Back Surgery Thoughts

[Pres100]

Any medical procedure that has the potential to impact your quality of life needs several expert opinions, and at least two must agree with each other.

Don't take what one doctor says as the gospel.

good advice, this... I would also add to get that second opinion outside of the first network ... many just support their fellow peers. It's better to get a completely separate evaluation if possible/affordable.

In my case, my doc sent me to his brother (also neurosurgeon)..... I didn't know any better in my early 20's.

 

[Steel Mover]

Not medical advice at all.

Nerve damage does not begain to correct unless the reason for the damage is removed and removed correctly. The longer the disturbance is allowed to persist the more permanent the damage can become. Back pain is normally caused by pressure on nerves from disks, calcium buildup, curvature of the spine or fractures.

Pain meds should be temporary only, used for hours or days until a perminent repair can be made. The longer the repair is postponed, the longer it will take for the body to repair. The spinal cord repairs at the rate of 1 inch per month, 36 inches takes 3 years. You do not repair anything, your body will or will not repair the damage.

The very best surgeon you can find, laser preferred, do not expect a flowery bedside manner. Mine had a personality like a wet snake. I asked two doctors that had back surgery, who would you get, that was where I went.

We are fortunate in FL to have several excellent facilities for spinal cord injury treatment. That is what you are talking about, a level of injury.

 

[spitfire_er]

Have you seen a chiropractor? Sounds like you were able to get relief from it before when basically adjusting yourself. A good chiro can usually move the right spot and get some relief. It's a pretty benign thing to try and Bulges or Herniations are a common symptom treated by chiro's. If it is truly a bulge and not a herniation, you have better odds of working with it conservatively. Inversion tables are a good thing for bulges as well and only take 3-4 minutes of hanging at about a 110-120 degrees to get the benefit of it.

As far as surgery goes, depends on what they want to do. Micro-discectomies are a fairly common procedure are relatively safe along with having positive outcomes.

Not sure they would suggest a fusion unless you have blown you disc out or "sequestered" a disc and lost most of your disc height. Fusions are usually not a one and done deal. The discs and vertebrae above (sometimes below) the fusion take on the weight of the fused region and tend to fail down the road and require another fusion and so on.

Do your research, try some conservative stuff and you'll get through it.
*Not giving medical advice, just some info.

The spinal cord repairs at the rate of 1 inch per month, 36 inches takes 3 years.

CNS (spinal cord) nerves don't repair, they stay broke, PNS (peripheral) nerves can repair.

 

[MislMan]

I’ve had 4 lower back surgeries (S1 thru L3 fuzed and rods). Last one back in 2002 (Still have daily pain). While a lot of these inputs are very informative, do not overlook many occurred over 20 years ago. Practices, procedures, equipment and more detailed learning (specialized practice) have changed. Some even drastically. Do your share of checking and educate yourself to help make the decision that’s right for you. This very much an individual choice.

 

[varget204]

Have Degenerative Disc desease,43 nyears of Back problems on Right Side ,recently ruptured L5, on Left side. Neuropathy in both feet,Total Knee replacement. Recomend Spinal Cord Implants, they Can Reduce Pain in 80 % of the people that get them,Just Finished a Trail Run, Getting them Permanently, Similar to Tens but Stronger, Not Sharp, found it Soothing ,One can Adjust Simulation as Needed

 

[fx77]

With both back and hip involvement it is important to know which is causing the most pain.
sometimes a pain management injection by a pain management specialist, in the spine or hip to determine which is the more painful is indicated before deciding where if anyplace to do surgery
Aged people often have spinal stenosis which can be assessed by your specialist and often decompressed without spinal fusion provided there is no spinal instability.

Such an injection in the hip however should not be done within 3 mo of a proposed hip replacement, so as to reduce the risk of infection ,which could be a disaster Your specialist clearly knows of these associations.

Suppose you have a spinal fusion ,it should be done before the hip replacement The fused spine can dictate the position of the hip cup as you lose spinal mobility with a fusion procedure, and that can affect how the the hip moves. In fact under such circumstances there are pre operative computer programs and intraoperative computerized navigation that can allow the surgeon to position the hip cup within a one degree of angulation in all planes at surgery.

Total hip arthroplasty planning - PMC

Preoperative planning is mandatory to achieve the restoration of a correct and personalized biomechanics of the hip. The radiographic review is the first and fundamental step in the planning. Limb or pelvis malpositioning during the review results ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Top Three Burning Questions in Total Hip Arthroplasty

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) for end-stage osteoarthritis is one of the most effective surgical treatments in medicine. Impressive outcomes have been well documented in the literature with patients gaining ambulation and recovery of hip joint function. Nevertheless, there are still debatable...

www.mdpi.com

 

[pintopete]

As a healthcare provider of over 35 years "Youtube" IS NOT a reliable source for healthcare information! The absolute best and accurate information will always come from a healthcare professional. Multiple opinions are essential and recommendations for others in the field are also useful.

The video is from a provider, that accurately describes a common procedure performed by healthcare professionals. Perhaps since you have been in the industry for 35 years, you can provide useful information to the OP. Please tell us what is inaccurate about that video?

Atlantic Spine Center - Back pain relief in the heart of NJ & NY.

Board Certified Physicians Successfully Helping Back and Neck Pain Patients for over 10 years. Conservative & Minimally Invasive Options.

www.atlanticspinecenter.com

 

[Dave M.]

Went through c-4/c-5 fusion back in 2015. EWish I had never done it. Have since found a great physical therapist and could not be happier. Have found exercise is key even if it’s just a walk.

I had C6 C7 neck fusion and it changed my life. Sorry to hear yours didn’t work well. I do know a low of people that had neck fusion and it seems the ones that pushed themselves in therapy hard after had much better results. The ones whose doctors babied them and had them in a hard neck brace for 6 weeks had horrible results.
Dave

 

[F Class John]

Went through c-4/c-5 fusion back in 2015. Wish I had never done it. Have since found a great physical therapist and could not be happier. Have found exercise is key even if its just a walk.

100%. I had c5/6 and I 100% should've done more before taking what I thought was the easy road. Now my neck pain is back and there's no recourse to take. It sucks. Several friends have since done stem cell therapy on their necks and backs alone with physical therapy and have had fantastic results and no long term issues like my permanent fake disk now. Hindsight is always 20/20 and no two things will probably work for each person but there's my 2 cents.

edit: I should also add that I found out my guy sold his practice less than a year after doing my surgery so part of also feels like I was retirement planning even though he by all accounts was a good OS.