anybody here ever deal with ortho back issues?

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was dx'ed with lumbar spinal stenosis, popped disc @ l1, spondylolisthesis l5/s1, anterolisthesis l3/4. my back failed catastrophically in june and am still struggling with pain/stiffness/weakness. the only thing that has helped me [aside from pain pills/anti-inflammatories/anti-spasmodics] is lumbar traction to decompress the sciatic nerve and partially suck-in the popped disc material to get it off the spinal cord. there are 3 practical ways to accomplish this-

*passive using elevation of lower limbs upon a high padded surface like a tall couch or traction tower, with a back brace,back traction strap on and a weight upon the stomach while lying on back-
*inclined board with head below 0 degrees angle-
*traction table [divided in two, with adjustable tension of the lower part pulling away from the upper part].

the first two are affordable, the last one is not really [$10k for hydraulic table, $500 for various pneumatic traction platforms].
anybody here have to deal with lumbar issues [like spondy, popped disc, et al]? if so, what did you do about it? anybody get the fusion/laminectomy surgery? thank you in advance

never had back problems myself, but used to work in an Ortho hospital where a specialist once told me that if I ever have back problem that surgery should be my absolute last option because once you start with back surgery its never going to be just once. Maybe he was wrong, that was back in the 80's. Ever considered an inversion table? Those things are awesome if you can afford one

can you tell me what you did in the hospital? that is fascinating what the specialist told you is largely true, that the subsequent surgeries do is fix scarring and missed things in the first surgery. my bro in law has had three at which point he threw up his hands and said enough. I tried the epidural injections which hurt and didn't really have much effect once the lidocaine wore off. I can't do the inversion because the blood rushing to me head does funny things to my brain. so a traction device of some kind will have to do. found one called "spinal stretch" on amazon for $50, I hope I can make it work, it is sorta rinky dink [to be expected at that price]. you are so fortunate to be rugged.

Terrible back problems caused by a life time of poor posture and lack of proper back exercises prior to playing sport. Now suffering from worn down lower lumba discs and arthritis set in. Not much I can do now other than take regular anti-inflammatory tablets and practise Tai Chi.

can you tell me, por favor, how you use the tai chi to soothe your lumbar region?

One of the hospitals I worked at in the army. Patient administration specialist

you were IMHO fortunate in that regard, they never offered me anything other than infantry, combat medic or operating room. they were really short of ORTs so I think that was their way of steering me to "the right choice" but it was high stress for sure. I wished then and now I coulda gotten a clerk job instead. I am a born paper work person.

Strengthens the muscles supporting the lumbar region discs and helps me to keep the back straight which reduces the wear on the discs. Doesn't really alleviate the pain though. Just have to live with it.

I had very specific back problem.

I had back pain in high school and got checked out by a doctor - they found no problems. Eventually the back pain stopped, but I have always had pain from time to time shooting down the back of my legs. I didn't realize this was sciatic nerve pain, but it was.

20 years later, in 2011, I was walking my dog and my back got wrenched. I was in tremendous pain - severe pain throughout my lower back and shooting down my entire leg into my foot. I was in constant pain, not a dull ache at the end of a long day. I was told PT would take care of it. It didn't. I went to PT for about 5 months and my condition only deteriorated. I couldn't drive for 3 of those months, couldn't sit for longer than 15 minutes at a time. I walked about and laid down. At the end of it, I couldn't get out of bed. The sheets touching my toes caused excruciating pain. If my husband moved in the bed, I was in agony. I screamed and cried and I wouldn't let my kids come in my room because I didn't want them to be upset seeing me like this. It was absolute agony, unbearable, and something I could not "just live with."

I was on Ibuprofen, Vicodin, Gabapentin (nerve med), Prednisone (all at once.) Had a couple of Cortisone shots. Went to the hospital once when all that failed. The meds they gave me helped if I was lying down, but as soon as I got up to go to the bathroom, I couldn't walk I was in so much pain. At the end, I couldn't walk/stand/shower without assistance.

Finally, the doctor was convinced (after I had gone to the hospital) that PT was not going to work and agreed to do the surgery.

Once she got in there, she saw that I did not have a normal bulging/herniated disc. I had an old injury where, instead of the goo going back into the disc or dissolving in my body, it had calcified. When I walked the dog and my back got wrenched, this calcified disc landed right on my sciatic nerve, causing the pain. During the surgery, she also found that I had a cyst growing on the other side of my nerve directly across from the calcified disc. The MRI showed neither of these problems. My sciatic nerve was squashed flat.

THANK GOD that my nerve started to re-inflate immediately after the pressure from the disc and cyst was relieved. THANK GOD that I did not have severe permanent nerve damage (I only have a slight amount - the outside of my left calf is still numb and occasionally I get pain in my foot like I stepped on a nail.)

My back pain was from something very specific, so surgery helped. In the course of treatment and recovery, I learned that I do have some underlying issues (a loose sacroileatic joint among others) that probably contributed to my injury. PT helped those. The therapist taught me things to do at home when I get out of whack. Also, she gave me instruction on what types of exercises and physical activities to avoid to prevent future problems. I also had to get a better bed. We got a Tempurpedic extra firm mattress, and it has been worth every penny.

I have been diagnosed with severe osteoporosis and moderate osteoarthritis. As a result, I have also been diagnosed with spinal stenosis (cervical and sacral), previous fracture at T-10 (thoracic), multiple micro-fractures (cervical), osteophytes (cervical), degenerative-disk disease (cervical and lumbar), nerve impingement (cervical), vertebral wedging (cervical and lumbar).... Well, you get the idea.

I tried physical therapy this summer, and found that a few stretches worked okay. The others made my pain much worse. I use a TENS unit, and I am prescribed Tramadol. I am in mild pain all the time, because I don't want to rely on the Tramadol by taking more.

I used Tramadol one time, one pill, and the next day woke up with my left arm from the elbow down spasming and jerking uncontrollably like a fish on a hot sidewalk. Lost the use (or control) of my left pinkie for a few months. Never took another one.

I had that happen once or twice in the 15 years I have used Tramadol; not fun. But, I tolerate it better than my alternatives. And, I don't want to progress to natural opioids at this time.

glad to hear you found the exact problem and got it definitively taken care of very fortunate! the surgery scares the hell outta me, though. I gotta ask, though- did they have to fuse the joint with the bad disc?

I actually had a laminectomy done. They took out the calcified disc and a portion of the vertebrae (I think because the disc was fused to it?) I didn't ask too many questions after my surgery - I was just glad I had it done!

I did not have discs fused. However, I believe the vertebrae that was cut was already fused to another (I have two vertebrae that had fused on their own at some point in my life, which were discovered in high school.)

very interesting about the spontaneous fusions. can you tell me what is your back mobility like nowadays?

I am back to normal mobility. I just passed the 3-yr mark for my surgery. It took a LONG time to get normal balance back, but that was the only physical thing I really had trouble with after the recovery period. I still deal with my SI joint issues, but since I've been following the PT's advice, it hasn't been so bad.

About the balance - not sure why it was so bad. Maybe because my core muscles are shot (I've had 2 C-sections and a back surgery?) However, I've since learned that people with AS can have balance trouble, and I've always been a clutz my whole life. I've been doing a fair amount of hiking in the last three years, though, and have seen significant improvement in this area. The first time I went out, about 6-8 months after my surgery, it was terrible. Now, I feel back to "normal", but I was never meant to be a gymnast.