissue and soften tight muscles. I think all of that helps to avoid further issues. Bone remodels from pressure, and if there is uneven pressure from poor spine alignment, it may affect the shape of the vertebrae. With aging, there are normal changes at the end plates that interface with the discs. Good posture counts a lot and it evens out the pressure on the spine.

I have not had further spine issues. I do have a lumbar vertebrae that cracks and has a bulging disc, a result of the whiplash that also caused the cervical spine issues.

My surgery solved all the pain I had and I don’t have spine related pain, so it was a good choice. Prior to surgery, I was loosing the ability to control my arms and lost a lot of strength. I got that back from surgery. I did have some muscle loss on the back of my shoulder because of the time it took to find a surgeon who would help me. My case was confusing because doctors misunderstood my symptoms and over 2 years of consultations , 5 refused to help. Then I came to Mayo and got my life back. I would have done this surgery a lot sooner if possible, but I got a great surgeon after I found him. I had a lot of fear , and I figured out how to overcome that and it changed my life for the better.

Had lumbar spinal fusion(L3-5) which went well, but now there’s a sharp pain at mid-thigh. An epidural steroid was done at L-2, which relieved it for a month.. but now it’s back! What’s wrong?? I can ‘t keep getting epidurals..Inflamed femoral nerve