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mznell
Guest
Hi Kevin,
I'm guessing you may have seen an article on minimally invasive fusion, or any minimally invasive procedure. They've been doing discectomies this way for years, but it is relatively new to do a fusion this way.
I'm guessing you may have seen an article on minimally invasive fusion, or any minimally invasive procedure. They've been doing discectomies this way for years, but it is relatively new to do a fusion this way.
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nscrbug
Guest
Wow...I have to say that I'm a little surprised by the amount of fusions done on grade 1 spondy patients. I was always under the impression that most surgeons won't even consider fusion surgery unless the grade is a 2 or higher. I guess I should count my blessings at the moment, since my pain is at a "tolerable" level. The low back pain is always there, but I suppose I've gotten used to it...if that's even remotely possible. It's a constant dull ache that never really goes away, but is worse when I try and get up from a seated position. The nerve pain down my right leg, however...is at it's worst right upon waking up in the morning. It's concentrated primarily in my calf, and is a stabbing, burning sensation. I usually start out the day walking with a limp, but as soon as I get to the gym and hop on the treadmill...the pain dissipates fairly quickly. This has always baffled my NS and therapist..as they say it defies all logic that jogging/walking would make my leg pain go away. Go figure...:dizzy: I've been classifed as a "unique" case. Perhaps I just have a really high tolerance for pain and don't realize it, which enables me to work through it. Either that or it's some other weird anomaly that is making my pain disappear when I exercise.
Linda
Linda
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sheri42
Guest
Hello,
I will be 2 yrs post op next month from L4-S1 TLIF fusion for grade 2 spondy. I managed to get by 10 yrs before I went for surgery. I did o.k. at grade one for about 8 yrs. When I slipped to grade 2, my life started closing in on me. I couldnt cook, stand, sit, walk far or much of anything.
I was fully fused at 12 weeks post op and can honestly say that I am better than before surgery. I am not 100% pain free though. I do have some knee, and leg pain that is intensified with the cold/rainy weather. I currently am not taking any pain meRAB and have not since around 3 months post op.
I can stand, cook, vacuum, clean, mop, and other stuff that I was unable to do before surgery.
I do have different pains now than before, and still have to baby my back but my quality of life has greatly improved. I was sooo afraid of the surgery that I waited 10 years. I was diagnosed at 25 and had it done at 35. At this point I consider myself a success story.
I am crossing my fingers that my other levels will stay healthy as long as they possibly can, and that I continue to do well for many many years to come.
I will be 2 yrs post op next month from L4-S1 TLIF fusion for grade 2 spondy. I managed to get by 10 yrs before I went for surgery. I did o.k. at grade one for about 8 yrs. When I slipped to grade 2, my life started closing in on me. I couldnt cook, stand, sit, walk far or much of anything.
I was fully fused at 12 weeks post op and can honestly say that I am better than before surgery. I am not 100% pain free though. I do have some knee, and leg pain that is intensified with the cold/rainy weather. I currently am not taking any pain meRAB and have not since around 3 months post op.
I can stand, cook, vacuum, clean, mop, and other stuff that I was unable to do before surgery.
I do have different pains now than before, and still have to baby my back but my quality of life has greatly improved. I was sooo afraid of the surgery that I waited 10 years. I was diagnosed at 25 and had it done at 35. At this point I consider myself a success story.
I am crossing my fingers that my other levels will stay healthy as long as they possibly can, and that I continue to do well for many many years to come.
M
mznell
Guest
Hello Kevin ~
Welcome to the board. I just had surgery 2 weeks ago. Had a grade 1 spondy with stenosis at the L4-5 level. I spent about 3 years trying every treatment, therapy, alternative treatment, hoping that science would come up with a solution short of fusion. I consulted with 8 different spinal specialists: a physiatrist, 2 neurosurgeons and the rest were orthopedic surgeons. I had pain in my right leg from hip down to my toes, and the leg would go nurab after standing for just a couple minutes. By the time I decided on surgery, I could only stand about a minute and could only walk for a couple minutes. I had started to drive to my mailbox at the end of the driveway to get my mail. The reason I could wait 3 years was because my pain would go away as soon as I sat down. I did not have pain when sleeping, lying down or sitting. But as soon as I got on my feet, the pain was intense.
Regarding the inversion table, it is a piece of exercise equipment that you lie on and can tip yourself upside down or various angles in between. The result is like hanging from your knees as a kid -- it works to decompress the vertebrae -- all day long gravity presses down on your spine, squishing the space out of the disc. By inverting yourself on this piece of equipment it helps your spine to decompress...theory being if you have a pinched nerve, this inversion helps to create a bit more space between the vertebrae. You can read about this piece of equipment on the 'net.
Feel free to ask any questions you have about the fusion process. It is fresh in my mind.
Welcome to the board. I just had surgery 2 weeks ago. Had a grade 1 spondy with stenosis at the L4-5 level. I spent about 3 years trying every treatment, therapy, alternative treatment, hoping that science would come up with a solution short of fusion. I consulted with 8 different spinal specialists: a physiatrist, 2 neurosurgeons and the rest were orthopedic surgeons. I had pain in my right leg from hip down to my toes, and the leg would go nurab after standing for just a couple minutes. By the time I decided on surgery, I could only stand about a minute and could only walk for a couple minutes. I had started to drive to my mailbox at the end of the driveway to get my mail. The reason I could wait 3 years was because my pain would go away as soon as I sat down. I did not have pain when sleeping, lying down or sitting. But as soon as I got on my feet, the pain was intense.
Regarding the inversion table, it is a piece of exercise equipment that you lie on and can tip yourself upside down or various angles in between. The result is like hanging from your knees as a kid -- it works to decompress the vertebrae -- all day long gravity presses down on your spine, squishing the space out of the disc. By inverting yourself on this piece of equipment it helps your spine to decompress...theory being if you have a pinched nerve, this inversion helps to create a bit more space between the vertebrae. You can read about this piece of equipment on the 'net.
Feel free to ask any questions you have about the fusion process. It is fresh in my mind.