Spinal fusion L5 S1

[jennwalton73]

Hi I am new here and wanted to see if I could get some more info. I have had severe continued pain in my lower pack for over 2 years now. I have tried steroid injections, nerve blocks, PT, pain meds, nerve meds, tens unit etc and no relief. I had my MRI and Dr thinks if the pain is this bad and nothing else is helping I should consider surgery. I will post my MRI results but he said L5 S1 spondylolisthesis grade 2, degenerative disc disease, severe in L5 and also a tailbone disorder (which we are trying an injection in tailbone next week) and Spina bifada occulta in l5. My question is he only wants to do the fusion but not anything with tailbone because increased risk of infection. Is this going to help even with the tailbone disorder? I'm just really confused on what to do or what it all means but can't believe that the pain could be any worse than what am dealing with now. Any interpretation or advice would be helpful. Well it think it will only let me post one image....

[Pacemaker_1]

get a second opinion from an equally qualified specialist

[Blakejess]

Look up wallis ligament s . Giving u hAve spondylolisthrsis i am surprised he's offering fusion .

[carol-1966]

I had l5 s1 spinal fusion last October it went really well pain was greatly improved walking with out crutches brilliant then end of January this year I suffered imense pain and a feeling of pressure on the lower spine I'm on and off my crutches again as well as back on morphine I saw the surgeon last week did X-rays said fusion site was good and sent me home please get a second opinion before you decide what you are going to do

[Julesgettingthere]

Hello Jen Walton, Jules here

Second opinion - definitely.

[mathmom]

I have spondylothesis grade 4 now and surgery is imminent. I've had grade two for years and wish i had the surgery then as it is a lot more complicated. Now. If nothing else works then I'd get fusion before the grade gets worse and how theybdo the surgery is more complicated. Good luck!

[Skipper55]

Hi there I had the same problem it took 9 months to identify the problem . I was diagnosed in 1998 after 9 months of all sorts of test it was terrible anyway you need a very good nuro surgeon in my time the surgery was done in 2 parts one take bone off the hip then the next nuro surgeon inserted the bone between S1 and L5 and put the mesh around the spine with 4 strews to hold it in place 6 hours per part in surgery now I believe it's half the time or less . Scary yes painfull yes especially the 3 rd day with the swelling on the spine watch funny movies with all the pain relief possible , and you will be walking in 6 days or less . When you wake up from surgery the pain is a better pain than you are in now . After you recover swimming on your back is the most important thing you can do , kick board on your tummy and powerful flippers build up to 1k 3 times a week ,it must be in a warm pool 24deg plus so just swimming on your back kicking your legs to build up the dumb muscles that run down each side of your spine .this activity is critical , I have lasted 18!years trouble free ,also if possible get your doctor and stay on them forever 3 mg of alprozolene a day it relaxes the back muscles . A fusion has a normal life period of 10 to 12 years I have gone 18 and no trouble , avoid high back action sports such as tennis and golf ,

I fully subscribe to the surgery but you need a nuro surgeon not orthopedic and a very good one followed by the swimming and tablet its other name is Kalma you may get by with 2,mg a day . And build those back muscles up,it's slow going but critical to living a normal life it's worth it ,walking is also good and do not stand still for long and do not sit in bad chairs for very long. All the best I hope the above is of assistance .

[nelson500]

Go see a Neurologist, see what they say

[johnsmith]

Your diagnosis does not give the full story. The diagnosis does not look at muscle behaviour or posture. Nor does the diagnosis look at your sleep regime. One needs to know your age. People at different ages need to look at different things.

If your are in the 40's or older you are entering the stage where there is loss of fine muscle control and thus need to take steps to improve this. Ie join a yoga or t'ai chi class.

Sleep is highly important for fine muscle control. If you are not getting enough sleep then you must look at ways to get more sleep. How much sleep do you need? I don't know because this varies from person to person. This is something you need to investigate.

If your head is not balanced at the top of the spine then a lot of muscles will contract in attempt to hold the head and to compensate for the muscles that are contracted. The result can be back pain. Worth seeing an Alexander Technique teacher for more advice on this subject.

You have had the pain for two years. This suggests that you can have many muscle micro cramps which are likely to have accumulated over this time. Worth seeing a McTimony Chiropractor to investigate this.

Hope this helps