Hey all
After a laminectomy and a discectomy L4 region my disc is almost non existent
Arthritis seems to be occuring as i’m very stiff in the mornings 8)
and now in pain pretty much all the time,future options seem to be having the bones fused or disc replacement. Any one had any experience of this procedure and it’s after effects?

My mom had upper vertabrae fused and it has revolutionised her life. From being in constast pain she now lives a normal life. Will ask her about procedure itself and the recovery period and post back. FWIW she had it done three or four years ago now.

I’ve got a high chance of it coming up but for the last 2 yrs have had facet joint injections on a regular basis which is like a switch where the pain is concerned – have them and 48hrs later no pain and a normal life.
Might be worth asking about this for the time being.

i have a natural double vertebrae in my lower back i cant remember which ones they are, this never causes me any pain. and i would imagine this to be the same restriction that you will have ?

My dad has. Not made any difference to his back pain 🙁

Thanks for the replys guys 😉
Think i’ll look into the joint injections for now

I considered it after 3 prolapsed dics, unbearable pain, no sensation in my legs or feet. Went for consultation, spoke endlessly to my GP who dissuaded me against surgery.

After years of pain killers and muscle relaxants something shifted and I had a brief window that was pain free. A friend suggested cycling again. Previously I could barely walk, nor swim. Cycling seemed crazy, but I bought a FS bike and gradually I built up sme core strength and things improved.

I eventually found a great physiotherapist who could manipulate my spine to reduce muscle spasm if the pain returned. I’ve had ten good years with only one or two three or four day long painful episodes per year since.

I’d really err away from surgery if you are young enough, find a good physiotherapist.

42 Now. When is was 17 i prolapsed two discs and after 9 months of physio went under the knife and had three vertebrae fused. 10 years later an i prolapsed the next disc up and again had the vertebrae fused. All fine following both procedures – no residual pain. I’d highly recommend!

I have been advised by my consultant that it really should be a last resort. If your interested his website has good info on what is involved, especially if you watch animations.

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Had three back ops, ended up having L5 fused, haven’t looked back. I had a disc shaved, loads of injections etc, but non worked. The pain relief from the fusion was instant. Couple months of physio then I started my riding career. This was 15years ago. Not looked back.

Email me if you want more info, my wife is also a pain specialist so very helpful on such matters

Your specialist will be able to advice you best, but be careful with advice from a board like this. Spinal Fusion is done for a lot of indications. It works better for some than for others. Many people may suffer from back pain and the doctors may not be able to diagnose the problem effectively, after a period of treating it conservatively a fusion might sometimes be offered in the hope that it would prevent pain in the area. In these cases the operation may not always provide the desired results.

If there is a clear indication and fusion is thought to be an effective treatment for that indication then fusion tends to be more effective.

The success of disc prosthesis in the lumbar spine is iffy. I work in a specialised orthopaedic hospital and many of the consultants I work with have all but stopped doing disc prosthesis in the Lumbar spine.

Injections again will only work for certain indications. They are often also used for diagnosis to figure out exactly which level should be operated. i.e. if anaesthetic injected into the facet or nerve root at a certain level stops the pain then that is possibly where the problem lies.