My T12 exploded during a traumatic injury I had no choice but to have a fusion. Fortunately the neurosurgeon was very experienced. Didn’t have to use a cage, all the bones came back to place and Fortunately the bones missed my spinal cord and nerves during the accident and I have had no numbness, tingling, or nerve issues before or after surgery. Praise God 🎉
Also: Surgeons are, let's not forget, human. We are, unfortunately, not perfect. We do the best we can, within our constraints. Thank you for your very kind compliment; I may use your comment in one of my videos ("Pure heart and clean hands")... you summed it up perfectly. Thank you 🙏
His key comment was the vast majority of patients do very well after surgery. I’m one. Over a year’s time I had 4 Epidural’s in my L4 L5 and S1 and the pain in my right buttock and down my leg came back even worse. I am 4 weeks post op surgery. L4 L5 and S1 had cages inserted and were fused. I’m getting around great and no more pain shooting down my leg. People do your due diligence. Make sure you have exhausted all other remedies.
I’ve listened to a multitude of spine surgeons and this guy seems Sincere and Honest and Very Caring and Surprisingly Humble. Thank you for your comments
I just put all the dots together. Diagnosed with failed back surgery syndrome due to mis diagnose wrong surgery. You explained everything so delicately beautiful. Definitely would be great to have a consultation with you.
At 24 years old, freshly graduated from college I had gradually worsening sciatic pain. Ended up having lumbar laminectomy. No fusion, but complete disc removal, by an excellent neurosurgeon. He said I might need another surgery within 10 years. I didn't. I'm 70 now and have degenerative disc disease. Really don't trust the medical/hospital industry after the co-vid debacle. But wondering about a steroid injection to alleviate the pain. I keep a cane nearby, but pain lessens after moving around a bit by mid day. Worse in mornings. I've found a 30 hour fasting session will lower inflammation noticeably. Teeter incline board Really helps, but it's very temporary.
Dr Khan is an excellent surgeon. Watch his videos, very interesting, and you will learn a lot. I suffered 3 years with back pain. After he performed my surgery, it was only a matter of a few weeks with PT, and I feel great!! It's not even been a year since i had my surgery. THANK YOU!!
Im almost positive my first surgery failed simply because they wanted the chance to do a second surgery. I had herniated discs L4,L5 and L5,S1. They only removed part of one disc claiming the other one wasnt bad enough to worry about yet. Well, i was in worse pain after that surgery. I did a lot of research and found another surgeon. 2.5 years later, both discs are replaced with spacers, parts of vertebrae removed and fused L4-S1 now. Im 2.5 months out of that surgery. Research, research, research...
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks I'll check it out if I haven't already. I found your channel a few days ago. Most of the videos I've come across on spine surgery are 5-7, even 10+ years old. That seems strange to me considering how much and how quick technology changes.
Okay I am watching your video and you just explained exactly what I am dealing with in my spine at the 8:47 mark. I have been diagnosed with spondylolisthesis. I have facet cysts that swell and make my spinal nerves very angry. I have back pain daily and the facet cysts get so swollen and irritated that they are not responding well to anti inflammatory meds. I had to lay off of them due to my kidney function declining. I had decompression surgery on June1, 2015 in the L5, S1 area. Now due to the shifting and facet cyst swelling, I have sciatic nerve pain that starts in my lower back, goes around the groin and down my left leg. I was never told that I would be facing another surgery because I thought I was one and done. Now I see that having another surgery may not fix my back pain at all. I am so tired and tired of hurting because the instability has affected my quality of life, my daily activities and my marriage. I am afraid of going through fusion surgery but living with the pain is worse. I work as a business officer so there is no good time of the year to be out of work for 3 months. I hate I found myself in this position, but glad I found your channel. I will continue to do my research before agreeing to another surgery, but there are no guarantees. Thank you so much for your advice.
I slipped a disc around L4 when I was 26 yrs old. My GP told me it was not unusual of someone working in the building trade ( bricklayer ) and that it was wear and tear. ( at 26 yrs?). Anyway I am now 73 and still suffering. My last surgery in 2016 / 17 I had a L4/ L5/S1 fusion at Nottingham Queens Medical. The day after when my wife and son came to see me I was apparently in good spirits. They said the surgery went successfully. However, from day two onwards from what I have been told things changed dramatically and instead of ending up in the hospital for 3/4 days, I was there four and a half weeks. My wife discovered that they had tore into my spinal canal and as I had to remain motionless for ten days they overdosed me with Ketamine and morphine. My wife said I was in a really bad temper and saying nasty things to her and others. I had my Father and Brother visit me from Wales ( they had died years previously ). They had constructed a scaffold outside the window and a pop concert had taken place the day before. These were the side effects of too many drugs to keep me motionless. Since then and increasing daily, i suffer with more pain in my back than ever. Now that I am expecting Pain Management at the hospital to concentrate on lessening the pain my hopes are vanishing. None of them will admit that things did not go to plan and their sympathy towards what pain can do for you not just physically but mentally but also the stress and pressure it puts in my case ( my dear wife ). From being allowed the privilege of retiring at leisure and be free to organise each day as it comes? she is now a carer and nurse and has no quality time for herself as would be expected when retired. She can’t plan ahead because each day there is a problem. We are due to attend my dear Uncle’s funeral on Monday next in Wales. We are going to travel down on Saturday ( health permitting ) so I can have Sunday to rest after the journey to be prepared for Monday. But I will not know until Monday if I am able to attend health wise. My advice is this, think very very hard about surgery to your spine. It cannot be reversed and not all consultants are as good as they think they are.
Oof, I had the same problem and surgery etc, but I realize now that it’s better to do a laminectomy if the discs are calcified, because if they go tearing up the disc it is quite likely it will reherniate uncontrollably, it’s not the surgeons fault, they have a tough decision to make but I stopped thinking that they would hurt me on purpose. My sciatica is unbearable and my back is absolutely destroyed from the operation but a few months post op is not grounds to say it’s better or worse, disc replacements aren’t going to fail right away, but let me know how you’re doing in 5 years. I’m putting off a fusion as long as possible but yea, life sucks.
I just had a 360 Revision spinal fusion surgery. 3 surgeries done in within 4 days. June 21st. I had Pseudoarthrosis & my 2 bottom screws came loose, so I found a new surgeon & that’s what he put together. Removed my old hardware from spine day 1. Day 2 cut my belly for anterior fusion then day 3, put the screws in my spine properly. 4 blood transfusions. Now, I’m recovering at home
Wow, that's a lot of surgery, great to hear that you are recovering well! Sometimes a surgery like that is needed to treat pseudoarthrosis, and most patients do very well afterwards. Wishing you all the best, thank you for sharing 👍
One of the best videos I’ve seen when regards to back surgery, myself I’ve had two back surgery. Would have loved to seen and heard this video prior to my surgeries however, I was lucky I had good surgeons and my surgeries were basically 20 years apart. I now understand much more about how and why the surgeon did what he did once again thanks for the video.
Excellent video.and informative. I had leminectomy 50 years ago. Some six months ago had fall on escalator. Now I have been waiting for L 4/5 S1 fussion I have spondylitis and bone spurs. Bad groin butt thighs. Have C5;6,7 bone spurs both arms just very worried I don’t smoke 73 years just very worried. Floppy right foot not much can’t walk far need to lay not much life. Don’t like taking MS Contin but I have faith in Dr
Absolutely right 👍 great tips,ive recently had bone fusion surgery done a mnth ago,and procrastinated my surgery bout 10 yrs,yes therapy, medication and pain management injections etc,just time consuming and no results with therapy and injections Medication and still being able to walk after,but yes L-4&L-5 slip disc & very successful,Doc Mathew Alexander in corpus Christi TX such a great professional surgeon,yet blessings to you all ,take care,know a decompression only works temporarily,do not return back to heavy duty activities.
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks thank you ,two months after procedure,and have experience waking up pain ,left side hip,and without medication,a lot of fatigue ness,pain,lost of strength,, assuming to early into the rehabilitation to say anything.but still with therapy.
Thank you very much for this video. I have just received a DDD diagnosis in l5-s1. After my personal investigation, I concluded that as a degenerative problem maybe it will be in the best of my interest to treat it as a degenerative problem and do everything possible to manage and slow down degeneration in the other vertebrae (I don’t know if this is possible but I will try to find out) more than a back pain problem. Thank you for inviting us patients to learn, ask, question, investigate and think… (Apologies for my English as I am not a native speaker😅).
Thank you for sharing, I am glad that my video was helpful to you. DDD at L5/S1 is very common, but whether or not to have surgery is a different matter than you need to carefully discuss with your physician/surgeon. I made a video which may be of interest to to you: "Don't have spine surgery if..." ruclips.net/video/ovSTtD08Olw/видео.html Wishing you good health and good luck 👍
Thank you for the video. I had an open laminectomy (L5-S1) 12 years ago. It was so far successful but unfortunately I fell off the stairs 4 months into healing. All my symptoms came back and it was found that it caused a herniated disc on L4-L5) so a second surgery was done. My condition really improved. Until 6 years after when all my symptoms came back. 3 years later they found that I developed a lot of scar tissue and that my spine became unstable so after exhausting all noninvasive modalities and consulted several doctors, all of them concluded it was FBSS. I just had my multilevel spine fusion (L2-S1) and is now on the way to recovery.
Thank you for your kind words, appreciate it. Recovering from multiple spine surgeries is never easy; wishing you an excellent recovery! Good luck to you 👍👍
Hey Doctor please reply My Dad 50 MRI findings are suggestive of spondylotic changes of the cervical spine with broad-based posterocentral and right paracentral disc protrusion with posterior marginal osteophyte (disc osteophyte complex) and ligamentum flavum thickening at C6-C7 level causing narrowing of the right lateral recess, focal secondary spinal canal stenosis and significant bilateral (right > left) traversing. nerve root compression. The compressed cervical cord at C6-C7 level also demonstrates focal Intramedullary T2 hyperintensity representing myelomalacic cord changes / focal cord edema. Mild posterior disc osteophyte complex with ligamentum flavum thickening at C5-C6 level is also seen causing indentation over the ventral cervical cord surface with no significant intramedullary signal Intensity change.Does he need surgery
It is soooo refreshing to see an honest and open Surgeon! THANK YOU for your honesty! Where are your located and are you taking patients for consultations?
This is the best surgeon you all find. Dr Khan performed surgery on my daughter's back and a year later on mine. Excellent results for both of us. I was amazed at how quick I was healing with the PT program he recommended, too. Thank you, Dr. Khan!!
Dr you truly understand because am listening to how you explain this is like wow someone who understands... most dr won't break down this feel like your going crazy.. when the pain exists...
My new surgeon straight up lied to me. About needing a 3rd lumbar fusion. First 2 fusions went great, some relief of pain. For my third i had a second opinion the surgeon said i didnt need the fusion but if i think it might help my pain do it. My surgeon told me he could get me pain free which i didn't really believe, but went through with it. Post op discharge pain was the same . Then he said i needed a spinal cord stimulator and his partner will do it . After my second revision with the implant im having i taken out.
MRI findings are suggestive of spondylotic changes of the cervical spine with broad-based posterocentral and right paracentral disc protrusion with posterior marginal osteophyte (disc osteophyte complex) and ligamentum flavum thickening at C6-C7 level causing narrowing of the right lateral recess, focal secondary spinal canal stenosis and significant bilateral (right > left) traversing. nerve root compression. The compressed cervical cord at C6-C7 level also demonstrates focal Intramedullary T2 hyperintensity representing myelomalacic cord changes / focal cord edema. Mild posterior disc osteophyte complex with ligamentum flavum thickening at C5-C6 level is also seen causing indentation over the ventral cervical cord surface with no significant intramedullary signal Intensity change. Does 50 years with little pain need surgery
You seem like such a GOOD AND HONEST doctor and I wish so badly that my surgeon had been even a little bit a empathetic as you ❤ Unfortunately, I had to drop him like a month after surgery. He told me I was "drug seeking" because I called to refill my meds so I just dropped him and stopped taking my meds because i honestly hated them anyhow 😅 Ithem went through my entire surgery recovery without a surgeon to check on me and he did not care at all. Dr Clinton Baird with Olympia Surgery in Round Rock Tx
Omg, I wish I had you for a Dr. I’ve been through ringer with failed back surgery. I had spondylolisthesis and severe spinal stenosis. My life has been a debilitating hell. Looking at a pump stimulator🙏
Thank you for reaching out, appreciate your kind words. Recovery from spine surgery is not easy, agreed. Wishing you the best, hope you feel better soon 🙏
Spine should be operated only on three indications 1. Cauda equina syndrome 2. Unstable symptomatic spine 3. Trauma spine causing spinal cord compression.
After 4 failed surgery's on my L4/L5 L5/S1 10 years taking pain medication i really dont see an end to the pain , i am now suffering worse pain than before the operations i wish i had not had the procedures.
I have degenerative arthritis and was assaulted causing 4 herniated discs. After an MRI, I was given an emergency appointment with a university hospital.
I had laminectomy with all my back complications, nerve pain osteoarthritis spondylolisthesis degenerative disc disease severe L5 S1 stenosis after months worse off
I was actually really mad because my doctor gave me the impression that the pain that I was having when they did my back surgery, which was a ALIF 360 L4S1 and when I woke up, I thought that the nerve pain would go away. I had no success. I spent five days in the hospital and then I went home and I just thought that OK I will get better in three months six months one year and it never did and I kept going back to the doctor saying what’s wrong. Why is it not working and all the doctor did was show me off to a pain specialist and basically write me off and never saw me again. And he told me there’s nothing I can do for you anymore. You need to go to pain specialist consider doctor, but he had too much of an ego and didn’t really care about the patient that he was saying which is very sad now I’m still suffering for the last six years from the surgery, but I’ve been suffering for 10 years with this problem. That’s never gone away.
Sorry to hear about your difficulties. It is not easy to deal with such a problem, because it affects all aspects of life. Maybe you could get a second opinion from one or two spine surgeons to see if they have any recommendations. Wishing you the best of luck and the best of health 🙏❤️
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks you’re so kind thank you so much and please keep posting information. Could you post information on a posterior cervical laminectomy C3 through C6. Could you explain when you decide to do that type of procedure and how is it done?
My doctor told me the same thing I had a laminectomy done because my nerves damage was so bad from spinal stenosis I lost feeling in the waist,the left side of my foot, also cause incontinence i didn't have a choice and i don't have any pain at all but i still have issues with incontinence so my surgery wants to go back in the help with this situation I didn't get a fusion but i might have to request this when i get my second one done...thank you for this information
Thank you for reaching out. CES is a rare condition and an emergency surgery is necessary in most cases. Wishing you good health and good luck with your 2nd surgery 👍
OMG…. You’re speaking my language 😮.. 20 yrs later with failed back surgery and still have chronic pain as we speak. Fusion L5-S1 and hardware removal 11:mos post surgery, and the pain became worse. Had surgery at 40 yrs and now am almost 60 yrs old. I am in so much pain. I need a solution 😮😢. Where are you located? I live in Chicago.
Sorry to hear about your difficulties, it is never easy to recover from a difficult surgery that did not achieve desired results. I am located in Milwaukee, WI. If you would like a consultation please call my office at 414-276-6000. Thank you.
I felt wonderful after my lamenectomy without a fusion. 2 months later I developed facet joint arthrapathy. I’m afraid to have a fusion. I’m in pain every day.
I had My back fusion surgery in the early 2000's that left me with chronic major back problems & chronic serious pain so bad that I now stand slouched over and I have to walk with a cane and some days I can't walk at all and I'm in constant pain. Back fusion surgeries have a very high rate of failing and do not correct your back problems. I ended up having a second back fusion because according to my surgeon my first one failed. After about 13 yrs a different better surgeon sat me down and told me that the back fusions did more harm to my back than good and he went in and literally took out all the hardware because the hardware in my back literally did no good except he couldn't remove one screw because it was broken and it was titanium and titanium isn't supposed to easily break. I had decompression surgery too and disc removal. I also have major permanent nerve damage on my left side from my waist down to my toes.
I had a laminectomy and discectomy in my thoracic spine T8-9 for a big herniated disc, the pain was radiating to the ribs and abdomen, I did all the treatments prior of the surgery and didn’t help also another MRI to see if the herniated disc had shrunken and it didn’t. I had this surgery 1 year ago and the pain in my ribs subsided, but I still have pain in my back, buttocks and hips that I didn’t have. MRI showed a little piece of the disc got into the Foramen space after surgery and is pressing the nerve. I don’t want to do anymore surgeries, but my life changed completely because I can’t work or enjoy life with my husband like before. Does time heals the spine by itself ? What do you recommend? Thank you in advance 😊
Great video and I feel like my first fusion was similar to what you said as the surgeon was trying to be too invasive and I had nerves trapped etc. I had a microdiscectomy in 2018, could not walk or sleep in so much pain. I re-ruptured it during covid by sneezing. Had a fusion with spacer and it did not fuse but leg pain was gone. I do not know why it did not fuse? I don't drink smoke in good health no meds good weight etc. So I had a revision for L4/L5 and he came in from the front this time. 95% better than before surgery. I still believe my L5/S1 disc is causing some issues and sort of wish he had fused this while he was in there but he wanted to wait and see. I assume I will be having a L5/S1 fusion but can hold off a few years until I get that really bad leg pain that keeps me from sleeping. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for reaching out. The situation you described is, unfortunately, not uncommon. Sometimes bones don't fuse for unknown reasons, agreed. Wishing you all the best and the best of health 🙏
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks I have a general question. Is there a reason synthetic lumbar disks are used more? It's been explained to me by my pain specialist, a fusion will result in transfer of the load to the next vertebrae down & pain will reoccur. It seems synthetic disks for some are the answer.
Lumbar disc replacements have mostly fallen out of favor, while cervical disc replacements are being done more and more. Here is my video about disc replacement which may be of interest to you: ruclips.net/video/3vt-qLOWdaE/видео.html
I had a laminectomy microdisectomy 5 weeks ago. Pain worse than before surgery. Had the injections and an ablation prior with no good results. I am 74 years old. Now the surgeon wants to do a fusion. I am very scared to have this done. More time in hospital , longer recovery. I have a lot of pain being controlled with oxycodone and ibuprofen. Muscle relaxers. Advice?
Thank you for your question. For obvious reasons I cannot diagnose your condition, but since you mentioned a "cyst" on the spine, I have the following two videos which may be of interest to you: ruclips.net/video/0SNfBFuLGcI/видео.html ruclips.net/video/7_7SMnY0O-Y/видео.html Good luck.
Had a laminectomy but it has worked after 4 months. Now I’ve been scheduled to see orthopedic surgeon for hips surgery. Hips have severe arthritis. I saw orthopedic doctor first but he said it was the back when there was clear evidence it was the hips.
Thank you for sharing. It is not unusual to have back and hip problems causing symptoms together. It can be quite tricky to figure out if the major problem is the back or the hip. Wishing you the best 👍
Okay I am watching your video and you just explained exactly what I am dealing with in my spine at the 8:47 mark. I have been diagnosed with spondylolisthesis. I have facet cysts that swell and make my spinal nerves very angry. I have back pain daily and the facet cysts get so swollen and irritated that they are not responding well to anti inflammatory meds. I had to lay off of them due to my kidney function declining. I had decompression surgery on June1, 2015 in the L5, S1 area. Now due to the shifting and facet cyst swelling, I have sciatic nerve pain that starts in my lower back, goes around the groin and down my left leg. I was never told that I would be facing another surgery because I thought I was one and done. Now I see that having another surgery that may not fix my back pain at all. I am so tired and tired of hurting because the instability has affected my quality of life, my daily activities and my marriage. I am afraid of going through fusion surgery but living with the pain is worse. I work as a business officer so there is no good time of the year to be out of work for 3 months. I hate I found myself in this position, but glad I found your channel. I will continue to do my research before agreeing to another surgery, but there are no guarantees. I have had steroid shots, PT, chiropractic care, currently in PT now, dry needling, med management, you name it, I have done it or been referred for it. Thank you so much for your advice. This video is very helpful and I am reviewing your other videos for more information. I got a second opinion as the first surgeon just sent me to have shots and RFA treatment. After getting tired of being a human pen cushion, I got my second opinion and he found I had instability in my cervical spine that was corrected with fusion in August 23. He was able to get another MRI due to a positive Hoffman sign (you got a video for that) as I was more focused on my lower back pain I didn’t notice the signs of numbness and tingling in my hands. I just thought I was sleeping wrong. Now I have to focus on my lumbar surgery with no leave time and a lengthy rehab journey ahead. I am just tired of this journey. Thank you for your videos.
Thank you for your very thoughtful comment, I understand completely. Sometimes hindsight is 20/20, agreed. As a patient it can be very difficult to make decisions about whether or not fusion is a good idea for you because there is an element of uncertainty associated with this choice. I wish you the best of health and good luck 👍
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks just had spinal fusion 10-28-24. Recovery harder than expected, but carefully optimistic. I’m only a week and few days. Off opioids after 5 days. Have not found updated recovery videos for expectations for recovery. Most are 2-3 years old and my experience has been quite different. Can you provide any? Would like to stay in touch with you about my recovery and help others if possible that are facing this decision and choice. Thank you for what you do.
Recovery from spine surgery can take up to one year. It is a slow, gradual process, with ups-an-downs. Wishing you good luck and good health. Thank you for watching.
Dr. Kahn I have had multiple surgeries/fusions, after years of shots and therapy . S1 thru L2, 10 screws 2 rods. Lamina removed, and the spinal canal widened. It still didn't stop the pain, burning and weakness. I was then advised to try a spinal cord stimulator. The trial was abandoned because they could not insert the wires thru bone spurs and scar tissue. It was then recommended to go straight to permanent because insurance didn't want an open trial with my diabetes. So I got a permanent nevro stimulator, and after over 30 programs, still not much relief. Always my second opinion saw no course better than my primary surgeon. Since the stimulator failed and pain actually got worse, I got another opinion and of course, MRI. And now the level above my fusion is herniated. This third surgeon wants me to start to merry go round of shots because an operation would be difficult having to go under my 12th rib and move my lung. Should I try the shots, again, or just give up. I've had awful back pain for decades and I really have no hope for relief. Thanks Dr.
Thank you for reaching out. The situation you described is obviously quite challenging. I always tell my patients that recovery after spine surgery is usually quite challenging, but in some cases it can be extremely difficult (as you have described). Unfortunately I cannot diagnose your condition or recommend a treatment since I have not had a chance to examine you (or review your records). But, having said that, if your pain is unrelenting, you may want to talk to your pain-management doctor about an implanted pain-pump. I am not sure if that is the right answer for you, but it is something you can discuss with your PM-doc. Good luck and good health to you ❤️🙏
I have spondylolistheses grade 2 in LWS 3/4 , spinal stenosis, arthritis, osteochondrosis. I have sciatic pain and osteoporosis. I'm 70 years old and my spinal surgeon wants to do a TLIF and an decompression. But I' m afraid that the screws may destroy my bones or that I must have further surgery after years. I don' t smoke (never did) and I always did sport in my younger life. Unfortunately I can' t do normal sports any longer, only some exercises for my back to release the pain. I' m not sure, if I should do the surgery. Sorry for my english, I come from Germany.
Thank you for reaching out. I cannot make a recommendation in your case, obviously, because I have not examined you or reviewed the imaging data. If you are not sure about your spine-surgeon's recommendation, you can always get a second-opinion from another surgeon to clarify this matter. The decision to have/not-have surgery is not easy, I hear you. You need to research this matter a bit more, so that when you discuss the pros/cons of surgery with the surgeon you can have a meaningful/ fruitful conversation. The following videos may be helpful to you: ruclips.net/video/DfQnd9IeW6E/видео.html ruclips.net/video/ovSTtD08Olw/видео.html Thank you for watching, wishing you good luck 👍
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks Thank you so much for your answer. Yes I will get a second opinion from another surgeon. And I must be convinced, that surgery is the best way. I really appreciate your Videos.
Am 3 weeks out from L3-L4 LLIF fusion and spinal stenosis decompression. The sciatica is completely gone. The fusion part will take awhile to heal. I am 72 and am anxious to get back to yoga swimming and hiking. Patience is key.
Wow your lucky to have it happen to late in life.I’m a 27 year old male dealing with this and it absolutely sucks.I won’t even find a wife or have children because I don’t want to a burden and be taken care of,I’m suppose to take care of them.
Yes, I understand your dilemma. Recovering from spine surgery if you have AS is very challenging. Best to think long and hard about this decision. Wishing you the best of luck and the best of health in the future 👍
I’ve had a spinal fusion 10 years ago I never fully fused I couldn’t find a dr to do a revision. My surgeon said he would if I didn’t fuse but unfortunately that didn’t happen . Now I’m having further issues my pain has never gotten better only worse. I have pseudoarthrosis
As a former 1st assist with fellowship trained spine surgeon, I can say some simple observations: If you have BACK pain, and not leg or arm pain, you will not improve long term and may need further surgery in the future. There are some rare conditions with back pain, who may need surgery. It is easier, in the long run, to change your job than it is to change your back! The fellow I worked with, former board member of NASS, would not do surgery on folks who presented with failed back, or back pain only. The patients knew he was a good surgeon and highly recommended, but he would explain to them that he simply was not smart enough to know the perfect surgery for their issue. Who could argue with that comment?
My posterior T5-10 and anterior T6-8 fusion was due to 3 compression fractures in T7,8. I then got osteomilitis and further deteriorated the disks. My rib cage is horrible where the grafted the rib back in as well as having pain in the back. The did corrections as well. Now my T11 is compressed 2.5 years later. I’m in so much pain, even with pain meds. Not sure what to do and I know this wasn’t elective, but necessary.
Doctor you hit the nail right on the head he took out a lot of bone in my laminectomy went through another surgeon he said you need a two-level fusion I have one disc on top of the other now no more diss left full of arthritis but on the foramen it's pinching the nerve because of the instability I should have listened to the first surgeon said laminectomy and two level fusion went to this other guy he said you'll be fine with just the laminectomy evidently he was wrong going back for a second surgery last year June 15th I had my first I should have listened to the first surgeon I would have been all done now but this is life I have to bother my daughter as when I got hurt I was an electrician My wife divorced me so I have to bother my daughter she has her own life as a speech pathologist but she's going to help me out hopefully I won't need him no more than 3 weeks That's what I did last time thank you for these videos very informative you know your stuff I'm in the New York City area supposably the best spine surgeons I don't know problem is go to second opinion they tell you something different each one
Sometimes when you have a lot of surgeons in a big city, unfortunately you get many conflicting opinions (for a variety of reasons). This problem is very difficult for patients to solve, and it makes their decision-making unusually arduous. I hear you.
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks my degree in mechanical engineering but I went for electrician it paid better help me when the first doctor wanted to put coflex I said that will hold nothing it's only on two points with the steel bar left and right the weight will be more dispersed he agreed with me maybe he wanted to make money for the colflex company 🤔
What if you smoke cigarettes before the spine surgery and right before and after you quit smoking? Or after you have like one or two per month? And finally if you vape one or 2 times after surgery? Thank you!
Nicotine is toxic in all forms, doesn't matter whether it is smoked or consumed via E-cigs/ gum/ skin-patches. The less nicotine you consume, the better the chances of healing. Having said that, cigarette smoke contains more than 2000 chemical compounds most of which are also toxic; so smoking is by far much worse than other methods of nicotine-delivery. Here are two videos I made about this subject: ruclips.net/video/Jqi0lZdjT1A/видео.html ruclips.net/video/qQVJCoZPmqs/видео.html Thank you for your question, hope my answer is helpful.
Dear Mr. Dr. I really appreciate your high skills & knowledge. I am an Indian national and living in Dubai. I felt vertigo, tinnitus and occipital pain so did MRI, and got diagnosed that I have atlanto-axial dislocation and basilar invagination producing indentation on cervicomedullary junction. The atlanto-axial distance is 7 mm and residual AP canal diameter is 10 mm. Atlanto-axial distance is increased and reduced while extension and flexion. I need your advise in this situation please if i can solve this by any non-surgical way. My current symptoms are occipital pain and tinnitus. Sometimes little tingling sensation in body.
Thank you for reaching out. The problem you described is not my field of expertise. Usually a neurosurgeon will address this problem surgically. I suggest that you arrange a consultation with a neurosurgeon specializing in this condition. Good luck 👍
I would like to know that after mayor 7, cervical spine laminectomy and fusion, why is failing three years later. How risky will it be to have a second fusion on my cervical spine again? I am in bad shape after my lamibectomy and fusion, and I do not have a neurosurgeon anymore.
I had lower spine fusion 28 years ago it ruined my life put on lots of weight from it I now suffer so much with pain what can I do now , Sheila from the uk 🇬🇧
Thank you for reaching out. Unfortunately I cannot give you specific tips because I am unable to diagnose your condition. The best suggestion would be for you to make an appointment with a spine-surgeon to see if there has been any significant change above/below the fusion. But I am also aware that the healthcare system of UK is very difficult to navigate, so I understand your difficulties in getting the correct treatment. Good luck 👍
The explanation is quite clear n in my case I went for operation on 25.6.24 n it was neck/shoulder Nerve decompression.IHad pain on my right foot centered in my thighs n dump 2 fingers on my right hand.given medication for 1month.They did put six inplants.the neck is healed but now,both hands are dump and too much pain than before oper. I have been going for physiotherapy done 6 times but now it is worse than before.what shall i do to get better.??my name is charles matu (Nairobi-Kenya)thank you for your time.
Thank you so much for this video Dr, I have spinal surgery in 2022 June, came back with infection, then go back to theatre July, I’m still in pain I left leg can’t function well, Now I’m from MRI two on the 29 July 2024, after that I’m told to go back to therapy for screws because the disc has collapsed again, disc bulge etc,is this a good idea, I’m really exhausted
Thank you for your kind words, appreciate it. The situation you describe is very challenging, and I wish you all the best. Good luck to you, take care of yourself ❤️👍🙏
Very fascinating. It seems to me most people shouldn’t undergo spinal surgery esp laminectomy as it causes spinal instability and instead opt for treatments such as SNEPI protocol or hyaluronic acid hydrogel injection into discs for regeneration. I’m curious if you utilise these techniques Dr?
Thank you for your excellent questions. Laminectomy is a very well-established surgical technique which has a long track record. Sometimes, when we have to remove a lot of bone during the laminectomy (to achieve adequate decompression of the nerves/ spinal-cord) it is necessary to stabilize the vertebrae with screws/rods (i.e. "fusion"). As for the second part of your question, I am not familiar with the techniques you described. I am about to make a video about such novel techniques/ treatments, and will give you my opinion (stay-tuned). In general, I am a skeptic about "new" or "cutting-edge" treatment techniques; many such techniques have come and gone (sometimes resulting in very difficult problems afterwards) which has left a lot of patients worse-off. Until these treatments are proven with rigorous research/ trials, I will be very cautious about recommending them. Hope that answers your question. Thank you for watching.
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks SNEPI protocol would be utilised for pain management (injection of lidocaine) or alleviate clumping of nerve roots (normal saline) as a more effective and alternative treatment of epidural steroid injection, the latter which accelerates spinal degeneration. I would love your coverage of HA hydrogel injection for regeneration of discs. It seems most doctors are unaware of this innovative method of disc regeneration. Thank you 😊
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks SNEPI protocol using lidocaine has a track record of pain management. SNEPI utilising normal saline for calming nerves and possibly for nerve root clumping. I would love to see your coverage of HA hydrogel injection for disc regeneration. It seems many doctors are unaware of this treatment for disc regeneration.
Non smoker/drinker/druggy. Had a re-fusion L4-L5 after finding out 30-years later that the first doc didn't do a good job. New Doc did a "360" S1 thru L5 then up to thru L2. Also both SI joints got screwed together. Post op 2-months, I'm doing good feeling really great no pain in legs/back. After simply pushing on my truck just a little to get it rolling into the garage for repair (crank sensor)...BAM...now I'm bent over with spasms at my belt line right side. A week has gone by and it won't stop hurting spasm sudden shock of pain for no reason or movement. Saw my Doc he doesn't want to guess. Just had CT scan today....hope nothing broke or came loose. I was doing so well with high hopes....
I have scar tissue that was found during a MRI when they did a contrast scan. What is the best way forward due to scar tissue. I am in so many pain killers
Thank you for reaching out. Since I am not familiar with your case, I obviously cannot recommend any treatment(s) for you. Having said that, in certain cases a bigger surgery (to remove the scar tissue) may be an option. May be a good option to get a second opinion from another surgeon. Wishing you good luck and the best of health 👍
I’m a victim of greedy surgeons who after herniated disc injury had performed a “minimal invasive L5S 1 laminectomy at age 48 that in 6 months he diagnosed with Failed Back Syndrome with post surgical scar tissue .. I have been suffering from osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease 10 years of PT and every therapy existing without any relief of debilitating chronic back pain preventing me from going back to work and taking care of my family … another 5 year later I suffered double fractures hips caused by S scoliosis curve of 45 … not diagnosed previous 😢 before the dirt back surgery being treated by various orthopedic surgeons for unexplained bone fractures after the FBS ,,,, the only solution the spine surgeons could offer me was a magazine fusion from lumbar to cervical with metal rods and fusion Accross of my hips..for close to One million dollars Medicare Ins tag.. The only thing that saved me from this” barbaric “ surgery was that beforehand I had to undergo bone density exam and I was diagnosed with osteoporosis ( explaining my severe unexplained fractures on my ribs, arm and leg fractures… but still the Hospital For Special Surgery NYC wanted to proceed with the mega fusion just in 6 weeks with Farteo injection treatment for osteoporosis…. ( when the entire treatment requires 2 years of Forteo injections 😢 fallowing additional calcium sealing treatment. I ran out from the HSS surgeons and are currently on second year of osteoporosis treatment, still suffering debilitating back pain and need to take pain medication daily to be able to get through a day taking care of my self and my sick post second massive stroke husband. The main medication and RUclips Scoliosis exercises THE BEST out of all In person years of PT , that are helping me to improve my ability to move without waker or cain as I had been doing since the Laminectomy . Now at age of 57 I need more personalized Scoliosis treatments??? Looking for a RUclips help to find that more personalized help with out traditional medicine doctors or even Chiropractor who so far all are only referring me to their friends spinal surgeons 😢😢 some of which go as far as to refusing to get involved in my treatment because my Medicare records show the diagnosis and plan for the mega fusion from the HHS surgeons from last year and they talk me that “ I should instead go back to HSS since they don’t want to get involved in computing “ WITH SHARKS” 😢😢😢how horrific are the financial dirty , greedy games of top NYC surgeons 😢😢 Please help me narrow down my search for the most personalized treatment with RUclips. I remember seen a RUclips video on how to search for the most effective Scoliosis treatment on RUclips, that I can’t find it again, and so desperately needed to be able to function with out heavy pain medication for the rest of my life now at 59 … lumber to cervical
Thank you for your excellent question. I am, in general, quite skeptical of new technologies/ treatments which make outsized promises. As far as PRP injections are concerned, yes there are people who are doing them, but to my knowledge this is not a widely-accepted treatment. Most doctors will perform such procedures on a cash-basis, so I am automatically skeptical of their motives. My criteria for which procedures I recommend vs. don't-recommend: Would I feel comfortable if the procedure is performed on me or my family-members? There are a lot of "new" and "cutting-edge" procedures being aggressively promoted directly to patients. Unfortunately, the motives of the promoters are not entirely altruistic, in my opinion. I am not sure if my answer helps, but that is what I think. Good luck to you, wishing you the best of health 🙏
What you suggest if having burning pain at left buttock bone and finding difficult to sit for morw than 30 min. And MRI showes nothing except Tarov Cyat at S2 witm 19mm x 17mm.
I had to laminectomy L5 S1 2012, 2013. After surgery six weeks later the pain was back scar tissue grew. I couldn’t feel my foot. 6 months later surgeons operated & cleaned scar tissue. Six weeks later scar tissue back. Today new MRI scar tissue grew 3x’s bigger. Is there any new procedures to help me? I’m in horrible pain now. Foot is on fire, cannot wear sock, pain is unbearable? Injections help 20%
Thank you for sharing. Since I am not familiar with your case, I cannot recommend specific treatments. But have you discussed the possibility of trying a Spinal-Cord-Stimulator with a pain-management doctor? That could be one option.
hi doc, Can I ask sir, how about if someone prolong the herniated disk that is causing the pain and that disk becomes dry, would that cause a fail back surgery because it might be harder to take out once the herniated disk dry out?..
I saw a neorologist and an orthopaedic doctor and they borh said surgery is the last resort. That PT may help and if not then I bcan do spinal injections then if that doesnt work surgery. I dont have back pain so I am not sure why the orthopaedoc will recommend injections if there is no pain. I was told I have a thoracic herniated disc on my T9 - T11. I also have numbness and loss of sensation from my buttocks down my legs but have gotten a lot better with just waiting. There is also a chance it could be perimenopause happening at the same time with the disc because I am 47. The orthopaedic told me my case isnt serious. Can PT make someone worse? Blessings~
What do you think of bertlotti syndrome? Getting pain and nerve pain in left leg and lrft back pain. mri just shows l5s1 narrowing disc and partial scralaized l5s1 both sides. Surgoen wants to do special fusion.
Bertlotti syndrome is a known but rare cause of LBP. Diagnostic injection under fluoroscopy (at the pseudo-articulation) is usually how the diagnosis is made, after other diagnoses have been ruled out.
5 years with spondylolisthesis. PT helped me along with inversion table, walking 2x a day resting a few more hours a day & back brace with drawstrings & solid back plate (i call it my ninja turtle brace) BUT...3 months ago I went back home for a week & did long work days on the farm. I have NOT recovered from that. It is very unstable right now with right leg weakness, spasms, random electric shocks in lower leg & occasional deep dark pain in bottom of tailbone. I am very concerned because a couple of these symptoms are new from initial onset 5 years ago. So I am thinking about seeing a Dr soon... 🙃😊
Thank you for reaching out. Spondylolisthesis can cause significant difficulties, unfortunately. There are two main types of spondylolisthesis: ruclips.net/video/DfQnd9IeW6E/видео.html ruclips.net/video/sXS62ydvovY/видео.html Seeing a spine surgeon can be a good next step for you. Good luck, and the best of health to you 👍
Thank you for reaching out. Unfortunately I am unable to recommend for/against surgery because I don't have the information needed to make this determination. If you have reservations about your surgeon's recommendation, you may need to get a second opinion from another surgeon. Good luck to you 👍
How long is it normal to have pain after a lumbar fusion surgery? 4.5 months ago I had a L4-S1 fusion due to mobile spondylolisthesis at both L4-L5 and L5-S1 as well as bilateral pars defects at L4 and L5. 98% of my pain was in my glute muscles. I'm still in a lot of pain post surgery. When would you start to worry that the surgery perhaps was not successful?
I have spinal stenosis. My L4 and L5 is bulged and because of that when I am standing and walking straight my legs and feet become numb. I feel kind of burning sensation. Dr. suggested endoscopy on my spine. What do you suggest. Thanks
Thank you for reaching out. Unfortunately I am unable to give you a recommendation since I have not examined you or reviewed the imaging studies. If you are not sure about the recommendation of the surgeon who evaluated you, I suggest getting a second opinion. Wishing you the best of luck and the best of health.
I have had surgery on my neck and lower back, many years have passed now and now I have started having numbness, weakness, and losing strength in my left arm & leg. I’m aware of some disc problems in my cervical, thoracic and lumber spine. Is there something that you can do to help me out?
Thank you for your question. Obviously, I cannot diagnose or treat your condition, since I am not familiar with it. Having said that, the best course of action would be to get an in-person evaluation by a spine-surgeon. Maybe the following two videos could be helpful to you: ruclips.net/video/X9JMMaeBUJc/видео.html ruclips.net/video/Hml_6kM4fY8/видео.html Wishing you the best of luck 👍
I recommend getting an in-person consultation with a spine-surgeon where you live, since what you described sounds urgent. Wishing you good luck and the best of health.
Do I understand correctly that minimally invasive endoscopic laminectomy is not the same as normal cut laminectomy with regard to the outcome? In normal cut you can do more and on both sides of vertebra?
Great question. Yes, a conventional/ normal laminectomy gives you much greater exposure, as a surgeon and you can remove much more of the bone. This allows the surgeon to perform a more thorough surgical decompression.
Thank you for reaching out. Unfortunately it is not possible for me to diagnose your condition or make a treatment recommendation without performing a physical examination and reviewing the imaging studies. Whether surgery is/isn't appropriate for you can be determined only after the above steps have been undertaken. I recommend a consultation with a spine-surgeon, and perhaps even a second-opinion evaluation if you are not sure. I have made a video which may be of interest to you: ruclips.net/video/ovSTtD08Olw/видео.html Wishing you good luck, thank you for watching! 👍
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks Thank you, Yes I have an appointment on June 11, with a Neurosurgeon Dr. Xun Li at Jamaica hospital. I’m Nervous ….thank you for the video Have a Good day 🙂
I have DDD, LSS L5-S1, broad based disc protrusions at L4-L5. It was recommended that I do Physical Therapy and if not better, a fusion of L4-L5. How many months of PT should I do before considering fusion surgery? Also, I have NO leg pain. Most of my pain is in the mid back area after walking/standing for an hour. I get relief if I sit and relax. Also I have arthritis of the spine. Do you have any observations for me? Thank you. 70 y/o.
Hello John, thank you for your excellent question. You are facing a classic dilemma, one which is quite common, unfortunately. For starters, obviously I *cannot* diagnose your particular condition nor can I therefore give you medical advice. Having said that, I will give you a few generalizations (which may or may not be applicable to your condition) that have been borne out of my personal professional experience. First of all, I note that the reason most patients get spine surgery is to improve their quality of life. In general, I advise my patients (especially older patients) to stay active so that they don't become deconditioned and/or lose muscle/bone-mass since this can have significant down-stream effects with respect to general health and functional endurance. For patients who have back pain in the setting of degenerative disc disease (in the absence of neurological symptoms), I advise them to get at a minimum of 3-6 months of physical therapy (including home-exercise program), consult a pain-management specialist, get on a program of anti-inflammatory medications and muscle-relaxers. Opiates are to be avoided. Most patients after 3-6 months will get meaningful improvement (pain may still be there, but hopefully not as severe/ disabling). The cohort of patients who do not improve, I will generally send them for a second-opinion to a surgeon who I know is ethical and compassionate, and who will not subject a patient to surgery for financial gain. I tell my patients with back pain (without neurological symptoms) that if they have back surgery (in the setting of arthritis/ degenerative disc disease), their chances of getting better are roughly 50/50. Most surgeons will agree with this general approach. Finally: Most low/mid-back pain is believed to be muscular/ ligamentous/ soft-tissue based. Even though an MRI may be quite impressive (showing many degenerated discs), whether or not these degenerated discs are the actual underlying *cause* of back pain is something which has not yet been settled: There is a lot of disagreement about this matter. I am a conservative surgeon, so this is my opinion. Other more adventurous surgeons may disagree. Hope this helps. Wishing you all the best 👍
Great video Doctor. Let me get right to my point. Between laminectomies, fusions, revisions and extensions I have had 14 lumbar surgeries, never had any trauma, fyi… now I find myself in a position with severe , chronic pain, severe and chronic nerve pain in my entire leg and can not walk without aid, that’s on a good day. I have hit the wall in terms of what to do. I always did what was asked of me (pt and proper rehab)Not all surgeries were by same doctor but I am not afraid to say that the majority were performed by Yale and “the best nerosurgeons) I am at the point where I simply do NOT know what to do and accepted that I will be this way. I also fear continued surgery at new levels. Finally, I am currently fused from L1-S1… any feedback, in general, would be appreciated..
Thank you for reaching out. The situation you describe is quite challenging, and I hope that you get better with time. Since I cannot diagnose your condition or recommend treatment(s) for it, in general I advise patients who have undergone multiple surgical procedures without good results is to get established with a good pain-management doctor to see if non-surgical treatments can alleviate some (if not all) of the pain. Wishing you all the best in the future 🙏
Is hemilaminotomy consider as incomplete laminectomy?L5-S1 11mm herniation, also had microdiscectomy with medial facetectomy, foraminotomy . Feeling better, redicular pain relieved andits been 3 months. Had repeat MRI post sx., 8wk., showed hemilaminotomy healing
Hello, it is now 3 weeks post ACDF C5-7. I would like more information on why I shouldn't do things for first 6 weeks and why certain activities can cause a failed fusion or other problems. Firstly, I am not sure what device they used in discectomy and fusion, I can't see a plate on xray, just the spacer and then something small in front of the spacer covering the gap and 2 screws one diagonal up into top vertebrae and one screw diagonally down into bottom vertebrae, nothing like all the things I have seen on You Tube where there is a visible plate and screws go in horizontally. So two of these small contraptions one at C5-6 and one at C6-7. So overnight in hospital, no collar, home next day. Didn't need pain killers. Only pain was laying down to sleep, deep inside neck bones and into head like the bone was pulling on the screw is the only way I can explain it. Had headache all night with neck pain and migraines every morning for several days, it took a couple of weeks to be able to lay flat and still have some pain laying down, not much, but ok when upright, and is improving. I can do stuff that it says I shouldn't, like sweeping, carrying grocery bags, driving... I try not to as not supposed to but can without pain. I have noticed though, if I do have to do something and it seem well tolerated, its the next day that I feel the consequences and not at the time. So can I do damage or prevent fusion if I do stuff? Why can't I lift more than 5kg (in Australia and that is their limit) my cat is heavier than 5kg, what if I briefly lift him onto my lap? Can you do a video explaining the mechanism of these activities and how and why they cannot be done in first 6 weeks when it feels as though one can? If it takes 6-12 months for fusion what kind of physical activities can be detrimental to that process. I dont take any fish oil supplements, or Vit E and others like Ginko etc as they are reported to hinder fusion. I take vit C, Vit D with K2, Q10, Glucosamine with condroitin and a concentrated bone broth with high collagen content and focus on high protein diet. I have Crohns so absorption and appetite is a bit of a problem... But curious how it works as to why I shouldn't be physically active and what I really should not do, is it the soft tissue, stitches and ligatures rather than the fusion that is the worry? Many thanks for all your videos and help. Much appreciated.
Thank you for reaching out, and I think your concerns/ questions are quite valid. To begin with, since I am not familiar with your particular case, I cannot make specific recommendations for you. I think the best course of action would be for you to contact your surgeon and ask him/her these questions. For my patients, I generally recommend collar for 2-3weeks, and at around 3weeks most patients are quite functional. It is common/ normal for patients to be fatigued/ achy for weeks after surgery. I think the best way to gauge/ improve your functional progress after surgery is to work with a physical therapist. That way you have a professional monitoring your milestones who can guide you as needed. ACDF is one of my favorite surgeries. I have made a few videos about this surgery (and the related condition of cervical radiculopathy): ruclips.net/video/5HPlzxWN2dk/видео.html ruclips.net/video/Hml_6kM4fY8/видео.html Wishing you all the best, and thank you for watching. I think you will do very well. Good luck! 👍
If you find this video helpful, you may also want to check out this video:
"Don't have spine surgery if..."
ruclips.net/video/ovSTtD08Olw/видео.html
Can you talk about total facet replacement surgery. its newer than fusion i believe, difficult to find detailed information on tho .
Please, how can I contact you?
Can I know where are. Thank you
My T12 exploded during a traumatic injury I had no choice but to have a fusion. Fortunately the neurosurgeon was very experienced. Didn’t have to use a cage, all the bones came back to place and Fortunately the bones missed my spinal cord and nerves during the accident and I have had no numbness, tingling, or nerve issues before or after surgery. Praise God 🎉
the most honest spine specialist i ever seen
It takes courage to admit as a surgeon that there are situation where you just don’t have the answer. Pure heart and clean hands. Much respect
Thank you 🙏❤️
Also: Surgeons are, let's not forget, human. We are, unfortunately, not perfect. We do the best we can, within our constraints. Thank you for your very kind compliment; I may use your comment in one of my videos ("Pure heart and clean hands")... you summed it up perfectly.
Thank you 🙏
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks….we prefer our surgeons to have clean hands
His key comment was the vast majority of patients do very well after surgery. I’m one. Over a year’s time I had 4 Epidural’s in my L4 L5 and S1 and the pain in my right buttock and down my leg came back even worse. I am 4 weeks post op surgery. L4 L5 and S1 had cages inserted and were fused. I’m getting around great and no more pain shooting down my leg. People do your due diligence. Make sure you have exhausted all other remedies.
Agreed 👍
I’ve listened to a multitude of spine surgeons and this guy seems Sincere and Honest and Very Caring and Surprisingly Humble. Thank you for your comments
Very kind of you, thank you 🙏
I just put all the dots together.
Diagnosed with failed back surgery syndrome due to mis diagnose wrong surgery. You explained
everything so delicately beautiful.
Definitely would be great to have a consultation with you.
At 24 years old, freshly graduated from college I had gradually worsening sciatic pain. Ended up having lumbar laminectomy. No fusion, but complete disc removal, by an excellent neurosurgeon. He said I might need another surgery within 10 years. I didn't.
I'm 70 now and have degenerative disc disease. Really don't trust the medical/hospital industry after the co-vid debacle. But wondering about a steroid injection to alleviate the pain.
I keep a cane nearby, but pain lessens after moving around a bit by mid day. Worse in mornings.
I've found a 30 hour fasting session will lower inflammation noticeably.
Teeter incline board Really helps, but it's very temporary.
Dr Khan is an excellent surgeon. Watch his videos, very interesting, and you will learn a lot. I suffered 3 years with back pain. After he performed my surgery, it was only a matter of a few weeks with PT, and I feel great!! It's not even been a year since i had my surgery. THANK YOU!!
I am honored by your kind words! Thank you ❤️🙏❤️
Where is Dr. Khan located? Blesisngs~
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks
YOUR VIDEO IS AWESOME AND EXTREMELY INFORMATIVE & HELPFUL . . . THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!
Thank you for your kind words, I appreciate it.
Glad to hear that you found the video helpful.
Im almost positive my first surgery failed simply because they wanted the chance to do a second surgery. I had herniated discs L4,L5 and L5,S1. They only removed part of one disc claiming the other one wasnt bad enough to worry about yet. Well, i was in worse pain after that surgery. I did a lot of research and found another surgeon. 2.5 years later, both discs are replaced with spacers, parts of vertebrae removed and fused L4-S1 now. Im 2.5 months out of that surgery. Research, research, research...
Thank you for reaching out. I hope you are doing well after surgery.
I made a video about this issue:
ruclips.net/video/ovSTtD08Olw/видео.html
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks I'll check it out if I haven't already. I found your channel a few days ago. Most of the videos I've come across on spine surgery are 5-7, even 10+ years old. That seems strange to me considering how much and how quick technology changes.
Okay I am watching your video and you just explained exactly what I am dealing with in my spine at the 8:47 mark. I have been diagnosed with spondylolisthesis. I have facet cysts that swell and make my spinal nerves very angry. I have back pain daily and the facet cysts get so swollen and irritated that they are not responding well to anti inflammatory meds. I had to lay off of them due to my kidney function declining. I had decompression surgery on June1, 2015 in the L5, S1 area. Now due to the shifting and facet cyst swelling, I have sciatic nerve pain that starts in my lower back, goes around the groin and down my left leg. I was never told that I would be facing another surgery because I thought I was one and done. Now I see that having another surgery may not fix my back pain at all. I am so tired and tired of hurting because the instability has affected my quality of life, my daily activities and my marriage. I am afraid of going through fusion surgery but living with the pain is worse. I work as a business officer so there is no good time of the year to be out of work for 3 months. I hate I found myself in this position, but glad I found your channel. I will continue to do my research before agreeing to another surgery, but there are no guarantees. Thank you so much for your advice.
I slipped a disc around L4 when I was 26 yrs old. My GP told me it was not unusual of someone working in the building trade ( bricklayer ) and that it was wear and tear. ( at 26 yrs?). Anyway I am now 73 and still suffering. My last surgery in 2016 / 17 I had a L4/ L5/S1 fusion at Nottingham Queens Medical. The day after when my wife and son came to see me I was apparently in good spirits. They said the surgery went successfully. However, from day two onwards from what I have been told things changed dramatically and instead of ending up in the hospital for 3/4 days, I was there four and a half weeks. My wife discovered that they had tore into my spinal canal and as I had to remain motionless for ten days they overdosed me with Ketamine and morphine. My wife said I was in a really bad temper and saying nasty things to her and others. I had my Father and Brother visit me from Wales ( they had died years previously ). They had constructed a scaffold outside the window and a pop concert had taken place the day before. These were the side effects of too many drugs to keep me motionless. Since then and increasing daily, i suffer with more pain in my back than ever. Now that I am expecting Pain Management at the hospital to concentrate on lessening the pain my hopes are vanishing. None of them will admit that things did not go to plan and their sympathy towards what pain can do for you not just physically but mentally but also the stress and pressure it puts in my case ( my dear wife ). From being allowed the privilege of retiring at leisure and be free to organise each day as it comes? she is now a carer and nurse and has no quality time for herself as would be expected when retired. She can’t plan ahead because each day there is a problem. We are due to attend my dear Uncle’s funeral on Monday next in Wales. We are going to travel down on Saturday ( health permitting ) so I can have Sunday to rest after the journey to be prepared for Monday. But I will not know until Monday if I am able to attend health wise. My advice is this, think very very hard about surgery to your spine. It cannot be reversed and not all consultants are as good as they think they are.
Oof, I had the same problem and surgery etc, but I realize now that it’s better to do a laminectomy if the discs are calcified, because if they go tearing up the disc it is quite likely it will reherniate uncontrollably, it’s not the surgeons fault, they have a tough decision to make but I stopped thinking that they would hurt me on purpose. My sciatica is unbearable and my back is absolutely destroyed from the operation but a few months post op is not grounds to say it’s better or worse, disc replacements aren’t going to fail right away, but let me know how you’re doing in 5 years. I’m putting off a fusion as long as possible but yea, life sucks.
I just had a 360 Revision spinal fusion surgery. 3 surgeries done in within 4 days. June 21st. I had Pseudoarthrosis & my 2 bottom screws came loose, so I found a new surgeon & that’s what he put together. Removed my old hardware from spine day 1. Day 2 cut my belly for anterior fusion then day 3, put the screws in my spine properly. 4 blood transfusions. Now, I’m recovering at home
Wow, that's a lot of surgery, great to hear that you are recovering well!
Sometimes a surgery like that is needed to treat pseudoarthrosis, and most patients do very well afterwards. Wishing you all the best, thank you for sharing 👍
"
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks that’s exactly what it was.
One of the best videos I’ve seen when regards to back surgery, myself I’ve had two back surgery. Would have loved to seen and heard this video prior to my surgeries however, I was lucky I had good surgeons and my surgeries were basically 20 years apart. I now understand much more about how and why the surgeon did what he did once again thanks for the video.
Thank you for your kind words, much appreciated.
Wishing you the best of health 🙏
Excellent video.and informative. I had leminectomy 50 years ago. Some six months ago had fall on escalator. Now I have been waiting for L 4/5 S1 fussion I have spondylitis and bone spurs. Bad groin butt thighs. Have C5;6,7 bone spurs both arms just very worried I don’t smoke 73 years just very worried. Floppy right foot not much can’t walk far need to lay not much life. Don’t like taking MS Contin but I have faith in Dr
Absolutely right 👍 great tips,ive recently had bone fusion surgery done a mnth ago,and procrastinated my surgery bout 10 yrs,yes therapy, medication and pain management injections etc,just time consuming and no results with therapy and injections
Medication and still being able to walk after,but yes L-4&L-5 slip disc & very successful,Doc Mathew Alexander in corpus Christi TX such a great professional surgeon,yet blessings to you all ,take care,know a decompression only works temporarily,do not return back to heavy duty activities.
Thank you for reaching out, great to hear that you are recovering well.
Wishing you the best of health and the best of luck in the future! 🙏👍
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks thank you ,two months after procedure,and have experience waking up pain ,left side hip,and without medication,a lot of fatigue ness,pain,lost of strength,, assuming to early into the rehabilitation to say anything.but still with therapy.
Thanks for being honest with us ❤
Thank you for your kind words, glad that is was helpful 👍
Thank you very much for this video. I have just received a DDD diagnosis in l5-s1. After my personal investigation, I concluded that as a degenerative problem maybe it will be in the best of my interest to treat it as a degenerative problem and do everything possible to manage and slow down degeneration in the other vertebrae (I don’t know if this is possible but I will try to find out) more than a back pain problem. Thank you for inviting us patients to learn, ask, question, investigate and think… (Apologies for my English as I am not a native speaker😅).
Thank you for sharing, I am glad that my video was helpful to you.
DDD at L5/S1 is very common, but whether or not to have surgery is a different matter than you need to carefully discuss with your physician/surgeon. I made a video which may be of interest to to you:
"Don't have spine surgery if..."
ruclips.net/video/ovSTtD08Olw/видео.html
Wishing you good health and good luck 👍
What a pleasure to have such an honest open professional presentation. Thank-you Dr.!
My pleasure!
Thank you for this valuable information! Really appreciate your honesty
Glad it was helpful!
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks I've had back problems for 10 years it's finally come to the point I have to have surgery! Really like my surgeon
Thank you for the video.
I had an open laminectomy (L5-S1) 12 years ago. It was so far successful but unfortunately I fell off the stairs 4 months into healing. All my symptoms came back and it was found that it caused a herniated disc on L4-L5) so a second surgery was done. My condition really improved. Until 6 years after when all my symptoms came back. 3 years later they found that I developed a lot of scar tissue and that my spine became unstable so after exhausting all noninvasive modalities and consulted several doctors, all of them concluded it was FBSS. I just had my multilevel spine fusion (L2-S1) and is now on the way to recovery.
Thank you for your kind words, appreciate it.
Recovering from multiple spine surgeries is never easy; wishing you an excellent recovery!
Good luck to you 👍👍
I hope you get better soon x
Hey Doctor please reply My Dad 50 MRI findings are suggestive of spondylotic changes of the cervical spine with broad-based posterocentral and right paracentral disc protrusion with posterior marginal osteophyte (disc osteophyte complex) and ligamentum flavum thickening at C6-C7 level causing narrowing of the right lateral recess, focal secondary spinal canal stenosis and significant bilateral (right > left) traversing. nerve root compression. The compressed cervical cord at C6-C7 level also demonstrates focal Intramedullary T2 hyperintensity representing myelomalacic cord changes / focal cord edema. Mild posterior disc osteophyte complex with ligamentum flavum thickening at C5-C6 level is also seen causing indentation over the ventral cervical cord surface with no significant intramedullary signal Intensity change.Does he need surgery
Such a very forthright and honest presentation on this intimidating discussion. Thank you for this‼️
Thank you for your kind words, glad to hear that you found it helpful 🙏
It is soooo refreshing to see an honest and open Surgeon! THANK YOU for your honesty! Where are your located and are you taking patients for consultations?
Thank you for your kind words, appreciate it.
My office is located in Milwaukee, WI.
www.MustafaKhanMD.com
Office: 414-276-6000.
This is the best surgeon you all find. Dr Khan performed surgery on my daughter's back and a year later on mine. Excellent results for both of us. I was amazed at how quick I was healing with the PT program he recommended, too. Thank you, Dr. Khan!!
Which county is he in?@@pennymoldenhauer5511
Dr you truly understand because am listening to how you explain this is like wow someone who understands... most dr won't break down this feel like your going crazy.. when the pain exists...
Thank you. Sorry to hear about your difficulties; wish you good luck and the best of health 🙏
Thank you so much for sharing this video. Helpful 🙏
Glad it was helpful 🙏
My new surgeon straight up lied to me. About needing a 3rd lumbar fusion. First 2 fusions went great, some relief of pain. For my third i had a second opinion the surgeon said i didnt need the fusion but if i think it might help my pain do it. My surgeon told me he could get me pain free which i didn't really believe, but went through with it. Post op discharge pain was the same . Then he said i needed a spinal cord stimulator and his partner will do it . After my second revision with the implant im having i taken out.
Excellent Dr. you explained so many things about failed BACK surgery, thank you.
Thank you for the compliment, appreciate it 👍
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks You are very welcome Dr. the patient's really appreciate a Dr like you! 😊
MRI findings are suggestive of spondylotic changes of the cervical spine with broad-based posterocentral and right paracentral disc protrusion with posterior marginal osteophyte (disc osteophyte complex) and ligamentum flavum thickening at C6-C7 level causing narrowing of the right lateral recess, focal secondary spinal canal stenosis and significant bilateral (right > left) traversing. nerve root compression. The compressed cervical cord at C6-C7 level also demonstrates focal Intramedullary T2 hyperintensity representing myelomalacic cord changes / focal cord edema. Mild posterior disc osteophyte complex with ligamentum flavum thickening at C5-C6 level is also seen causing indentation over the ventral cervical cord surface with no significant intramedullary signal Intensity change.
Does 50 years with little pain need surgery
You seem like such a GOOD AND HONEST doctor and I wish so badly that my surgeon had been even a little bit a empathetic as you ❤
Unfortunately, I had to drop him like a month after surgery. He told me I was "drug seeking" because I called to refill my meds so I just dropped him and stopped taking my meds because i honestly hated them anyhow 😅 Ithem went through my entire surgery recovery without a surgeon to check on me and he did not care at all.
Dr Clinton Baird with Olympia Surgery in Round Rock Tx
Omg, I wish I had you for a Dr. I’ve been through ringer with failed back surgery. I had spondylolisthesis and severe spinal stenosis. My life has been a debilitating hell. Looking at a pump stimulator🙏
Thank you for reaching out, appreciate your kind words.
Recovery from spine surgery is not easy, agreed.
Wishing you the best, hope you feel better soon 🙏
I have severe stenosis also. Would you mind getting back to me about surgical treatment; I need someone to talk to. This is HORRIBLE!
Spine should be operated only on three indications
1. Cauda equina syndrome
2. Unstable symptomatic spine
3. Trauma spine causing spinal cord compression.
@@dsa4931#1 - 1/2 way there #2 yes #3 No
After 4 failed surgery's on my L4/L5 L5/S1 10 years taking pain medication i really dont see an end to the pain , i am now suffering worse pain than before the operations i wish i had not had the procedures.
Sorry to hear about your difficulties. Wishing you the best of luck and the best of health 👍
I’m going in for my 4th surgery in two weeks. I feel your pain 😢
Try stem cells it's all natural
I have degenerative arthritis and was assaulted causing 4 herniated discs. After an MRI, I was given an emergency appointment with a university hospital.
I had laminectomy with all my back complications, nerve pain osteoarthritis spondylolisthesis degenerative disc disease severe L5 S1 stenosis after months worse off
Honestly explained many things
thanks for the taking the time for us
Thank you for the compliment, appreciate it 👍
Doctor, I feel the sincerity in your words and tone . I would choose you if I am such a patient.
❤️🙏 Thank you
I was actually really mad because my doctor gave me the impression that the pain that I was having when they did my back surgery, which was a ALIF 360 L4S1 and when I woke up, I thought that the nerve pain would go away. I had no success. I spent five days in the hospital and then I went home and I just thought that OK I will get better in three months six months one year and it never did and I kept going back to the doctor saying what’s wrong. Why is it not working and all the doctor did was show me off to a pain specialist and basically write me off and never saw me again. And he told me there’s nothing I can do for you anymore. You need to go to pain specialist consider doctor, but he had too much of an ego and didn’t really care about the patient that he was saying which is very sad now I’m still suffering for the last six years from the surgery, but I’ve been suffering for 10 years with this problem. That’s never gone away.
Sorry to hear about your difficulties. It is not easy to deal with such a problem, because it affects all aspects of life. Maybe you could get a second opinion from one or two spine surgeons to see if they have any recommendations.
Wishing you the best of luck and the best of health 🙏❤️
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks you’re so kind thank you so much and please keep posting information. Could you post information on a posterior cervical laminectomy C3 through C6. Could you explain when you decide to do that type of procedure and how is it done?
I had inadequate pain management after cancer surgery and almost took my life.
My doctor told me the same thing I had a laminectomy done because my nerves damage was so bad from spinal stenosis I lost feeling in the waist,the left side of my foot, also cause incontinence i didn't have a choice and i don't have any pain at all but i still have issues with incontinence so my surgery wants to go back in the help with this situation I didn't get a fusion but i might have to request this when i get my second one done...thank you for this information
Thank you for reaching out.
CES is a rare condition and an emergency surgery is necessary in most cases. Wishing you good health and good luck with your 2nd surgery 👍
OMG…. You’re speaking my language 😮.. 20 yrs later with failed back surgery and still have chronic pain as we speak. Fusion L5-S1 and hardware removal 11:mos post surgery, and the pain became worse. Had surgery at 40 yrs and now am almost 60 yrs old. I am in so much pain. I need a solution 😮😢. Where are you located? I live in Chicago.
Sorry to hear about your difficulties, it is never easy to recover from a difficult surgery that did not achieve desired results.
I am located in Milwaukee, WI.
If you would like a consultation please call my office at 414-276-6000.
Thank you.
I felt wonderful after my lamenectomy without a fusion. 2 months later I developed facet joint arthrapathy. I’m afraid to have a fusion. I’m in pain every day.
It is not unusual to have facet-joint problems after a laminectomy. That is why sometimes a fusion is necessary along with a laminectomy
I had My back fusion surgery in the early 2000's that left me with chronic major back problems & chronic serious pain so bad that I now stand slouched over and I have to walk with a cane and some days I can't walk at all and I'm in constant pain. Back fusion surgeries have a very high rate of failing and do not correct your back problems. I ended up having a second back fusion because according to my surgeon my first one failed. After about 13 yrs a different better surgeon sat me down and told me that the back fusions did more harm to my back than good and he went in and literally took out all the hardware because the hardware in my back literally did no good except he couldn't remove one screw because it was broken and it was titanium and titanium isn't supposed to easily break. I had decompression surgery too and disc removal. I also have major permanent nerve damage on my left side from my waist down to my toes.
I had a laminectomy and discectomy in my thoracic spine T8-9 for a big herniated disc, the pain was radiating to the ribs and abdomen, I did all the treatments prior of the surgery and didn’t help also another MRI to see if the herniated disc had shrunken and it didn’t. I had this surgery 1 year ago and the pain in my ribs subsided, but I still have pain in my back, buttocks and hips that I didn’t have. MRI showed a little piece of the disc got into the Foramen space after surgery and is pressing the nerve. I don’t want to do anymore surgeries, but my life changed completely because I can’t work or enjoy life with my husband like before. Does time heals the spine by itself ? What do you recommend? Thank you in advance 😊
Thank you doctor for your honesty 😊
Thank you for your kind words, glad you found the video helpful.
Great video and I feel like my first fusion was similar to what you said as the surgeon was trying to be too invasive and I had nerves trapped etc. I had a microdiscectomy in 2018, could not walk or sleep in so much pain. I re-ruptured it during covid by sneezing. Had a fusion with spacer and it did not fuse but leg pain was gone. I do not know why it did not fuse? I don't drink smoke in good health no meds good weight etc. So I had a revision for L4/L5 and he came in from the front this time. 95% better than before surgery. I still believe my L5/S1 disc is causing some issues and sort of wish he had fused this while he was in there but he wanted to wait and see. I assume I will be having a L5/S1 fusion but can hold off a few years until I get that really bad leg pain that keeps me from sleeping. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for reaching out. The situation you described is, unfortunately, not uncommon. Sometimes bones don't fuse for unknown reasons, agreed. Wishing you all the best and the best of health 🙏
Excellent video Dr, thank you.
Thank you for your kind words, appreciate it 🙏
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks I have a general question. Is there a reason synthetic lumbar disks are used more? It's been explained to me by my pain specialist, a fusion will result in transfer of the load to the next vertebrae down & pain will reoccur. It seems synthetic disks for some are the answer.
Lumbar disc replacements have mostly fallen out of favor, while cervical disc replacements are being done more and more.
Here is my video about disc replacement which may be of interest to you:
ruclips.net/video/3vt-qLOWdaE/видео.html
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks thanks you !
I had a laminectomy microdisectomy 5 weeks ago. Pain worse than before surgery. Had the injections and an ablation prior with no good results. I am 74 years old. Now the surgeon wants to do a fusion. I am very scared to have this done. More time in hospital , longer recovery. I have a lot of pain being controlled with oxycodone and ibuprofen. Muscle relaxers. Advice?
Thank you for your question.
For obvious reasons I cannot diagnose your condition, but since you mentioned a "cyst" on the spine, I have the following two videos which may be of interest to you:
ruclips.net/video/0SNfBFuLGcI/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/7_7SMnY0O-Y/видео.html
Good luck.
Nice conversion with important tricks
Had a laminectomy but it has worked after 4 months. Now I’ve been scheduled to see orthopedic surgeon for hips surgery. Hips have severe arthritis. I saw orthopedic doctor first but he said it was the back when there was clear evidence it was the hips.
Thank you for sharing. It is not unusual to have back and hip problems causing symptoms together. It can be quite tricky to figure out if the major problem is the back or the hip. Wishing you the best 👍
Okay I am watching your video and you just explained exactly what I am dealing with in my spine at the 8:47 mark. I have been diagnosed with spondylolisthesis. I have facet cysts that swell and make my spinal nerves very angry. I have back pain daily and the facet cysts get so swollen and irritated that they are not responding well to anti inflammatory meds. I had to lay off of them due to my kidney function declining. I had decompression surgery on June1, 2015 in the L5, S1 area. Now due to the shifting and facet cyst swelling, I have sciatic nerve pain that starts in my lower back, goes around the groin and down my left leg. I was never told that I would be facing another surgery because I thought I was one and done. Now I see that having another surgery that may not fix my back pain at all. I am so tired and tired of hurting because the instability has affected my quality of life, my daily activities and my marriage. I am afraid of going through fusion surgery but living with the pain is worse. I work as a business officer so there is no good time of the year to be out of work for 3 months. I hate I found myself in this position, but glad I found your channel. I will continue to do my research before agreeing to another surgery, but there are no guarantees. I have had steroid shots, PT, chiropractic care, currently in PT now, dry needling, med management, you name it, I have done it or been referred for it. Thank you so much for your advice. This video is very helpful and I am reviewing your other videos for more information. I got a second opinion as the first surgeon just sent me to have shots and RFA treatment. After getting tired of being a human pen cushion, I got my second opinion and he found I had instability in my cervical spine that was corrected with fusion in August 23. He was able to get another MRI due to a positive Hoffman sign (you got a video for that) as I was more focused on my lower back pain I didn’t notice the signs of numbness and tingling in my hands. I just thought I was sleeping wrong. Now I have to focus on my lumbar surgery with no leave time and a lengthy rehab journey ahead. I am just tired of this journey. Thank you for your videos.
Thank you for your very thoughtful comment, I understand completely.
Sometimes hindsight is 20/20, agreed. As a patient it can be very difficult to make decisions about whether or not fusion is a good idea for you because there is an element of uncertainty associated with this choice. I wish you the best of health and good luck 👍
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks just had spinal fusion 10-28-24. Recovery harder than expected, but carefully optimistic. I’m only a week and few days. Off opioids after 5 days. Have not found updated recovery videos for expectations for recovery. Most are 2-3 years old and my experience has been quite different. Can you provide any? Would like to stay in touch with you about my recovery and help others if possible that are facing this decision and choice. Thank you for what you do.
Very informative. I just had L4L5 with fusion. I'm 5th week, and I'm 71. Seems my healing is slow. Is this normal for my age?
Recovery from spine surgery can take up to one year. It is a slow, gradual process, with ups-an-downs. Wishing you good luck and good health. Thank you for watching.
Dr. Kahn
I have had multiple surgeries/fusions, after years of shots and therapy . S1 thru L2, 10 screws 2 rods. Lamina removed, and the spinal canal widened. It still didn't stop the pain, burning and weakness. I was then advised to try a spinal cord stimulator. The trial was abandoned because they could not insert the wires thru bone spurs and scar tissue. It was then recommended to go straight to permanent because insurance didn't want an open trial with my diabetes. So I got a permanent nevro stimulator, and after over 30 programs, still not much relief. Always my second opinion saw no course better than my primary surgeon. Since the stimulator failed and pain actually got worse, I got another opinion and of course, MRI. And now the level above my fusion is herniated. This third surgeon wants me to start to merry go round of shots because an operation would be difficult having to go under my 12th rib and move my lung. Should I try the shots, again, or just give up. I've had awful back pain for decades and I really have no hope for relief. Thanks Dr.
Thank you for reaching out.
The situation you described is obviously quite challenging.
I always tell my patients that recovery after spine surgery is usually quite challenging, but in some cases it can be extremely difficult (as you have described). Unfortunately I cannot diagnose your condition or recommend a treatment since I have not had a chance to examine you (or review your records). But, having said that, if your pain is unrelenting, you may want to talk to your pain-management doctor about an implanted pain-pump. I am not sure if that is the right answer for you, but it is something you can discuss with your PM-doc.
Good luck and good health to you ❤️🙏
Excellent video
Thank you for your kind words, appreciate it ❤️
I have spondylolistheses grade 2 in LWS 3/4 , spinal stenosis, arthritis, osteochondrosis. I have sciatic pain and osteoporosis. I'm 70 years old and my spinal surgeon wants to do a TLIF and an decompression. But I' m afraid that the screws may destroy my bones or that I must have further surgery after years. I don' t smoke (never did) and I always did sport in my younger life. Unfortunately I can' t do normal sports any longer, only some exercises for my back to release the pain. I' m not sure, if I should do the surgery. Sorry for my english, I come from Germany.
Thank you for reaching out.
I cannot make a recommendation in your case, obviously, because I have not examined you or reviewed the imaging data. If you are not sure about your spine-surgeon's recommendation, you can always get a second-opinion from another surgeon to clarify this matter.
The decision to have/not-have surgery is not easy, I hear you.
You need to research this matter a bit more, so that when you discuss the pros/cons of surgery with the surgeon you can have a meaningful/ fruitful conversation.
The following videos may be helpful to you:
ruclips.net/video/DfQnd9IeW6E/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/ovSTtD08Olw/видео.html
Thank you for watching, wishing you good luck 👍
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks Thank you so much for your answer. Yes I will get a second opinion from another surgeon. And I must be convinced, that surgery is the best way. I really appreciate your Videos.
Am 3 weeks out from L3-L4 LLIF fusion and spinal stenosis decompression. The sciatica is completely gone. The fusion part will take awhile to heal. I am 72 and am anxious to get back to yoga swimming and hiking. Patience is key.
Wow your lucky to have it happen to late in life.I’m a 27 year old male dealing with this and it absolutely sucks.I won’t even find a wife or have children because I don’t want to a burden and be taken care of,I’m suppose to take care of them.
I have ankylosing spondylitis for 22 years it started at the age of 25 I had both hip replacement but i refused to go for a spine operation
Yes, I understand your dilemma. Recovering from spine surgery if you have AS is very challenging. Best to think long and hard about this decision. Wishing you the best of luck and the best of health in the future 👍
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks do you think if a person has AS an they back is hunch shud the they go for a spine surgery
Great video
Wishing you the best of luck and health 👍
I’ve had a spinal fusion 10 years ago I never fully fused I couldn’t find a dr to do a revision. My surgeon said he would if I didn’t fuse but unfortunately that didn’t happen . Now I’m having further issues my pain has never gotten better only worse. I have pseudoarthrosis
As a former 1st assist with fellowship trained spine surgeon, I can say some simple observations:
If you have BACK pain, and not leg or arm pain, you will not improve long term and may need further surgery in the future.
There are some rare conditions with back pain, who may need surgery.
It is easier, in the long run, to change your job than it is to change your back!
The fellow I worked with, former board member of NASS, would not do surgery on folks who presented with failed back, or back pain only. The patients knew he was a good surgeon and highly recommended, but he would explain to them that he simply was not smart enough to know the perfect surgery for their issue. Who could argue with that comment?
Very well said, thank you for your excellent comment. I agree with you.
Thankyou for the information.
My pleasure, glad you found the video helpful.
My posterior T5-10 and anterior T6-8 fusion was due to 3 compression fractures in T7,8. I then got osteomilitis and further deteriorated the disks. My rib cage is horrible where the grafted the rib back in as well as having pain in the back. The did corrections as well. Now my T11 is compressed 2.5 years later. I’m in so much pain, even with pain meds. Not sure what to do and I know this wasn’t elective, but necessary.
Thanks for info. I’m to the point I need surgery. How can you be contacted?
Thank you for reaching out.
Please call my office 414-276-6000 to set up an appointment.
Doctor you hit the nail right on the head he took out a lot of bone in my laminectomy went through another surgeon he said you need a two-level fusion I have one disc on top of the other now no more diss left full of arthritis but on the foramen it's pinching the nerve because of the instability I should have listened to the first surgeon said laminectomy and two level fusion went to this other guy he said you'll be fine with just the laminectomy evidently he was wrong going back for a second surgery last year June 15th I had my first I should have listened to the first surgeon I would have been all done now but this is life I have to bother my daughter as when I got hurt I was an electrician My wife divorced me so I have to bother my daughter she has her own life as a speech pathologist but she's going to help me out hopefully I won't need him no more than 3 weeks That's what I did last time thank you for these videos very informative you know your stuff I'm in the New York City area supposably the best spine surgeons I don't know problem is go to second opinion they tell you something different each one
Sometimes when you have a lot of surgeons in a big city, unfortunately you get many conflicting opinions (for a variety of reasons). This problem is very difficult for patients to solve, and it makes their decision-making unusually arduous. I hear you.
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks my degree in mechanical engineering but I went for electrician it paid better help me when the first doctor wanted to put coflex I said that will hold nothing it's only on two points with the steel bar left and right the weight will be more dispersed he agreed with me maybe he wanted to make money for the colflex company 🤔
What if you smoke cigarettes before the spine surgery and right before and after you quit smoking? Or after you have like one or two per month? And finally if you vape one or 2 times after surgery? Thank you!
Nicotine is toxic in all forms, doesn't matter whether it is smoked or consumed via E-cigs/ gum/ skin-patches. The less nicotine you consume, the better the chances of healing. Having said that, cigarette smoke contains more than 2000 chemical compounds most of which are also toxic; so smoking is by far much worse than other methods of nicotine-delivery.
Here are two videos I made about this subject:
ruclips.net/video/Jqi0lZdjT1A/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/qQVJCoZPmqs/видео.html
Thank you for your question, hope my answer is helpful.
Dear Mr. Dr.
I really appreciate your high skills & knowledge.
I am an Indian national and living in Dubai. I felt vertigo, tinnitus and occipital pain so did MRI, and got diagnosed that I have atlanto-axial dislocation and basilar invagination producing indentation on cervicomedullary junction.
The atlanto-axial distance is 7 mm and residual AP canal diameter is 10 mm.
Atlanto-axial distance is increased and reduced while extension and flexion.
I need your advise in this situation please if i can solve this by any non-surgical way.
My current symptoms are occipital pain and tinnitus. Sometimes little tingling sensation in body.
Thank you for reaching out.
The problem you described is not my field of expertise. Usually a neurosurgeon will address this problem surgically. I suggest that you arrange a consultation with a neurosurgeon specializing in this condition. Good luck 👍
I would like to know that after mayor 7, cervical spine laminectomy and fusion, why is failing three years later. How risky will it be to have a second fusion on my cervical spine again? I am in bad shape after my lamibectomy and fusion, and I do not have a neurosurgeon anymore.
I had lower spine fusion 28 years ago it ruined my life put on lots of weight from it I now suffer so much with pain what can I do now , Sheila from the uk 🇬🇧
Thank you for reaching out.
Unfortunately I cannot give you specific tips because I am unable to diagnose your condition. The best suggestion would be for you to make an appointment with a spine-surgeon to see if there has been any significant change above/below the fusion. But I am also aware that the healthcare system of UK is very difficult to navigate, so I understand your difficulties in getting the correct treatment. Good luck 👍
I need help its been 4 years since my spine surgery and I'm still unable to walk well and in pain daily
Same here except just one year out
Going in for my third surgery in 5 months soon.
Good luck and the best of health to you 👍
The explanation is quite clear n in my case I went for operation on 25.6.24 n it was neck/shoulder Nerve decompression.IHad pain on my right foot centered in my thighs n dump 2 fingers on my right hand.given medication for 1month.They did put six inplants.the neck is healed but now,both hands are dump and too much pain than before oper. I have been going for physiotherapy done 6 times but now it is worse than before.what shall i do to get better.??my name is charles matu (Nairobi-Kenya)thank you for your time.
Thank you so much for this video Dr, I have spinal surgery in 2022 June, came back with infection, then go back to theatre July, I’m still in pain I left leg can’t function well, Now I’m from MRI two on the 29 July 2024, after that I’m told to go back to therapy for screws because the disc has collapsed again, disc bulge etc,is this a good idea, I’m really exhausted
Thank you for your kind words, appreciate it.
The situation you describe is very challenging, and I wish you all the best. Good luck to you, take care of yourself ❤️👍🙏
Very fascinating. It seems to me most people shouldn’t undergo spinal surgery esp laminectomy as it causes spinal instability and instead opt for treatments such as SNEPI protocol or hyaluronic acid hydrogel injection into discs for regeneration. I’m curious if you utilise these techniques Dr?
Thank you for your excellent questions.
Laminectomy is a very well-established surgical technique which has a long track record. Sometimes, when we have to remove a lot of bone during the laminectomy (to achieve adequate decompression of the nerves/ spinal-cord) it is necessary to stabilize the vertebrae with screws/rods (i.e. "fusion").
As for the second part of your question, I am not familiar with the techniques you described. I am about to make a video about such novel techniques/ treatments, and will give you my opinion (stay-tuned). In general, I am a skeptic about "new" or "cutting-edge" treatment techniques; many such techniques have come and gone (sometimes resulting in very difficult problems afterwards) which has left a lot of patients worse-off. Until these treatments are proven with rigorous research/ trials, I will be very cautious about recommending them.
Hope that answers your question.
Thank you for watching.
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks SNEPI protocol would be utilised for pain management (injection of lidocaine) or alleviate clumping of nerve roots (normal saline) as a more effective and alternative treatment of epidural steroid injection, the latter which accelerates spinal degeneration. I would love your coverage of HA hydrogel injection for regeneration of discs. It seems most doctors are unaware of this innovative method of disc regeneration. Thank you 😊
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks SNEPI protocol using lidocaine has a track record of pain management. SNEPI utilising normal saline for calming nerves and possibly for nerve root clumping. I would love to see your coverage of HA hydrogel injection for disc regeneration. It seems many doctors are unaware of this treatment for disc regeneration.
Non smoker/drinker/druggy. Had a re-fusion L4-L5 after finding out 30-years later that the first doc didn't do a good job. New Doc did a "360" S1 thru L5 then up to thru L2. Also both SI joints got screwed together. Post op 2-months, I'm doing good feeling really great no pain in legs/back. After simply pushing on my truck just a little to get it rolling into the garage for repair (crank sensor)...BAM...now I'm bent over with spasms at my belt line right side. A week has gone by and it won't stop hurting spasm sudden shock of pain for no reason or movement. Saw my Doc he doesn't want to guess. Just had CT scan today....hope nothing broke or came loose. I was doing so well with high hopes....
Good luck to you, wishing you all the best 🙏
Don't push repair if you get fixed up
Druggy not cool try addict as a recovering addict 9 years clean it just comes off hateful
I had a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th opinion before I went forward with my procedure. It was a success so far.
Is the issue with smoking the cigarettes? Or nicotine?
We would tell our patients that smoking would lead to non-fusion rate of 10%, per level of fusion.
I have scar tissue that was found during a MRI when they did a contrast scan. What is the best way forward due to scar tissue. I am in so many pain killers
Thank you for reaching out.
Since I am not familiar with your case, I obviously cannot recommend any treatment(s) for you. Having said that, in certain cases a bigger surgery (to remove the scar tissue) may be an option. May be a good option to get a second opinion from another surgeon.
Wishing you good luck and the best of health 👍
❤Thank you, very helpful
God bless
Thank you for the kind words, appreciate it 🙏
I’m a victim of greedy surgeons who after herniated disc injury had performed a “minimal invasive L5S 1 laminectomy at age 48 that in 6 months he diagnosed with Failed Back Syndrome with post surgical scar tissue .. I have been suffering from osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease 10 years of PT and every therapy existing without any relief of debilitating chronic back pain preventing me from going back to work and taking care of my family … another 5 year later I suffered double fractures hips caused by S scoliosis curve of 45 … not diagnosed previous 😢 before the dirt back surgery being treated by various orthopedic surgeons for unexplained bone fractures after the FBS ,,,, the only solution the spine surgeons could offer me was a magazine fusion from lumbar to cervical with metal rods and fusion Accross of my hips..for close to One million dollars Medicare Ins tag.. The only thing that saved me from this” barbaric “ surgery was that beforehand I had to undergo bone density exam and I was diagnosed with osteoporosis ( explaining my severe unexplained fractures on my ribs, arm and leg fractures… but still the Hospital For Special Surgery NYC wanted to proceed with the mega fusion just in 6 weeks with Farteo injection treatment for osteoporosis…. ( when the entire treatment requires 2 years of Forteo injections 😢 fallowing additional calcium sealing treatment. I ran out from the HSS surgeons and are currently on second year of osteoporosis treatment, still suffering debilitating back pain and need to take pain medication daily to be able to get through a day taking care of my self and my sick post second massive stroke husband. The main medication and RUclips Scoliosis exercises THE BEST out of all In person years of PT , that are helping me to improve my ability to move without waker or cain as I had been doing since the Laminectomy . Now at age of 57 I need more personalized Scoliosis treatments??? Looking for a RUclips help to find that more personalized help with out traditional medicine doctors or even Chiropractor who so far all are only referring me to their friends spinal surgeons 😢😢 some of which go as far as to refusing to get involved in my treatment because my Medicare records show the diagnosis and plan for the mega fusion from the HHS surgeons from last year and they talk me that “ I should instead go back to HSS since they don’t want to get involved in computing “ WITH SHARKS” 😢😢😢how horrific are the financial dirty , greedy games of top NYC surgeons 😢😢 Please help me narrow down my search for the most personalized treatment with RUclips. I remember seen a RUclips video on how to search for the most effective Scoliosis treatment on RUclips, that I can’t find it again, and so desperately needed to be able to function with out heavy pain medication for the rest of my life now at 59 …
lumber to cervical
Dr. Khan- Do you have an opinion on, good or bad, regarding PRP injections for such conditions as DDD, Spondylosis, etc?? Thank You!
Thank you for your excellent question.
I am, in general, quite skeptical of new technologies/ treatments which make outsized promises.
As far as PRP injections are concerned, yes there are people who are doing them, but to my knowledge this is not a widely-accepted treatment. Most doctors will perform such procedures on a cash-basis, so I am automatically skeptical of their motives.
My criteria for which procedures I recommend vs. don't-recommend: Would I feel comfortable if the procedure is performed on me or my family-members?
There are a lot of "new" and "cutting-edge" procedures being aggressively promoted directly to patients. Unfortunately, the motives of the promoters are not entirely altruistic, in my opinion.
I am not sure if my answer helps, but that is what I think.
Good luck to you, wishing you the best of health 🙏
Forgot to mention there is a cyst and fluid pressing on spine is that common?
Dr. Khan.
How is arachnoiditis diagnosed? Does it require a nerve conduction study? Or is it diagnosed based on symptom complaints?
Arachnoiditis is usually diagnosed by MRI (the nerve rootlets "clump" together).
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks Thank you! I very much appreciate it!!
What you suggest if having burning pain at left buttock bone and finding difficult to sit for morw than 30 min. And MRI showes nothing except Tarov Cyat at S2 witm 19mm x 17mm.
Tarlov cysts are benign and unlikely to cause significant problems, unless they get very big.
I had to laminectomy L5 S1
2012, 2013.
After surgery six weeks later the pain was back scar tissue grew.
I couldn’t feel my foot.
6 months later surgeons operated & cleaned scar tissue. Six weeks later scar tissue back.
Today new MRI scar tissue grew 3x’s bigger.
Is there any new procedures to help me? I’m in horrible pain now. Foot is on fire, cannot wear sock, pain is unbearable? Injections help 20%
Thank you for sharing. Since I am not familiar with your case, I cannot recommend specific treatments. But have you discussed the possibility of trying a Spinal-Cord-Stimulator with a pain-management doctor? That could be one option.
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks I did a test and I’m allergic to the Spinal Cord Stimulator product.
hi doc, Can I ask sir, how about if someone prolong the herniated disk that is causing the pain and that disk becomes dry, would that cause a fail back surgery because it might be harder to take out once the herniated disk dry out?..
I saw a neorologist and an orthopaedic doctor and they borh said surgery is the last resort. That PT may help and if not then I bcan do spinal injections then if that doesnt work surgery. I dont have back pain so I am not sure why the orthopaedoc will recommend injections if there is no pain. I was told I have a thoracic herniated disc on my T9 - T11. I also have numbness and loss of sensation from my buttocks down my legs but have gotten a lot better with just waiting. There is also a chance it could be perimenopause happening at the same time with the disc because I am 47. The orthopaedic told me my case isnt serious. Can PT make someone worse? Blessings~
What do you think of bertlotti syndrome? Getting pain and nerve pain in left leg and lrft back pain. mri just shows l5s1 narrowing disc and partial scralaized l5s1 both sides. Surgoen wants to do special fusion.
Bertlotti syndrome is a known but rare cause of LBP. Diagnostic injection under fluoroscopy (at the pseudo-articulation) is usually how the diagnosis is made, after other diagnoses have been ruled out.
5 years with spondylolisthesis. PT helped me along with inversion table, walking 2x a day resting a few more hours a day & back brace with drawstrings & solid back plate (i call it my ninja turtle brace) BUT...3 months ago I went back home for a week & did long work days on the farm. I have NOT recovered from that. It is very unstable right now with right leg weakness, spasms, random electric shocks in lower leg & occasional deep dark pain in bottom of tailbone. I am very concerned because a couple of these symptoms are new from initial onset 5 years ago. So I am thinking about seeing a Dr soon... 🙃😊
Thank you for reaching out.
Spondylolisthesis can cause significant difficulties, unfortunately.
There are two main types of spondylolisthesis:
ruclips.net/video/DfQnd9IeW6E/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/sXS62ydvovY/видео.html
Seeing a spine surgeon can be a good next step for you.
Good luck, and the best of health to you 👍
Hlo i have problems on lower back at l4 and l5 compress nerve so doctor said need to do surgery so what can i do?
Thank you for reaching out.
Unfortunately I am unable to recommend for/against surgery because I don't have the information needed to make this determination. If you have reservations about your surgeon's recommendation, you may need to get a second opinion from another surgeon. Good luck to you 👍
How long is it normal to have pain after a lumbar fusion surgery? 4.5 months ago I had a L4-S1 fusion due to mobile spondylolisthesis at both L4-L5 and L5-S1 as well as bilateral pars defects at L4 and L5. 98% of my pain was in my glute muscles. I'm still in a lot of pain post surgery. When would you start to worry that the surgery perhaps was not successful?
Same situation, thinking about surgery 😢
Why arent spacers suggested instead of fusion?
I developed adhesive Arachnoiditis immediately following a lumbar fusion. It’s horrible.
Sorry to hear about that. It is a difficult problem.
Wish you good luck and the best of health.
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks thank you!
How do i contact dr.khan?
I have spinal stenosis. My L4 and L5 is bulged and because of that when I am standing and walking straight my legs
and feet become numb. I feel kind of burning sensation. Dr. suggested endoscopy on my spine. What do you suggest. Thanks
Thank you for reaching out.
Unfortunately I am unable to give you a recommendation since I have not examined you or reviewed the imaging studies. If you are not sure about the recommendation of the surgeon who evaluated you, I suggest getting a second opinion. Wishing you the best of luck and the best of health.
I have had surgery on my neck and lower back, many years have passed now and now I have started having numbness, weakness, and losing strength in my left arm & leg. I’m aware of some disc problems in my cervical, thoracic and lumber spine. Is there something that you can do to help me out?
Thank you for your question.
Obviously, I cannot diagnose or treat your condition, since I am not familiar with it. Having said that, the best course of action would be to get an in-person evaluation by a spine-surgeon.
Maybe the following two videos could be helpful to you:
ruclips.net/video/X9JMMaeBUJc/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/Hml_6kM4fY8/видео.html
Wishing you the best of luck 👍
hi Dr I'm having issues with my spinal now im getting paralyse in my legs and hands what can I do how do I get to u
I recommend getting an in-person consultation with a spine-surgeon where you live, since what you described sounds urgent. Wishing you good luck and the best of health.
Do I understand correctly that minimally invasive endoscopic laminectomy is not the same as normal cut laminectomy with regard to the outcome? In normal cut you can do more and on both sides of vertebra?
Great question.
Yes, a conventional/ normal laminectomy gives you much greater exposure, as a surgeon and you can remove much more of the bone. This allows the surgeon to perform a more thorough surgical decompression.
I have trace levoscoliosis and cervical erosion endplates? and extremely dry lumbar discs…..do I need surgery?
Thank you for reaching out.
Unfortunately it is not possible for me to diagnose your condition or make a treatment recommendation without performing a physical examination and reviewing the imaging studies.
Whether surgery is/isn't appropriate for you can be determined only after the above steps have been undertaken.
I recommend a consultation with a spine-surgeon, and perhaps even a second-opinion evaluation if you are not sure.
I have made a video which may be of interest to you:
ruclips.net/video/ovSTtD08Olw/видео.html
Wishing you good luck, thank you for watching! 👍
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks
Thank you, Yes I have an appointment on June 11, with a Neurosurgeon Dr. Xun Li at Jamaica hospital.
I’m Nervous
….thank you for the video
Have a Good day 🙂
Thankd good informative
Thank you, glad you found it helpful
I have DDD, LSS L5-S1, broad based disc protrusions at L4-L5. It was recommended that I do Physical Therapy and if not better, a fusion of L4-L5. How many months of PT should I do before considering fusion surgery? Also, I have NO leg pain. Most of my pain is in the mid back area after walking/standing for an hour. I get relief if I sit and relax. Also I have arthritis of the spine. Do you have any observations for me? Thank you. 70 y/o.
Hello John, thank you for your excellent question. You are facing a classic dilemma, one which is quite common, unfortunately.
For starters, obviously I *cannot* diagnose your particular condition nor can I therefore give you medical advice. Having said that, I will give you a few generalizations (which may or may not be applicable to your condition) that have been borne out of my personal professional experience.
First of all, I note that the reason most patients get spine surgery is to improve their quality of life. In general, I advise my patients (especially older patients) to stay active so that they don't become deconditioned and/or lose muscle/bone-mass since this can have significant down-stream effects with respect to general health and functional endurance.
For patients who have back pain in the setting of degenerative disc disease (in the absence of neurological symptoms), I advise them to get at a minimum of 3-6 months of physical therapy (including home-exercise program), consult a pain-management specialist, get on a program of anti-inflammatory medications and muscle-relaxers. Opiates are to be avoided. Most patients after 3-6 months will get meaningful improvement (pain may still be there, but hopefully not as severe/ disabling). The cohort of patients who do not improve, I will generally send them for a second-opinion to a surgeon who I know is ethical and compassionate, and who will not subject a patient to surgery for financial gain. I tell my patients with back pain (without neurological symptoms) that if they have back surgery (in the setting of arthritis/ degenerative disc disease), their chances of getting better are roughly 50/50. Most surgeons will agree with this general approach.
Finally: Most low/mid-back pain is believed to be muscular/ ligamentous/ soft-tissue based. Even though an MRI may be quite impressive (showing many degenerated discs), whether or not these degenerated discs are the actual underlying *cause* of back pain is something which has not yet been settled: There is a lot of disagreement about this matter.
I am a conservative surgeon, so this is my opinion. Other more adventurous surgeons may disagree.
Hope this helps.
Wishing you all the best 👍
@@SpineSurgeonSpeaks Thank you so much for your thorough explanation. I will do PT for now.
You have read all those books ! 😊
Great video Doctor. Let me get right to my point. Between laminectomies, fusions, revisions and extensions I have had 14 lumbar surgeries, never had any trauma, fyi… now I find myself in a position with severe , chronic pain, severe and chronic nerve pain in my entire leg and can not walk without aid, that’s on a good day. I have hit the wall in terms of what to do. I always did what was asked of me (pt and proper rehab)Not all surgeries were by same doctor but I am not afraid to say that the majority were performed by Yale and “the best nerosurgeons) I am at the point where I simply do NOT know what to do and accepted that I will be this way. I also fear continued surgery at new levels. Finally, I am currently fused from L1-S1… any feedback, in general, would be appreciated..
Thank you for reaching out. The situation you describe is quite challenging, and I hope that you get better with time. Since I cannot diagnose your condition or recommend treatment(s) for it, in general I advise patients who have undergone multiple surgical procedures without good results is to get established with a good pain-management doctor to see if non-surgical treatments can alleviate some (if not all) of the pain. Wishing you all the best in the future 🙏
Is hemilaminotomy consider as incomplete laminectomy?L5-S1 11mm herniation, also had microdiscectomy with medial facetectomy, foraminotomy . Feeling better, redicular pain relieved andits been 3 months. Had repeat MRI post sx., 8wk., showed hemilaminotomy healing
Hello, it is now 3 weeks post ACDF C5-7. I would like more information on why I shouldn't do things for first 6 weeks and why certain activities can cause a failed fusion or other problems. Firstly, I am not sure what device they used in discectomy and fusion, I can't see a plate on xray, just the spacer and then something small in front of the spacer covering the gap and 2 screws one diagonal up into top vertebrae and one screw diagonally down into bottom vertebrae, nothing like all the things I have seen on You Tube where there is a visible plate and screws go in horizontally. So two of these small contraptions one at C5-6 and one at C6-7. So overnight in hospital, no collar, home next day. Didn't need pain killers. Only pain was laying down to sleep, deep inside neck bones and into head like the bone was pulling on the screw is the only way I can explain it. Had headache all night with neck pain and migraines every morning for several days, it took a couple of weeks to be able to lay flat and still have some pain laying down, not much, but ok when upright, and is improving. I can do stuff that it says I shouldn't, like sweeping, carrying grocery bags, driving... I try not to as not supposed to but can without pain. I have noticed though, if I do have to do something and it seem well tolerated, its the next day that I feel the consequences and not at the time. So can I do damage or prevent fusion if I do stuff? Why can't I lift more than 5kg (in Australia and that is their limit) my cat is heavier than 5kg, what if I briefly lift him onto my lap? Can you do a video explaining the mechanism of these activities and how and why they cannot be done in first 6 weeks when it feels as though one can? If it takes 6-12 months for fusion what kind of physical activities can be detrimental to that process.
I dont take any fish oil supplements, or Vit E and others like Ginko etc as they are reported to hinder fusion. I take vit C, Vit D with K2, Q10, Glucosamine with condroitin and a concentrated bone broth with high collagen content and focus on high protein diet. I have Crohns so absorption and appetite is a bit of a problem... But curious how it works as to why I shouldn't be physically active and what I really should not do, is it the soft tissue, stitches and ligatures rather than the fusion that is the worry? Many thanks for all your videos and help. Much appreciated.
Thank you for reaching out, and I think your concerns/ questions are quite valid.
To begin with, since I am not familiar with your particular case, I cannot make specific recommendations for you. I think the best course of action would be for you to contact your surgeon and ask him/her these questions.
For my patients, I generally recommend collar for 2-3weeks, and at around 3weeks most patients are quite functional. It is common/ normal for patients to be fatigued/ achy for weeks after surgery.
I think the best way to gauge/ improve your functional progress after surgery is to work with a physical therapist. That way you have a professional monitoring your milestones who can guide you as needed.
ACDF is one of my favorite surgeries.
I have made a few videos about this surgery (and the related condition of cervical radiculopathy):
ruclips.net/video/5HPlzxWN2dk/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/Hml_6kM4fY8/видео.html
Wishing you all the best, and thank you for watching.
I think you will do very well.
Good luck! 👍