Discussion
For the OP
My dad had this (or the equivalent) in 1973 ish.
Fell of a dustbin pouring 'borrowed' fuel oil into our central heating (it was the fuel crisis
) and crushed two vertebra that were then joined together by some method ( I was 6 or 7 at the time so don't know all the details)
Cause him a little stiffness and a little pain for a while, but didn't stop years of canoeing with me on some serious white water and is still going strong at 78 ! (he fell off a ladder two years ago ffs)
Actually, thinking about it, he started canoeing because of the accident to strengthen his back
My dad had this (or the equivalent) in 1973 ish.
Fell of a dustbin pouring 'borrowed' fuel oil into our central heating (it was the fuel crisis
) and crushed two vertebra that were then joined together by some method ( I was 6 or 7 at the time so don't know all the details)Cause him a little stiffness and a little pain for a while, but didn't stop years of canoeing with me on some serious white water and is still going strong at 78 ! (he fell off a ladder two years ago ffs)
Actually, thinking about it, he started canoeing because of the accident to strengthen his back
Scrump said:
Good to hear you are not in too much pain Ructions.
I too am doing okay, the cold damp weather does make things a little worse but I am persevering with getting out for a daily walk as otherwise my back rapidly goes downhill.
Daily exercise is very important, especially in the current situation. I’d be lost without my daily walk on the beach. It’s been a long dreary winter on a lot of fronts, dry January is almost over, an early Spring and some good weather would make a lot of difference.I too am doing okay, the cold damp weather does make things a little worse but I am persevering with getting out for a daily walk as otherwise my back rapidly goes downhill.
Just stumbled across this thread. I was rear ended whilst stationary in late 2018. Went to GP about three times in the space of a few days. Told I had soft tissue and muscle damage despite struggling to walk and in constant pain. Went to A&E and had X-Ray and MRI, they got sent back to my GP who said they couldn't read them.
Two months later I was sent for 12 weeks of physio and hydrotherapy which didn't work. Told I'd have to wait 6 months on another MRI scan so no option but to pay to go private, health insurance covered nothing so a few thousand in by this point. MRI picked up a black disc, paid another whack for a steroid injection which didn't work. Had to pay another few hundred for an appointment 6 weeks after with the consultant to tell him it didn't work.
Fast forward to Jan 2021 and I still can't walk properly, climb stairs, sleep properly and the pain is off the scale goes between 6/10 on a good day and 10/10 on a bad. Can still drive but getting in and out of the car is painful. So over two years on I'm waiting for further surgery, private it is something like £30k. Most recent call was from a NHS consultant who is trying to get more X-rays and MRI in the next few months.No idea if the surgery will work, apparently it's two stages one to burn off the nerve and remove at disc and the second is fusion which I 've been reading some people would rather not have.
In the two years I haven't been able to walk more than 50m unaided without pain, can't run. Last time I visited my GP he said ' i've done all I can, I can offer you anti-depressants'. Told him I needed physical not mental help but it's clear not able to enjoy a normal walk let alone play amateur football again is getting me down in my early 30's.. Lost about 3 stone which had no impact, thought it would reduce the weight on my back.
Below is the MRI my own GP couldn't make anything of, I have it framed on the wall. Even people I show who aren't medically trained but have a pair of functioning eyes can see something was wrong.
So 2 years on constant pain and mobility issues, thousands out of pocket, 2 years salary gone, quality of life nosedived been on more medication than I can even remember. My employer has been pretty understanding and has left my position open but I can't do the physical work, no strength in legs or arms and I'd be a health and safety risk on site.
Well that's my tale of woe. Don't know anyone that is in this position over two years on but would be interested to hear from anyone that has. Feels like I'm in some sort of medical purgatory. Pandemic has no doubt pushed surgery back and there was at least 10,000 on the waiting list before Covid.
Two months later I was sent for 12 weeks of physio and hydrotherapy which didn't work. Told I'd have to wait 6 months on another MRI scan so no option but to pay to go private, health insurance covered nothing so a few thousand in by this point. MRI picked up a black disc, paid another whack for a steroid injection which didn't work. Had to pay another few hundred for an appointment 6 weeks after with the consultant to tell him it didn't work.
Fast forward to Jan 2021 and I still can't walk properly, climb stairs, sleep properly and the pain is off the scale goes between 6/10 on a good day and 10/10 on a bad. Can still drive but getting in and out of the car is painful. So over two years on I'm waiting for further surgery, private it is something like £30k. Most recent call was from a NHS consultant who is trying to get more X-rays and MRI in the next few months.No idea if the surgery will work, apparently it's two stages one to burn off the nerve and remove at disc and the second is fusion which I 've been reading some people would rather not have.
In the two years I haven't been able to walk more than 50m unaided without pain, can't run. Last time I visited my GP he said ' i've done all I can, I can offer you anti-depressants'. Told him I needed physical not mental help but it's clear not able to enjoy a normal walk let alone play amateur football again is getting me down in my early 30's.. Lost about 3 stone which had no impact, thought it would reduce the weight on my back.
Below is the MRI my own GP couldn't make anything of, I have it framed on the wall. Even people I show who aren't medically trained but have a pair of functioning eyes can see something was wrong.
So 2 years on constant pain and mobility issues, thousands out of pocket, 2 years salary gone, quality of life nosedived been on more medication than I can even remember. My employer has been pretty understanding and has left my position open but I can't do the physical work, no strength in legs or arms and I'd be a health and safety risk on site.
Well that's my tale of woe. Don't know anyone that is in this position over two years on but would be interested to hear from anyone that has. Feels like I'm in some sort of medical purgatory. Pandemic has no doubt pushed surgery back and there was at least 10,000 on the waiting list before Covid.
Edited by sutoka on Friday 29th January 01:25
Sorry to hear about your situation, if you read through the thread you will get a mix of stories and outcomes, I can only speak about my experience, I had two fusions, the first on my neck C4/5/6, which was a success, so much so that I didn’t hesitate to think about the implications of the second op on my lower back L4/5/S1. I can only speak from my experience, but if I could turn the clock back I would not have that particular operation done again. Surgery should be the last resort, not the first. Six years after my accident, like you I was rear ended, my back isn’t and will never be right. There are days when it’s ok and there are days when it is bad, I can’t say there are any good days.
Sutoka, sorry to hear about your problems.
I can obviously see the black disc and I assume that a black disc is not a good thing.
My back problem was in the lumbar region and was not disc related but I also spent years in agonising pain before my problem was properly diagnosed and I then tried various escalating treatments.
The NHS were very dismissive of my pain for a long time. I then had a private health scheme and decided to use that to see if I could obtain some pain relief. The specialist sent me for an MRI which identified the problem (I wish the NHS had given me an MRI years earlier).
The specialist did not want to go straight to surgery so we tried various treatments. Steroid injections did nothing for me, so after some time I moved onto a denervation which took about an hour and was absolutely excruciating. It gave me no respite from the pain.
Eventually the decision was taken to go for a fusion.
That was a few years ago and although I had a some initial set backs (including a spinal infection which led to liver failure issues) I am now better than I was before the surgery. I still suffer from pain but it is now usually much more bearable.
As ructions said, don’t jump straight into a fusion and don’t assume it will be a cure, but my experience is that it worked for me (mostly).
I can obviously see the black disc and I assume that a black disc is not a good thing.
My back problem was in the lumbar region and was not disc related but I also spent years in agonising pain before my problem was properly diagnosed and I then tried various escalating treatments.
The NHS were very dismissive of my pain for a long time. I then had a private health scheme and decided to use that to see if I could obtain some pain relief. The specialist sent me for an MRI which identified the problem (I wish the NHS had given me an MRI years earlier).
The specialist did not want to go straight to surgery so we tried various treatments. Steroid injections did nothing for me, so after some time I moved onto a denervation which took about an hour and was absolutely excruciating. It gave me no respite from the pain.
Eventually the decision was taken to go for a fusion.
That was a few years ago and although I had a some initial set backs (including a spinal infection which led to liver failure issues) I am now better than I was before the surgery. I still suffer from pain but it is now usually much more bearable.
As ructions said, don’t jump straight into a fusion and don’t assume it will be a cure, but my experience is that it worked for me (mostly).
Scrump said:
Sutoka, sorry to hear about your problems.
I can obviously see the black disc and I assume that a black disc is not a good thing.
My back problem was in the lumbar region and was not disc related but I also spent years in agonising pain before my problem was properly diagnosed and I then tried various escalating treatments.
The NHS were very dismissive of my pain for a long time. I then had a private health scheme and decided to use that to see if I could obtain some pain relief. The specialist sent me for an MRI which identified the problem (I wish the NHS had given me an MRI years earlier).
The specialist did not want to go straight to surgery so we tried various treatments. Steroid injections did nothing for me, so after some time I moved onto a denervation which took about an hour and was absolutely excruciating. It gave me no respite from the pain.
Eventually the decision was taken to go for a fusion.
That was a few years ago and although I had a some initial set backs (including a spinal infection which led to liver failure issues) I am now better than I was before the surgery. I still suffer from pain but it is now usually much more bearable.
As ructions said, don’t jump straight into a fusion and don’t assume it will be a cure, but my experience is that it worked for me (mostly).
I spoke to an NHS consultant a few weeks ago, it was supposed to be my private one who also works for the NHS but he's a incredibly difficult to obtain without paying £250 for 5 minutes at private A&E. It's easier to get through to MI5 than him.I can obviously see the black disc and I assume that a black disc is not a good thing.
My back problem was in the lumbar region and was not disc related but I also spent years in agonising pain before my problem was properly diagnosed and I then tried various escalating treatments.
The NHS were very dismissive of my pain for a long time. I then had a private health scheme and decided to use that to see if I could obtain some pain relief. The specialist sent me for an MRI which identified the problem (I wish the NHS had given me an MRI years earlier).
The specialist did not want to go straight to surgery so we tried various treatments. Steroid injections did nothing for me, so after some time I moved onto a denervation which took about an hour and was absolutely excruciating. It gave me no respite from the pain.
Eventually the decision was taken to go for a fusion.
That was a few years ago and although I had a some initial set backs (including a spinal infection which led to liver failure issues) I am now better than I was before the surgery. I still suffer from pain but it is now usually much more bearable.
As ructions said, don’t jump straight into a fusion and don’t assume it will be a cure, but my experience is that it worked for me (mostly).
He said 'yes we can do that, we can do this, not a problem'. Then said he would put through an urgent referral to have more X-Rays and MRI with me bending forward and bending back, can't go very far in either direction as I found out when physio tried basic yoga. It's been about 18 months since my last MRI so it'll be interesting to see how much worse it's gotten.
A lot of GP's possibly ten different ones I spoke togave me medication that was just anti-inflammatory and some opioids, a few had the idea that if they doped me up to the gills I wouldn't complain. I would just sit in chair spaced out.
A few other suggested I go for a walk, I can't walk 50m unaided and the legs cramps would have me doubled over. People don't want to see me crying out in pain on their local green space.
It's not getting any better in fact it feels like it's getting worse so I'm keeping all options open but from reading extensively it seems spinal fusion should very much be a last resort.
It's quite apt that this thread has popped up again now.
I'm currently in the defence rehab centre doing a residential spinal course to try to build myself back up. Last week I pushed myself too hard again and I'm currently struggling to so much as walk unaided.
This flare up is probably the worst I've suffered post my last surgery. The pain above my right arse cheek and down my right leg is at a constant 6/10 spiking to 8 or 9/10 when I walk around.
One thing that is for certain is the conservative approach to meds of paracetamol, naproxen and pregablin is not enough to manage the symptoms. I've hopefully got an appointment this afternoon with the pain team to adjust the meds and get some relief.
I'm currently in the defence rehab centre doing a residential spinal course to try to build myself back up. Last week I pushed myself too hard again and I'm currently struggling to so much as walk unaided.
This flare up is probably the worst I've suffered post my last surgery. The pain above my right arse cheek and down my right leg is at a constant 6/10 spiking to 8 or 9/10 when I walk around.
One thing that is for certain is the conservative approach to meds of paracetamol, naproxen and pregablin is not enough to manage the symptoms. I've hopefully got an appointment this afternoon with the pain team to adjust the meds and get some relief.
Just wondered if anyone here has had a fusion for a bilateral pars defect with Spondylolisthesis. The slippage is grade 1 so not too bad, however the fracture is quite drastic as you can see!!! Ive been having injections but they only last a few months and need to get something more lasting. I had hoped for a pars fix, however learned today its not possible as the fracture is too old and on one side the bone is too skinny to get the 4mm screw in! Next step could be L5/S1 fusion surgery, however Im a bit nervous as know there is nothing 100% risk free and no going back.
I have other painful more painful conditions that cant be cured so managing this as well doesnt fill me with hope for the rest of my life.
I have other painful more painful conditions that cant be cured so managing this as well doesnt fill me with hope for the rest of my life.
Ructions said:
Can’t give any advice on your specific condition, but my advice to anyone thinking of having a spinal fusion is that surgery should always be the last resort.
Depends on the circumstances. I had a spinal fusion between L6 and S1/2 (I have an extra lumber vertabrae with no disc). I had the surgery in 1989 when I was 18 yrs old. Prior to that spaced out for 3 yrs on various drug cocktails, suffered temporary paralysis when it crushed the spinal cord, too much time out from school etc. I was referred from my local London authority, and was operated at the Royal National Orthopaedic Centre in Stanmore.99% of the time it's fine, when it's not, easily controlled with drugs over a few days. DF118 & Naproxen work well for me.
If I hadn't had the surgery, it would have been a total nightmare, I'd be wheelchair bound by now. The main thing I can offer is making both your front & back core as strong as you can, if you have to in early rehab, take the drugs to get you through, it will really improve your a day to day living.
I'm booked in for a spinal fusion on my L4 which has a crack and to get a protruding disc shaved (l4/l5) on the 27th of April.
I know everyone is different but how long did it take you to get back to normal?
Pre everything going tits up I was exercising 7 days a week which I have had to cut down massively and am itching to get back to normal.
I know everyone is different but how long did it take you to get back to normal?
Pre everything going tits up I was exercising 7 days a week which I have had to cut down massively and am itching to get back to normal.
GD, it depends what you mean by back to normal.
I felt some pain relief the first time I tried standing, on the same day as the operation.
It took weeks to get back to being able to walk any sort of distance.
As you can tell from this thread few get back to being totally pain free.
My advice would be don’t expect an instant cure and then you won’t get upset if you have a longer recovery time.
I hope it works out for you, let us know now it goes and how you find the recovery.
I felt some pain relief the first time I tried standing, on the same day as the operation.
It took weeks to get back to being able to walk any sort of distance.
As you can tell from this thread few get back to being totally pain free.
My advice would be don’t expect an instant cure and then you won’t get upset if you have a longer recovery time.
I hope it works out for you, let us know now it goes and how you find the recovery.
I have had it for years but the symptoms have been getting worse over time, getting up, sitting down and I get electric shocks down one side of my body.
Normal in my case would be back to exercising 7 days a week and being able to run more than 1 mile without electric shocks with every step.
I don't particularly want the surgery, but I can't go on living life in constant pain soon as I move.
Normal in my case would be back to exercising 7 days a week and being able to run more than 1 mile without electric shocks with every step.
I don't particularly want the surgery, but I can't go on living life in constant pain soon as I move.
Edited by TheGreatDane on Wednesday 17th March 16:12
I had a fusion L4/5, everything was in a bit of a state before the op. Quite a few days in hospital, few weeks off work, then a phased return (IT so not a manual job) and in reality it's never quite gone back to "normal". So I think everybody's different! It depends so much on the issue, what state it's in, how long it's been going on for etc.
It took me 2-3 days to be able to stand I think, mostly that's because I was so dizzy every time I tried (low blood pressure), as opposed to back related.
It was quite a while ago, but I vaguely remember doing most normal stuff within a small number of months.
It took me 2-3 days to be able to stand I think, mostly that's because I was so dizzy every time I tried (low blood pressure), as opposed to back related.
It was quite a while ago, but I vaguely remember doing most normal stuff within a small number of months.
Been lurking on this thread for a while.
Finally booked in on the 12th April to have my L4 disc shaved!
Have had a history of back issues all my life relating to too much sport. Would ‘go’ every year or so but would get over it after a few weeks. Last year was different. Went three times & then past repair September time.
Was in hospital over the New Year as the pain was unbearable & having trouble in the wee wee department. Had an MRI & big disc out of place putting pressure on the corda equina. Due to COVID didn’t operate but sent me home with more pills than an M25 rave.
Got the call today. Can’t wait to be pain free. Just hoping the recovery isn’t too long winded.
Finally booked in on the 12th April to have my L4 disc shaved!
Have had a history of back issues all my life relating to too much sport. Would ‘go’ every year or so but would get over it after a few weeks. Last year was different. Went three times & then past repair September time.
Was in hospital over the New Year as the pain was unbearable & having trouble in the wee wee department. Had an MRI & big disc out of place putting pressure on the corda equina. Due to COVID didn’t operate but sent me home with more pills than an M25 rave.
Got the call today. Can’t wait to be pain free. Just hoping the recovery isn’t too long winded.
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