looking for experiences w lower back pain.

[mopinko]

i’ve tried pain shots, pt, meds, nothing is helping.
i saw a surgeon today who said i cd use a laminectomy, but that it likely wouldnt help the lumbar pain, just the radiating pain in my legs.
(he was also a big dick, which is y i doubt his word.)

wondering if anyone has had this surgery, and if it helped.


(i may break down and try acupuncture, even tho i am deeeeeeply skeptical. )

[Laurelin]

1. Accupuncture really helped my cat

No placebo effect there. She was very lame with arthritis, but walked much better after acupuncture. A friend said it really helped her horse. My daughter and my sister-in-law both said it helped their pain issues.

Good luck and positive health thoughts, whatever toy decide to do!

[multigraincracker]

2. I bought a Back to Life machine.

It was about $200 or so. Just lay your over it and hit the on button. Lay on you back and relax. Kind of rotates your legs while you just lay there. Works great for me, but not for others.
You can google it and take a look. Sometimes you can find one on line, eBay for cheaper.

[Lochloosa]

3. I had one in late December. Recovery was slow but steady.

There's no reason to put up with a dick Dr. There's plenty of competent neurosurgeons out there. Mine was great.

Do the PT, it really helps.

It stopped the mind numbing pain down my leg.

[mopinko]

7. so far pt doesnt help.

at least it doesnt cause pain itself, but it does seem to make it easier to trigger. i’m sticking w it, cuz exercise has other benefits.

[Lochloosa]

10. I was referring to after surgery.

I had a knife point pain in my lower back that radiated doen.my calf. PT before the surgery wasn't an option

[Traildogbob]

4. Damn I hope

You get relief. Shots have helped a little but seems surgery is in my near future. The exit holes in my L4 L5 have narrowed and are pinching the nerves. Pain down through legs and foot,
I had to have my Achilles cut to remove a big spur (a real one caused by actually serving injury) then screwed back on, it has been hell. The foot surgeon and back surgeon think the lingering foot pain through the plantar and toes, the numb legs and sciatica, are from the back.
I am not so sure, the Achilles hurts along with the other mess. Seems nerve damage has been done.
I Have an MRI coming for the back.
The whole mess has grounded me and has taken away my needed hiking in the forest. My only salvation for trump hell is the woods. This back and foot mess is killing me and my soul.
My brother had one of the alignment cages put in and he says it helped a whole lot.
Sure wish you best. All the football hitting fun and running down Mountains are coming to get me.
Not the good part of retirement.

[JPK]

5. I have had two laminectomies

Once around 1990 and the last a couple of years ago. What I can say is this, regardless of the surgery, you will always have some back pain. It is the nature of the beast. Neurosurgeons are mechanics. They can only repair so much depending on your age and the severity of your impingement but all they may be able to do is reduce the pain, not eliminate it. After the last one I still had moderate pain. The doc said the last thing he could do was a disc fusion. At the time I really was tired of being in the hospital, so I put off the fusion. As time has gone on, my back where the surgery was is seems to be impinging on my spinal cord again causing neuropathy in my feet with increased numbness. I am debating whether or not to go visit the doc to see if I can get an updated MRI to see how much change the is from my last one, which was a mess. A friend of mine at age 45 had a lumbar fusion and it really helped him. At my age, 72, it might not be worth it.

[questionseverything]

6. Whoa before you do that very intrusive surgery

Try a decompression chair

Hubby straps his ankles in and then tips himself snd the chair backwards to about slight incline

head at bottom

Then his body weight pulls him downward, extending his back and releasing that pressure

It has done wonders for him as doctor said after surgery you will never be as strong, as flexible and sometimes the pain gets worse

That angle I showed is probably a little exaggerated to start at

[DEbluedude]

8. I was one day away from an injection.

I was experiencing lower back and leg pain that I attributed to sciatica. The pain, and depression that came with it, slowly became unbearable, and I decided to seek professional help. Went to an orthopedic specialist and was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis. (Yikes, I thought, what the hell is that?) A big word for slipped disks. In my case L4 - L5.

Physical therapy didn't help at all. I am very active and I had been doing the stretching exercises I was given at PT for years. Pain management was next with the recommendation for steroidal injections. I set up the appointment but decided against it at the last minute as I had seen friends that went that route and they told me that they basically had a 3-to-4-month respite from the pain but no real progress from the condition.

I started researching certain exercises found on you tube. Clamshell glute bridges, bird dog, fire hydrant and planking. Twelve minutes a day. The results were almost immediate. I was astonished. To this day, I'm still a very active 69-year-old. I still hit the gym 3 - 4 times a week with a weekly HIIT spin class. (down to one class a week from four, in my prime).

As someone said earlier in the thread, you will always have some pain. I do. But it is tolerable and I'm not complaining. I'm grateful to be healthy but, I have to work at it. I would recommend trying different stretching, take a yoga or Pilates class, and if you are not in the best of shape, GO SLOW. Increase a little each day. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised what the body can do if you treat it well. Good luck!!

[mopinko]

9. i've had a yoga practice most of my adult life.

not continuous, but there when i needed it. it was getting back to it after 2 big abdominal surgeries that triggered this.
i’ve been doing pt for a while now. it’s not helping. at least it doesnt hurt to do it, but it triggers more easily after. i’m keeping it up as it’s good for other things.

i also had my f’ing insurance cut my pt. was prescribed 10 sessions but they will only pay of 4. life spaced out the visits, so i’ve been working on it for about 6 wks now.
there is a yoga studio sorta near me that has a weekly session w a physical therapist. $35 a pop, which is doable.
b4 i started the pt i found some vids on yt that i was doing, too.

i may b forced to content myself w exercising and crossing my fingers.