OT: Lumbar decompression Surgery (OK who's had it and what can I expect?)

[DHajekRC84]

after years of putting it off while trying other methods of relief I've got to get it in the fall. Just can't stand or walk much anymore. 1st surgery ever and I am told by surgeon outpatient and for two weeks I'd be sorry I had it then after that wondering what took so long to do it.

Any experiences to share fellas?

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

Best of luck and I hope you start feeling much better

 

[kupuna133]

after years of putting it off while trying other methods of relief I've got to get it in the fall. Just can't stand or walk much anymore. 1st surgery ever and I am told by surgeon outpatient and for two weeks I'd be sorry I had it then after that wondering what took so long to do it.

Any experiences to share fellas?

I had discectomy and fusion cervical spine. c4-c5. 20 years ago. I can recommend 2 things.
1) Neurosurgeon. Friends had similar surgery and went the ortho route and had mixed results, requiring more surgery.
2) Be vigilant with the rehab.

 

[DHajekRC84]

I had discectomy and fusion cervical spine. c4-c5. 20 years ago. I can recommend 2 things.
1) Neurosurgeon. Friends had similar surgery and went the ortho route and had mixed results, requiring more surgery.
2) Be vigilant with the rehab.

Thanks. I have been going Ortho and you are the 2nd person who said Neuro. Have to look into that more.

BTW..did you get to that 70-80% better level if I may ask?

 

[kupuna133]

Thanks. I have been going Ortho and you are the 2nd person who said Neuro. Have to look into that more.

BTW..did you get to that 70-80% better level if I may ask?

I was young when I had the surgery. My issue was due to many years of physical abuse to my body via contact sports, skiiing, snow mobiling etc... I was able to return to most of my pre surgery activities. But as I said earlier rehab is key. Don't rush the recovery, follow the plan.

Strange thing was I had minimal pain going into surgery. I had issues with losing sensation and functionality via nerve compression. Realized immediate sensation day after surgery. Nerves took some time to fully awaken.

I was very active playing in multiple competitive basketball leagues in NYC. I had to slow things down after surgery. Mostly because some people are just idiots. Had my legs taken out on a layup in a lawyers game and realized it was time to hang up the sneakers. Still ski, play golf etc...

 

[Knight Shift]

I was young when I had the surgery. My issue was due to many years of physical abuse to my body via contact sports, skiiing, snow mobiling etc... I was able to return to most of my pre surgery activities. But as I said earlier rehab is key. Don't rush the recovery, follow the plan.

Strange thing was I had minimal pain going into surgery. I had issues with losing sensation and functionality via nerve compression. Realized immediate sensation day after surgery. Nerves took some time to fully awaken.

I was very active playing in multiple competitive basketball leagues in NYC. I had to slow things down after surgery. Mostly because some people are just idiots. Had my legs taken out on a layup in a lawyers game and realized it was time to hang up the sneakers. Still ski, play golf etc...

Must have been criminal lawyers or litigators, they are savages! Should have played against tax lawyers or patent lawyers, you would have been king of the court.

 

[kupuna133]

Must have been criminal lawyers or litigators, they are savages! Should have played against tax lawyers or patent lawyers, you would have been king of the court.

They were old white shoe Wall St type attorneys.

Lawyers league in NYC was no joke. Many D1 talent on the roster. Many rosters changed around playoff time. So much where they had to change the rules (lots of mail room guys included on roster).
I am not a lawyer but played in a regular pick up game at the old DAC (home of the Heisman) when it was open, with a bunch of lawyers. They thought I was an attorney and was invited to play in the league. Played for years until the league admin asked for ID card from my employer. HAHAHHAH.

 

[DHajekRC84]

I was young when I had the surgery. My issue was due to many years of physical abuse to my body via contact sports, skiiing, snow mobiling etc... I was able to return to most of my pre surgery activities. But as I said earlier rehab is key. Don't rush the recovery, follow the plan.

Strange thing was I had minimal pain going into surgery. I had issues with losing sensation and functionality via nerve compression. Realized immediate sensation day after surgery. Nerves took some time to fully awaken.

I was very active playing in multiple competitive basketball leagues in NYC. I had to slow things down after surgery. Mostly because some people are just idiots. Had my legs taken out on a layup in a lawyers game and realized it was time to hang up the sneakers. Still ski, play golf etc...

I have severe loss of sensation as well. C4-C5 as well. Entire lower body starts to burn and then goes numb except for that EXTREME burn from my butt to my toes. I blame it on carrying around triplet drums for miles and miles in the parades wearing crappy shoes. Back then (late 70's) all you had to support them was two seatbelt like straps over the shoulders in a crisscross. Not the metal support harnesses marching band drummers wear today. (plus a bunch of other stupid stress I've caused myself from being a stubborn jerk from eastern Europe heritage).

 

[kupuna133]

I have severe loss of sensation as well. C4-C5 as well. Entire lower body starts to burn and then goes numb except for that EXTREME burn from my butt to my toes. I blame it on carrying around triplet drums for miles and miles in the parades wearing crappy shoes. Back then (late 70's) all you had to support them was two seatbelt like straps over the shoulders in a crisscross. Not the metal support harnesses marching band drummers wear today. (plus a bunch of other stupid stress I've caused myself from being a stubborn jerk from eastern Europe heritage).

C4-C5 or L4-L5? You said lumbar decompression earlier.

Was misdiagnosed and treated for lumbar herniation which delayed treatment of real problem, cervical, by 2-3 months. Dropped foot on both sides, left more prevalent. Numbness and burning from mid chest down. PT is the one that diagnosed me and referred for full body MRI. Was in surgery next day at NYU. Chief of Neuro did my surgery. My case was turned down by 2 surgeons prior. He fit me in prior to leaving on a 2 week tour of Europe where he was teaching his technique.

 

[famousbill19]

I was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis , L4-L5. Had numbness in my lower back and legs down to my knees, could not stand or walk for more than 5-10 minutes without sitting down. My surgery was called ALIF, where they went through my abdomen and placed a spacer between L4-L5, then flipped me over and fused the two vertebrae. Was up walking within 24 hours, and only stayed in the hospital one night (RWJ Somerville).

The first three weeks of recovery were difficult - it was hard to manage the pain without getting sleepy. Was planning to go back to work (remotely) after two weeks, ended up needing an extra week. After the three weeks, however, I was feeling pretty good.

The pain/numbness in the back that I was experiencing was relieved almost immediately. Within 2 months I could stand and walk for indefinite periods, and within 6 months I was hitting tennis balls (don't tell my MD). Did about 10 sessions of PT, not sure it was of much value other than getting a nice massage.

Overall, would make the decision to do it again in a heartbeat. The increase in quality of life was dramatic, and the only remaining symptoms are a bit of arthritis-like stiffness in the AM that resolves quickly.

Hope this helps, happy to answer any questions.

 

[chiphi80]

In 2020 I could not stand up for more than 2 minutes. I couldn't walk 100 feet. The from a past ski instructor, black belt, college athlete, golfer and cyclist. The pain was excruciating.

My L4-L5 collapsed and was basically crushing my spinal cord. I had an L4-L5 spinal fusion. 8 hour surgery. They put a plate in my back and rebuilt my spine. They went in through the back. They monitored my nerves to ensure they didn't injure me any further. A nerve block was used and then gabapentin for the follow-up. One night in the hospital.

The improvement was immediate, I mean the first day. It continued to improve over months. No twisting for a few months, but with PT it improved and I was pretty solid in 4-6 months and as close to 100% in 12.

I wasted 2 years on pain relieving while it got worse. I was playing golf a year later, and continue to. I did do lots of PT and continue that work today. I also lost 60 pounds and do a lot of core work to keep my back strong.

Only good things to say and I would do it again. But recovery was a lot of work. NJ Spine Specialists. Dr. Kupershtein and Dr. Reiter.

Life changing surgery. I had the surgery at age 63 and I'm playing golf 3x a week. No more skiing though.

Hope that helps as well.

 

[DHajekRC84]

C4-C5 or L4-L5? You said lumbar decompression earlier.

Was misdiagnosed and treated for lumbar herniation which delayed treatment of real problem, cervical, by 2-3 months. Dropped foot on both sides, left more prevalent. Numbness and burning from mid chest down. PT is the one that diagnosed me and referred for full body MRI. Was in surgery next day at NYU. Chief of Neuro did my surgery. My case was turned down by 2 surgeons prior. He fit me in prior to leaving on a 2 week tour of Europe where he was teaching his technique.

Ooops you're right. I had injections last year for C5 for numbness down the right arm
That worked. This is L4-L5

 

[DHajekRC84]

I was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis , L4-L5. Had numbness in my lower back and legs down to my knees, could not stand or walk for more than 5-10 minutes without sitting down. My surgery was called ALIF, where they went through my abdomen and placed a spacer between L4-L5, then flipped me over and fused the two vertebrae. Was up walking within 24 hours, and only stayed in the hospital one night (RWJ Somerville).

The first three weeks of recovery were difficult - it was hard to manage the pain without getting sleepy. Was planning to go back to work (remotely) after two weeks, ended up needing an extra week. After the three weeks, however, I was feeling pretty good.

The pain/numbness in the back that I was experiencing was relieved almost immediately. Within 2 months I could stand and walk for indefinite periods, and within 6 months I was hitting tennis balls (don't tell my MD). Did about 10 sessions of PT, not sure it was of much value other than getting a nice massage.

Overall, would make the decision to do it again in a heartbeat. The increase in quality of life was dramatic, and the only remaining symptoms are a bit of arthritis-like stiffness in the AM that resolves quickly.

Hope this helps, happy to answer any questions.

Wow sounds terribly the same. Thanks and glad it worked and praying for the same. Bought stadium side parking off StubHub cause I can't walk back to blue anymore.

 

[DHajekRC84]

In 2020 I could not stand up for more than 2 minutes. I couldn't walk 100 feet. The from a past ski instructor, black belt, college athlete, golfer and cyclist. The pain was excruciating.

My L4-L5 collapsed and was basically crushing my spinal cord. I had an L4-L5 spinal fusion. 8 hour surgery. They put a plate in my back and rebuilt my spine. They went in through the back. They monitored my nerves to ensure they didn't injure me any further. A nerve block was used and then gabapentin for the follow-up. One night in the hospital.

The improvement was immediate, I mean the first day. It continued to improve over months. No twisting for a few months, but with PT it improved and I was pretty solid in 4-6 months and as close to 100% in 12.

I wasted 2 years on pain relieving while it got worse. I was playing golf a year later, and continue to. I did do lots of PT and continue that work today. I also lost 60 pounds and do a lot of core work to keep my back strong.

Only good things to say and I would do it again. But recovery was a lot of work. NJ Spine Specialists. Dr. Kupershtein and Dr. Reiter.

Life changing surgery. I had the surgery at age 63 and I'm playing golf 3x a week. No more skiing though.

Hope that helps as well.

I'll be 65 in October and covered by Medicare. Had I done it this past year it would have cost me over $7k with my high deductible retiree benefits. So I kept pushing off. Got so bad a few months ago I said screw it. Lol, they can't get me in until September so now I'm just dealing and going to buy a freaking nice new set of clubs with the savings!

 

[RU848789]

after years of putting it off while trying other methods of relief I've got to get it in the fall. Just can't stand or walk much anymore. 1st surgery ever and I am told by surgeon outpatient and for two weeks I'd be sorry I had it then after that wondering what took so long to do it.

Any experiences to share fellas?

Good luck! My dad had that surgery in the early 90s after dealing with terrible pain for 10+ years, since back then, the surgery was much riskier than today and he was very reluctant. He always says it was the best thing he ever did and wished he had gotten it sooner.

I have some L4-L5 disc compression that likely has led to some tingling/numbness in my feet over the past several years, but since I haven't really had any pain associated with it and still participate in several sports, pain-free, my doc (an ortho) recommended I not pursue any surgery given my mild symptoms and I concurred, since the surgery, while greatly improved, still carries some risk.

We did try a few rounds of PT, including mechanical decompression, but didn't see any improvement - he had said it was maybe ~50% effective, but worth a try. This is in contrast to mechanical decompression of my C6-C7 disc compression, wherein that, plus PT worked wonders for me (started about 15 years ago and have had 2 repeat cycles of decompression/PT since then, due to flare-ups of the telltale pain/tingling down the right arm/thumb/forefinger) and works for most people.

@mildone needs to read this thread...

 

[DHajekRC84]

Good luck! My dad had that surgery in the early 90s after dealing with terrible pain for 10+ years, since back then, the surgery was much riskier than today and he was very reluctant. He always says it was the best thing he ever did and wished he had gotten it sooner.

I have some L4-L5 disc compression that likely has led to some tingling/numbness in my feet over the past several years, but since I haven't really had any pain associated with it and still participate in several sports, pain-free, my doc (an ortho) recommended I not pursue any surgery given my mild symptoms and I concurred, since the surgery, while greatly improved, still carries some risk.

We did try a few rounds of PT, including mechanical decompression, but didn't see any improvement - he had said it was maybe ~50% effective, but worth a try. This is in contrast to mechanical decompression of my C6-C7 disc compression, wherein that, plus PT worked wonders for me (started about 15 years ago and have had 2 repeat cycles of decompression/PT since then, due to flare-ups of the telltale pain/tingling down the right arm/thumb/forefinger) and works for most people.

@mildone needs to read this thread...

Tried all that stuff including inversion..which I liked but not we effective enough. Got a double epidural in late May and felt like a new guy... For 3 weeks and just days before cruise came back worse. Couldn't walk from bow to stern and couldn't get off the ship to explore.
Not too bad sitting on an empty ship at the pools and the bars.. but that should be choice driven. Thanks numbers.

 

[T2Kplus20]

This thread reaffirmed my old decision of quitting all competitive leagues during my mid to late 30s. As a tall person, I am obsessed with protecting my back from injury or excessive wear, especially as the years go on. I also thank God that I never got into running or cross country. Everyone I grew up with that were dedicated to running, are already getting surgeries and replacements in their late 40s. Yikes!

Best wishes and best of luck to everyone in this thread with back issues!

 

[jakeknight]

Had L5 S1' done a number of years ago, had a neurosurgeon do it, think this is the way to go after all the biggest issue for the most part is nerve compression. Mine was so bad (drop foot, could stand for long without excruciating pain). Neuro's are nerve guys why screw around with an ortho? As said above do the rehab faithfully, while I got immediate relief after the surgery, the nerve numbness took almost a year to fully return. Biggest thing afterwards is not doing anything stupid. Pretty much full recovery although you will always have some level of vulnerability, just be smart.

 

[jreinsdorf]

Good thread. Wouldn't wish chronic back bain on my worst enemy

 

[Bagarocks]

I had discectomy and fusion cervical spine. c4-c5. 20 years ago. I can recommend 2 things.
1) Neurosurgeon. Friends had similar surgery and went the ortho route and had mixed results, requiring more surgery.
2) Be vigilant with the rehab.

Neurosurgeon
My only advice I can give

 

[29PAS]

I have a herniated L-4-5, that happened Sandy weekend in 2012. Spent a miserable 6 painful months hobbling around before finding the right combination of drugs, patience, then PT and after about 9 months I was able to start running again. I wanted to avoid surgery if at all possible but if needed, would have used a neurosurgeon and not an orthopod. I used to think people who said they had back problems were just overdramatic, lazy complainers. Not anymore. Good luck to the OP. BTW, still running @75.

 

[DHajekRC84]

I used to think people who said they had back problems were just overdramatic, lazy complainers. Not anymore. Good luck to the OP. BTW, still running @75.

Thank you PAS. I've been letting this effect my life for years. My kids (young adults) are screaming at me cause I can't do (some) things with them cause I've been trying to "tough" it out with drugs and alcohol. I still split my own wood with an ax. I still pick up crap I shouldn't. But haven't been able to golf for 3 years and bowled only 50% of last 2 seasons with an average that dropped from 170 to 125! Last two days I've moved all the downstairs furniture out to re-finish the hardwood floors with a polish. Have to live life. And have likely been pretty stupid in the process! Trying to be a manly-man lol.

Why did I share this? Be smarter than me. It's clearly a more prevalent issue than most folks know and should be addressed sooner than later. Especially when when you get to my limited years left.

 

[29PAS]

I know the feeling. Think I read somewhere that >50% of males over 50 have herniated L4-5s with varying levels of debilitation ranging from none to severe. Up until this year, I've managed to tweak mine once or twice a year (it returns to normal after a week or so) but I may have figured out why and how to avoid it. Time will tell.

 

[alexandriaru]

I had surgery last August for a variety of issues at L2, L3. I have issues throughout the spine having previously had two surgeries in my neck. Surgery was successful and I can walk 4 miles (with a couple of stops) with a cane. I echo the other comments regarding using a neurosurgeon rather than an orthopedic surgeon. I put off the surgery for as long as the epidural shots worked. When that stopped (and I was warned that they would), I got the surgery. 3 days in hospital followed by some PT and lots of walking.

 

[DJ Spanky]

I still split my own wood with an ax.

Oh, you're in trouble now!!! @LETSGORU91 is gonna start advising you on what type of axe to use.

 

[LETSGORU91_]

Oh, you're in trouble now!!! @LETSGORU91 is gonna start advising you on what type of axe to use.

Fiskars X27 is the

 

[DJ Spanky]

Fiskars X27 is the

Eh. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It's an axe.

 

[Caliknight]

Thanks. I have been going Ortho and you are the 2nd person who said Neuro. Have to look into that more.

BTW..did you get to that 70-80% better level if I may ask?

I had a discectomy 1.5 years ago. The pain relief was immediate. The hardest part was not doing much after the surgery. My surgeon, who's done many pro athletes who don't take his advice, recommended not even starting rehab for 6 weeks. The thought is it allows the hole in your disc to heal naturally. Then I started rehab which has moved into training now. I do that religiously. You never want to get that pain again.

I'll see if I can get the guy in NY's name who is well known. Apparently there are two guys who are the best in the world. One based here in LA that I saw and another in NY.

One thing I will repeat- when it comes time for rehab, put everything you have into that. You can actually come out of it better than you were pre injury. Finding the right PT person is as imperative as the surgery itself.

 

[DJ Spanky]

Then I started rehab which has moved into training now. I do that religiously. You never want to get that pain again.

I can't stress enough the importance of this. Once PT starts, do everything to the utmost your trainer tells you to do, and get guidance for how much you can continue to do on your own between sessions.

 

[patk89]

Had hip replacement in Nov 2020. Tough rehab. Running took its toll. Been mostly Peloton biking. Knees feel better than they have in 15 years. Run on treadmill once a week but slower than I did before. 30 minutes, slightly less than 4 miles. You don't want to be pounding away on your joints post 50.

 

[sct1111]

PT here. If you're talking about a laminectomy for lumbar stenosis, I would recommend it. Of all the types of back surgeries I rehab it tends to get by far the best outcomes.

Symptoms worse when standing/walking extended periods?

 

[DHajekRC84]

Symptoms worse when standing/walking extended periods?

If you're asking me the answer is "extended periods" = 3-5 mins on a hard surface and /or walking 100 feet. Sitting I'm fine.
And yes this has been verified with an MRI that once I read it knew surgery was coming. L3-L5 are a mess.
I figured PT was going to be important as is sitting around on m a$$ .