Is my lumbar spine "bad enough" for multi-level replacement?

[Chubby]

Is this bad enough to look at multi level replacement? I have been fighting tis fo 24 years in hope they would not fuse. I am active and If I work out every day and watch what I do I can mostly stay pain free with just some advil. But my life isnt what I want so what ya think.

[KBear]

I'm no doctor; but it looks like you are having a lot of compression on your spinal canal causing it to narrow. I would definitely see a few surgeons and get their opinions. Doing nothing can cause problems too, loss of bladder control, nerve damage that even with surgery, will not get better and so on. I highly suggest getting several medical opinions on this and doing tons of research. Good Luck, Kathy

[Chubby]

Thanks I have seen alot of people in the last 20 years all here in the states want to fuse.... Not for me ....

[Dave]

That looks very sore. Like Kathy said, we are not doctors, but that looks , well, not good.

[Justin]

Is this bad enough to look at multi level replacement? I have been fighting tis fo 24 years in hope they would not fuse. I am active and If I work out every day and watch what I do I can mostly stay pain free with just some advil. But my life isnt what I want so what ya think.

Hi Chubby,

Welcome to the Spine Patient Society! The film that you posted is pretty dramatic. I'm sorry that you have been fighting spine issues for 24 years.

I have a couple of questions for you:

• How recent is your imaging (MRI, CT, etc.)?
• Do you know how your facet joints look? Has anyone noted any degeneration?
• Are you currently scheduled to see (or have you recently seen) a surgeon regarding your spine?

I hope we can support you along the way.

BTW: I edited the title of your thread, so that it is easier to find when others do a search.

[KBear]

Thanks I have seen alot of people in the last 20 years all here in the states want to fuse.... Not for me ....

Are the drs that you have seen using ADR and still want to fuse? Or do they just do fusions? That can definitely make a surgeon suggest one surgery over another, if that is the only surgery they do. I would ask when making an appointment how many ADR's they have done, how long have they been doing ADR and what percentage of their surgeries are ADRs versus fusion. If a dr does fusion only, then they are obviously going to say fusion. Same for a dr that does ADR only, they will say ADR. I would make sure to see the top docs in your area and get multiple opinions. And ask them WHY they are suggesting a certain surgery.

ADR is not for everyone and there are plenty on here and out there that have horror stories of it, and have needed revisions. If you are not a good canidate, and there are many factors that could make you a bad canidate, then you can have a horrible outcome and end up worse than when you started. If your facets are degenerated badly, then they can cause lots of problems with ADR. With as bad as your MRI looks, I wouldn't be surprised if they were too bad for ADR.

Also, fusion is not the horrible thing it is made out to be, on alot of these sites. For many people, fusion is a waaay better choice than ADR. Also, alot of people go into ADR thinking that if it doesn't work, then they can just have a revision and fusion. Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Revision is an extremely risky surgery and the success rate of a fusion after revision is alot lower than just starting out with a fusion in the first place. I don't know all the reasons why; but hopefully some of the others will explain this better than me.

What area do you live in, and maybe someone will have some top ADR dr. suggestions for you. You can also send your films overseas to get opinions on what surgery and how to proceed.

[Fuzzy]

To be honest it is impossible to tell by the one MRI slice you posted. If you showed it to a top surgeon they will say all the slices are needed or at least several in both direction (sagital and axial views). this one does look a little bad (very simiar to how mine looked before ADR) but one needs the picture next to it. Like it has been said to see a doctor who does both ADR and fusions would get you a reasonable answer as to whether ADR is truly an option over fusion. If there are too many complication factors you are better off with a fusion and they do work. I have both ADR and fusion and am happy with that.

They always say "if you can live with it" it is better to avoid surgery as it is no fun and sometimes you end up with new problems or worse then before. Learn as much as you can.

[Justin]

To be honest it is impossible to tell by the one MRI slice you posted. If you showed it to a top surgeon they will say all the slices are needed or at least several in both direction (sagital and axial views). this one does look a little bad (very simiar to how mine looked before ADR) but one needs the picture next to it. Like it has been said to see a doctor who does both ADR and fusions would get you a reasonable answer as to whether ADR is truly an option over fusion. If there are too many complication factors you are better off with a fusion and they do work. I have both ADR and fusion and am happy with that.

They always say "if you can live with it" it is better to avoid surgery as it is no fun and sometimes you end up with new problems or worse then before. Learn as much as you can.

Fuzzy, hit the nail right on the head. :thumpup:

[Chubby]

I do have 2 cd's with all my mri and 4 posision X rays I have made several copys and am sending them out to different doctors In the US. I can get along now as I am not in any pain to speak of. But to keep that way is a baddle between a hr a day on my eliptical , stretching, And in the summer biking up to 60 miles a day. But dont get me wrong when it goes south It really goes south........ I am just tired of not doing alot of things I used to do.........

[Justin]

I do have 2 cd's with all my mri and 4 posision X rays I have made several copys and am sending them out to different doctors In the US. I can get along now as I am not in any pain to speak of. But to keep that way is a baddle between a hr a day on my eliptical , stretching, And in the summer biking up to 60 miles a day. But dont get me wrong when it goes south It really goes south........ I am just tired of not doing alot of things I used to do.........

Hi Chubby. I'm glad to hear that you are sending your films to surgeons for evaluation. Personally, I think it is better to preemptively "figure things out" before one's spine is past the point where surgical intervention will help.

I have to to the 60 miles a day of biking you do during the summer. Staying active and stretching have been key during my recovery.

Please keep us posted on your surgical evaluations.