Hi all,
This morning I saw an orthopedic surgeon who recommended that I have a Laminectomy plus a Fusion, and with what he pointed out on the X-ray, it looks like the fusion would involve just about the entire lumbar spine. I've got stenosis and associated neurogenic claudication, plus what he called "severe lumbar scoliosis" (measured at 38 degrees; it was about 25 to 26 degrees in 2007/2008, so is increasing), and associated severe disk degeneration. I have compensatory curves of 19 degrees and 15 degrees in my thoracic spine.
I was first given the option of having a Laminectomy (without an associated fusion) back in March 2009 after a particularly severe bout of leg pain. People on this forum (the non-surgical threads that is) warned me about having a Laminectomy on a scoliotic spine, indicating that it could lead to further destabilization.
That's essentially exactly what the doctor said this morning; he said that if I had a Laminectomy at all, that I also needed a Fusion; he wouldn't even consider one without the other, as my spine is too unstable. The appointment was cut short by a call from another doctor he had to take, so I didn't get a chance to ask which Fusion procedure he would plan to use.
At this point I get to choose between living with the leg and back pain for the rest of my life, with it getting progressively worse, or I can have major surgery. So I'm wondering if the major surgery (Laminectomy + Fusion) will lead to resolution of my pain to at least some degree. I've heard about studies which indicate that people's pain levels after surgery may not be all that different from people who didn't have surgery.
If anybody has had Laminectomy + Fusion to address leg pain, did it help?
-- Thanks,
Mary
This morning I saw an orthopedic surgeon who recommended that I have a Laminectomy plus a Fusion, and with what he pointed out on the X-ray, it looks like the fusion would involve just about the entire lumbar spine. I've got stenosis and associated neurogenic claudication, plus what he called "severe lumbar scoliosis" (measured at 38 degrees; it was about 25 to 26 degrees in 2007/2008, so is increasing), and associated severe disk degeneration. I have compensatory curves of 19 degrees and 15 degrees in my thoracic spine.
I was first given the option of having a Laminectomy (without an associated fusion) back in March 2009 after a particularly severe bout of leg pain. People on this forum (the non-surgical threads that is) warned me about having a Laminectomy on a scoliotic spine, indicating that it could lead to further destabilization.
That's essentially exactly what the doctor said this morning; he said that if I had a Laminectomy at all, that I also needed a Fusion; he wouldn't even consider one without the other, as my spine is too unstable. The appointment was cut short by a call from another doctor he had to take, so I didn't get a chance to ask which Fusion procedure he would plan to use.
At this point I get to choose between living with the leg and back pain for the rest of my life, with it getting progressively worse, or I can have major surgery. So I'm wondering if the major surgery (Laminectomy + Fusion) will lead to resolution of my pain to at least some degree. I've heard about studies which indicate that people's pain levels after surgery may not be all that different from people who didn't have surgery.
If anybody has had Laminectomy + Fusion to address leg pain, did it help?
-- Thanks,
Mary
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