L5/S1 Spinal Fusion set for 12/29

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leona07

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After exhausting all other options, this 37yo, 150 pound mother of three is having surgery due to Rare Symptomatic Spondylolesthesis (sp). 10 months after the popping started, it has gotten worse and I am told this is my only chance to see some results since the PT refuses to treat me again. With all the popping, cracking and grinding she kept hearing, she was afraid she was hurting me rather than helping. She nor any of the doctors I've seen can understand why my back pops like bubble wrap with any and now all movements. Not the "ooo that feels good" popping, but rather the "Holy crap this hurts bad" popping. If you've ever cracked your knuckles and it hurt rather than felt better, figure that around L5/S1 everyday, all the time. I live within a pain scale of seven and work due to the fact that my body gradually compensated and my safety moves are done unconsciously. My L5 has moved so far forward, it cannot be seen on a posterior XR.

Surgery is happening on 12/29/08 and I am told that due to my age and all around good health, I should heal rather quickly and 85% chance the pain and popping will be gone. Considering the popping has an unknown etiology, I am questioning that %age. None of us will know until afterwarRAB if all will be well. I am hoping that once they get in there, they will find the culprit and fix it all. One can only pray. :angel:

Mind you, no history of injury. Only that it feels like it did when I delivered my son and I had severe back labor. Some think it is congenital and that the delivery forced everything forward before it's normal progression that would have happened over time anyway.

Has anyone else had this rare symptom of spinal popping, or cracking and grinding? :(

It would be nice to see that someone else is going through the same thing. My Orthopod has told me he is going to continue to consult regarding these noises up until and after my surgery date.
 
Hi Leona, and welcome to the board!

I don't have the same problem you do, but my problem is unusual, too. Have you gotten a second, and maybe even a third opinion? Especially with an unusual problem, that's important.

Make sure you read the sticky thread at the top called "post surgery tips." It has a ton of great suggestions that will help you during your recovery.

Out of all the suggestions people gave me, the best one was to get a grabber tool. My grabber was worth what I paid for it the first day home from the hospital. Do spend the money to get a good one. Mine was $30 at my local pharmacy. I tried one called
 
Leona07,

I am sorry that you are having to go through this. I too am having a fusion on 12/29. My fusion is going to be a 2 level lower back fusion. My doctor is doing an anterior and posterior fusion. I have had back problems for over 17 years and I have had 2 back surgeries. (two diskecotmies) and now the fusion. I had a diskogram done about 1 1/2 months ago, they reproduced the pain that i was already having. It showed what they already knew. Now the last month or so my back has started popping or cracking when I move. I am going to tell the doctor about it on my post surgery visit on the 16. I am not sure what that is. Hopefully it does not add to what they are going to have to do already. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that you are not alone in this. I wish you the best of luck on your surgery.

Good Luck and God Bless

P.S. How long did your doctor tell you that you would be down? Are you going to be wearing a back brace? And if you are how long? These are things that they are doing with me.

Tami36
 
Pop, pop, crack, pop, grind....yes, I know it well!!!

My partner says of me, from an old english advert for car seatbelts, "a clunk and a click before every trip"!

Okay, as requested, here's my experience with cracking noises - Briefly, I had two previous operations for a herniation at L5/S1. After the first operation I had some degree of cracking going on. Surgeons and docs said it was normal but I had various causes suggested (muscles sliding over the bones, gas in the joints....). Anyhow, it soon passed and I thought nothing of it again.

Second operation, same thing. But this time it didn't pass. In fact it got worse. Initially, I had pain on standing (my usual pain) which would worsen until I sat down and flexed forward...one, two, three pops...and the pain would be relieved. Physio (who infact only did light massages), was also surprised to find he could cause these pops and would stop the session if it started happening because he wasn't sure if it was normal or not. Last appointment with my surgeon (neuro), 5mths post-op, and he still insisted it was nothing to worry about. As time went on it just got worse, louder, more frequent...these days its with most movements from sitting to standing, standing to sitting, when walking...crucnh, grind, pop, pop, crack. Unlike you its not always painful for me. If I have pain and am walking, its painful, but most of the time its just a very uncomfortable feeling.

Anyhow, 8 mths after my last op I went to see a new orthopaedic surgeon. After the intial chat, as I got up from the seat for the physical examination, it cracked away (I blushingly just said, oh yeah, and my back cracks a lot!). Amongst the first test was to bend forward....crck, crack,crack all the way down. First comment was "Have you been tested for instability?". As the examination went on he commented that it was one of the worst cases of cracking he'd heard!

AfterwarRAB, I had the flexion/extension xrays which confirmed the retrolisthesis (opposite direction to you, infact it seems the sacrum slips forward and the rest of the spine backwarRAB) and instability at the previous level I was operated at.

So like you, it seems this cracking is absolutely something to do with the instability, but I've never found out what exactly. The only thing I've thought, looking about on the web, is something to do with gas being trapped in between the disc (or what's left of it) and joints which gets released as the vertebra slides...but that's a total guess!

Because for me the last crack often signifies the end of left-sided pain, I've a feeling that my left nerve is trapped in the narrow foramina in the painful, straight backed positions (as it always was) and as I bend forward the vertebra slides, opening up the foramina to give the nerve space. In contrast, the new right-leg pain I've developed, which is more associated with bending, feels more like the nerve is caught on a joint or something and gets pulled as the vertebra slides. Eventually, it too is released with a very loud crack signifying the end of movement. The right-leg pain often lingers for a while afterwarRAB, my docs think as a result of inflammation.

Anyhow, that's a detailed description of my cracking and I'm interested to hear how much of it you can relate to. And if you get an answer to the cause from your surgeon, do let us know...In the meantime, I'm wishing you a very successful surgery, swift recovery and a very, very "stable" future.

Cheers
Jinks
 
I will definitely be keeping ya'll informed. I am just glad I am not the only one.
 
Such great advise, THANK YOU very much. BTW...I am sure it is a posterior incision. Worried about being on my stomach for so long during surgery. For one, my neck is going to be stiff and two, I have augmentation and I am sure my chest will be very sore as well.
 
He says I will be back to work in 8 weeks because I am otherwise young and healthy. I will be wearing hat he calls a corset brace. I'm glad because I see those big plastic ones and I cry. At least this way I can hide it. I am not one to publicly show a weakness, this is why it took me so long to get any help. And why it is to the point its at now. I am still scared. Very scared. Having bad dreams. My pain is still incorporating itself into these dreams. Eg. getting shot in the back and waking up in terrible pain. Getting crushed between a boat and a dock and waking up in pain and soaking wet. (Doc says the cold sweat is the body's reaction to pain while you sleep.) Instead of touching toes with legs straight, I am bending back with my knees straight and touching my heals. It sucks, I remeraber all my dreams, ever since I was a kid.
 
Ok all, still getting used to how this site works, so bear with me.

So, in a nutshell. Call my insurance company, get a grabber, get silk sheets, a journal, a garbage bag for the seat of my car and a ziplock bag for the ride home. This sounRAB so inviting. NOT!! I guess when I put all this advice in one area it does seem like a tragic event is about to happen.

My pre-op appt is set for Tues so I will know more about what to expect. I am sure it is posterior though. I am worried about my implants with that much pressure for the 45 minutes of surgery and the fact that my neck is going to feel stiff.

My problem with sliding on my bed is that I went and spent mucho dinero on a Top of the line Temperpedic mattress. And if you know about them, you cannot slide out of them at all. I told my husband instead of using the top sheet as a top sheet, I could lay on both of them and so when I slide the top sheet will slide against the fitted sheet. I thought it was ingenious. My husband didn't come up with the idea on his own, so of course he is totally against it and says it won't work and he's not getting us silk sheets.

Anyway, snap, crackle, pop and away we go...
 
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