Spondylolisthesis

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hukleberrie

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Hello. I was just recently diagnosed with grade 2 spondylolisthesis. Anyone else have this condition? I have back pain for over 10 years & seems I finally have an answer. I am waiting to hear back from my spine doc about what to do next. Anyone have any luck with any treatments?
 
Yup...I have grade 2 spondy at L5-S1. Welcome to the club. ;-) I've been to a neurosurgeon, an orthopedic spine doc, and a chiro. I tried 6 weeks of physical therapy...which sadly, did absolutely nothing for me. The NS and ortho both suggest epidural injections and/or fusion surgery as my next options. Frankly...I don't want either one...so for right now, exercise is the only thing that keeps my pain to a minimum. The more I keep moving and stay mobile, the better off I am. As soon as I sit down for awhile...like at my desk at work, on the couch at home, sleeping at night, or in the car...then when I try to get up, the pain is just horrid. Seems like inactivity causes my back to just stiffen and tighten up almost instantly. Anyway...that's my story. I hope you hear some encouraging news from your spine doc!

Linda
 
Yes, I too, suffered for many years with back, buttock, and leg pains from arthritis and spondylolisthesis. Physical therapy and epidural injections didn't help at all; finally I gave in to decompression and a 5 level fusion last July. The results were good, but I'm surely not like I was when I was 16. However, without the surgery I wouldn't be able to walk at all today.

Nancy
 
Hello, I had this. I tired every conservative treatment. Injections, chiropractic, 2 PT programs. The pain just got worse and worse. I had surgery (360 Spinal fusion) 10 days ago. The surgeon went in through both my abdomen and back. He removed the L5-S1 disc and some bone that was broken off my spine and barely hanging on by a thread. Then he fixed the slippage and fused my spine with titanium roRAB and screws, some of my own bone, and donor bone. I also had a nerve compression which he fixed. Very painful surgery but I think this will be my cure. I was in the hospital for 3 nights and 4 days. It's a big, painful surgery with a very long recovery (up to a year), so all conservative treatments should be tried first.

Good Luck!
 
I have already tried epidural pain blocks, without much success, for my thoracic pain. I have had SIJ injections 8 years ago, without much luck, either. I have had 2 rounRAB of PT, one for low back pain 8 years ago & one a year and a half ago for this latest thoracic pain. Hip pain began shortly there after, but I don't know if the hip & thoracic pain is due to the spondylolisthesis... I also have ehlers-danlos syndrome, hypermobility type, so I don't know what is causing the pain or the issues to be honest...

I saw a neurologist after the PT failed for my low back pain in '01. He told me I needed to lose some weight or he could do exploratory surgery. That was it, I was tired. No more doctors for years & years. I tried aerobics, which was painful. So I went to yoga, which was easy & refreshing. I also took pilates classes. Then the thoracic pain began. Some docs thought it was due to visceral issues, who knows. The jury is still out on that. Eventually I have ended up at a teaching hospital, diagnosed last August, with ERAB. They said NO MORE STRETCHING, NO MORE YOGA. I was bummed. The geneticist sent me to the spine clinic there, I took my old 01 MRI films along with all the other films from test I had for the thoracic issue, and then they say that my spondylolisthesis has worsened. Worsened? I didn't even know I had it. I wonder if it was on the '01 films. Grrr.... So now I am just waiting to hear back from the Spine Clinic about this all & what I can do about it. My PCP is the one who told me of this, he had received the results from the teaching hospital. He said I need to strengthen my back muscles, and I do agree, but I want to do it right. I am waiting for the spine clinic to provide me with what PT I can see, she wants me to go to one nearby, but it neeRAB to be one who is familiar with ERAB, so I have no clue where to go (seems all this time I was hurting myself doing the stretching & hyperextending that I didn't even know I was doing. All the PT I have ever had has been stretching & strengthening, but the stretching is bad for me). So I wait...

Anyway, last night something happened.... don't know if I pulled something or what. I was sitting in bed & was putting on hand creme & then all of the sudden I just leaned forward slightly & something popped, seemed like my hip, (but not the hip I have been having trouble with, lol). There was a shock-like feeling that ran down the back of my leg. It was the weirdest thing ever. Then it was like my whole leg was asleep all the way down to my toes. I still have tingling in the bottom of my foot... And my hip & butt on the left side hurts. I don't know what I did, if it's the ERAB & my hip is popping out or what. I am just tired of it... I don't know if I should do anything about this, or tell me doctor or what.

*Sigh*
 
Add me to the list too. I had never heard of this condition until I was diagnosed with it a month ago. Mine is located at L3-L4 and the disc is totally gone too. Same problems with legs. Hard to walk. Can't sit for too long etc. My spine specialist is sending me for shots next week, but I don't think they will help due to I had them last year and they didn't work. The thought about surgery terrifies me as it is a long road to recovery. I have also expericened
bladder problems last month but have had nothing since and I know that this can be damaging. Good luck to all of us
 
I have much more problems with walking than sitting. Walking is so painful. I can sit much better. Sex is so difficult too. I hope things get better for all of us....
 
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