Back Pain and Drop Foot (Long Post)

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dionnfr

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Well here is my little story, on Christmas Eve, I awoke to where my left foot flop, severe pain in left leg radiating from my knee to my foot. Went to see my GP this first of the year who then sent me to an orthopedic. The ortho diagnosed the drop foot and sent me to a Neurologist. Performed MRI and EMG, MRI results as follows:

- At level L3-4 wide-based disc protrusions causing moderate lateral stenosis
- At level 4-5 wide base disc protrusion, left greater than right, causing moderate to sever lateral stenosis
- At level L5-s1 there is a wide based disc protrusion, left greater than right causing mild lateral stenosis; There may be contact and/or compression of the L5 roots bilaterally

Neurologist prescribed PT which I have been going for the past six months, drop foot has progressed to where I have regained 45%, which I guess I'm pretty happy about. during my April visit I was sent to a Neurosurgeon. Who I find out performed the operation on the Buffalo Bills player who was paralyzed during a game a couple of years ago and was able to walk out of the hospital, so I have complete faith in Dr. Gibbons. I have complete faith in him, he advised to keep up with the PT and come back and see him in a couple of months. He scheduled an MRI, CT and x-rays which were taken yesterday and I saw him yesterday morning to go over the results. He said to me my back looks like I'm 100 years old and I'm only 58.Over the years I have had normal back injuries but nothing that would warrant an operation until yesterday.

Dr. Gibbons gave me two choices do nothing or let me operate. I said ok but what do you think the results will be. He advised me he could not do anything to my back that will make it feel better, but he gives me a 70% chance that he will be able to correct me drop foot, so I decided to take the 70% chance which I feel is pretty good odRAB that I will be able to walk normally again. He did not describe the surgery other than it should take about an hour. I will ask more questions when the office calls me with the schedule, which I will keep you posted.

My one question right now is what I should be doing to prepare myself for the surgery like what kind of exercises if any to strengthen muscles. Also has anyone had a 1 hour operation on their back and how long do you think recovery will be.

Any comments will be appreciated.
 
It depenRAB on exactly what type of surgery he'll do and the approach. For example, a spinal fusion can be done only from a back incision, via a back incision and abdominal incision, via a back incision and side incision, or via solely an abdominal incision. Each one is different.

If it's not a fusion, then the answers are different from a post-op fusion experience.

As for exercises I don't know that you need to do anything right now. For most spine surgery pre-op exercising doesn't help unless you are concentrating on abdominal exercises and if so maybe you did some of these in PT that you can duplicate at home.
 
My bilevel fusion took over 8 hours and unfortunately I still have a dropped left foot. But the doctor told me to not expect any change but to avoid a wheel chair on a pernment basis, t went for it. Now I have a herniated disc above the fusion and deciding what to do. Walk, walk, walk or walk in a swimming pool if you have access to one. The pool is the best exercise I believe because it takes the weight off the spine. Also, a 1 hour surgery is hard to believe but I would trust your doctor. He knows best.
 
I have been scheduled for surgery, the date is July 20, 2010 at 10:30. I'm waiting a call from the NS surgical nurse so I can ask the right questions which I will post here.
 
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