surgery or no surgery

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hello everyone i have a back problem and am wondering if surgery is needed.
My mri results read as follows.In the luraber spine there is a grade 1 to 2 anterolithesis of l5 in relationship to s1 due to bilateral pars intertarticularis defect.The intervertebral disc is uncovered and shows a small central annular tear.Moderate grade foraminal narrowing with compression of the exiting l5 nerves.I have had this for 5 years.Is surgery going to help my back pain.I herd surgery was only good for leg pain.And that 75% of people have less pain after fusion surgery.im 29 and dont want to make a mistake.Any advice would be helpful.
 
What type of symptoms do you have and how frequent are they? Do you have a consultative appointment planned with an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon or Neurosurgeon?

I did have surgery 14 years ago for something similar - sounRAB like you have spondylolisthesis.
 
Hi spineAZ.My simptoms are lower back pain with some pain in the calf and in the buttocks.I also need a knee reconstruction. how did you come out from your surgeries? is surgery something i should be scared of?Ive put off having knee surgery for ten years now at a huge cost. im pretty much in pain most all of the time and feel pretty disabled.Ive seen a neurosurgeon for my back and an othopedic surgion for my knee but taking the next step seems to be a problem for me.
 
So, which surgery are you going to have first. Both of them require long healing time, and you can't have them done at the same time..
 
Plug:

With the symptoms you have it does sound as if surgery would possibly of benefit for you. In my case the fusion surgery helped the back pain and leg pain. I first discovered my back problem via what I thought was hip pain!

I would suggest working on the back first. The knee is likely taking the brunt of some of your compensation for the back pain - so first have that resolved if you can. Have you considered a consultation with an orthopedic spine surgeon (these are orthopedic surgeons that do only spine - no knees, shoulders, etc). I have a totally separate orthopedic doctor for my knee.

While all surgery is somewhat scary and carries risk I personally won't be in pain if there is any chance surgery will help. So I didn't hesitate to do any of my spine or knee surgeries as I want to be functioning at my best.
 
Ill probably get knee surgery first but because back pain is worse than leg pain which i only get occasionally my question soley is can surgery help back pain?If anyone knows id like to hear from them.
 
I had an unsuccessful decompression surgery last August, but recently had a hopefully successful L4/L5 fusion. My back pain is reduced after my fusion, but I am still having leg pain when I sit and lay down. I am now able to walk without a limp, can walk twice as fast, and my legs no longer go nurab when I walk. The stabbing knives pain I had in my lower back when I would walk is now gone. I had a large tear in my L4/L5 disc.

If you have an unstable spine where one vertebrae is slopping around over another (which is sounRAB like you do), this can cause both back and leg pain. I think there is a good chance a fusion could help your back pain considerably.
 
Hi Plug,
I'm 27 and just had an anterior lurabar interbody fusion of L4-5 done 2.5 weeks ago. My decision to have the surgery was based on months and months of conservative therapy. Have you tried physical therapy, NSAIRAB, steroid injections in the spine, etc, with little result? If you haven't seen a pain management doc or tried physical therapy first, I'd try that first. I'd also suggest seeing an orthopedic spine surgeon with a reputation for being conservative. Mine was known for denying surgery to about 95% of patients that walked in the door, so I knew that if he told me I needed surgery and he thought it would help, that he was being totally truthful. You're right, some surgeries such as a discectomy are unlikely to solve back pain. But, a fusion can relieve back and leg pain (my chief complaint was back pain). It's a big decision and you need to think long and hard about it. One thing I didn't realize until after my surgery is that once you have a fusion, you really need to change the way you do things. You need to be mindful of bending, leaning, twisting, sitting, etc even after a complete fusion has occured. Fusing your spine can cause excess pressure at adjacent levels of your spine and cause problems down the road if you aren't careful. I can't tell you if the surgery has worked for me yet, as I'm only 2.5 weeks out, but I can tell you that it's a painful and slow recovery and requires a positive attitude and a determination to improve the health of your spine. I'll keep you in my prayers as you try to make this decision. You really need to ask yourself if the amount of pain you are in is completely changing your life. At 29 you have a lot of life left and if you aren't improving, then you need to do something to turn things around and improve your quality of life for the years ahead.

Good Luck,
Becky
 
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