When you read some of these messages you will understand why we are adamantly opposed to back surgery. In our opinion the patient should be given the opportunity of undergoing alternative methods of treatment for common conditions such as herniated discs, stenosis, scoliosis, etc. This would greatly reduce the need for 300,000 back operations to be carried out in the USA each year - many of which are unfortunately totally unnecessary and ineffective in the long term.

I just got the results of an MRI which showed a nerve root sheath cyst in the location of L5. This all began 6 months ago with a lumbar sprain, sciatic nerve pain, numbness, etc. Is this type of cyst caused by an injury?

This is going to be my first surgery to my neck and I would like to hear some feed back from you based on your experience. This is a difficult decision, because I run my own business and I use my hands and arms all the time. My business is Skin Care, so I do a lot of massaging and extracting (which is cleaning of blemishes etc.) My decision is hard to make because my recovery will take 4 months, my business is my lively hood. But, due to the situation of the condition my doctor doesn't want me to wait more than 2 months. He says my degeneration is pushing into my spine and he is afraid the dengeneration might shift, and close off my spinal colum even more. I wait for your advice. Thanks

Hello, I have had two spinal surgeries: a successful one-level cervical fusion, and a two-level lumbar laminectomy that left me a wreck with two still-herniated disks 13 years later. I also have a crippling form of arthritis (psoriatic) throughout my spine and also in about 80-90% of the joints in my body, with extensive bone erosion. Can you please advise on what I should do next and where I go from here?

I am 40 years old and recently had surgery to remove scar tissue from the spinal cord following a laminectomy 10 years ago. I also have a degenerative condition of the spine which I am told will eventually require more surgery. Sinse the op I have had contant back pain particularly in the morning. I take the strongest pain killers I can find having had to stop taking those prescribed by my GP as I was becoming dependent.

I have been off work for the past five years with what the consultant says are thoracic disc protrusions at t7/8,t9/10, with degeneration at t6/7, t7/8 and t9/10. I also have a lot of pain at c7 which goes right up my neck and often ends in a 'migraine' type headache. The pain in my thoracic area is always there but gets much worse on physical activity. I have been told by a neurosurgeon that nothing can be done because of the position of the protrusions. I get relief from ice, osteopathic treatment, t'ai chi chi kung, meditation and painkillers. While these have kept me sane they only help on a short term basis. I have only been out socially six times in the last five years. Do you know if there is a 'cure' for my condition and have you any advice to give please?

I have just been diagnosed with a herniation at s1 l5, one at t11 t12 and severe spinal stenosis thru t7 thru t12 and cervical spinal stenosis. Would any kind of chiropractic care be a consideration for me? The lower herniation is dissicating, and they say the thoracic one is questionable. I have rediculopathy in my left leg. I have nerve impingement on the right side of the s1. I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm only 26. I have congenital hip dysplasia bilaterally and I work as a nurse. I'm really afraid this is going to end my career as I love nursing more then anything. If you have a clue as to how to maintain normal functioning with this kind of damage please help. I've already had to take three days off work for doctors appointments. I dont want to make it a habit, but I wake up in a lot of pain and I have difficutly sleeping due to twitching toes and muscle spasms. I'd appreciate any help.

Hello. I am typing this from a rehab center. I am so worried. The surgery did not go as well as planned. Doctors had alot of trouble with scar tissur and the S1 root nerve. Was in surgery over 6 hours. Pedical screws and rods etc. When I came out of surgery my left foot would not work. Very Very numb and very painful foot. My foot feels like I have broken glass in it. The skin is so sensitive. This is killing me. My foot is droped and I am very concerned about all of this. I have been here 4 days now but I hope I am improving... I was told that it was going to take me up to 6 months to gain full recovery. I am worried about the skin being like this. It is killing me. I am in pain all the time. Nothing will stop it. I am on neuoten , neutren or something like that. Is this going to go away???? PLease help me on this. What is going on? Someone needs to ease my mind about this. The doctor said my S1 root nerve was so swollen that they could not tell how long it would take to heal or how much would heal. My MRI did not show all that was going on. When they went in that's when they said Oh NO!. Sorry for any spelling problems. But am on a lot of meds. It has been rough. I don't know when I will get out of here. Just glad they have a computer. Carolyn .

Are there any serious risks to lumbar facet injections at L4/L5 when done in a hospital with the guidance of flouroscopy? If done properly, are people ever made permanently worse by these injections? Can the dye that is injected before the steriod cause problems? Is it a bad idea to have these injections if I have osteoporosis or osteopenia in my hips? And last of all, are there any serious risks to rhizotomy should the injections indicate it is appropriate?

I have had 2 discs removed at L5(both were large herniations). The first was in March 99 the second August 99. I am still having trouble, so my neurosurgeon ordered a new MRI. The MRI showed that there is minimal or no disc material remaining, so the 2 vertebrae rub against each other. (the rest of the discs and vertebrae look absolutely wonderful) He said I was looking at fusion, which is fine, but he wants me to try caudal epidural injections prior, hoping I will get some relief thus allowing my body to get a bit stronger. He said I might only get a day or two of relief. I would like to know if it is worth trying the injections, since what I am reading tells me they are not something that will normally work in my case.

I had a two level fusion last year (C4-6) with hardware and my ortho surgeon says everything is fine, fusion looks good, hardware in place. May of this year, I started having pain in my right shoulder and arm, with tingling in right hand. Currently, almost 6 months later, I have extreme tenderness, pain, numbness and tingling in all four fingers both hands, along with left sided neck pain, right leg thigh burning and tingling. The MRI showed nothing major, some arthritis and nerve testing indicates a pinched nerve but where is unknown at this time (maybe C6/7). I have had two steroid epidural injections with a third scheduled for this week. My symptoms are the same or worse, as I now have sharp pain in my back when I turn my neck. The doctor has offered a CT Meylogram to try and find where the problem is but this will lead to surgery and he is only giving me a 50/50 chance of improvement. I am very concerned about permanent nerve damage due to the length of time involved. My hands shake and twitch if I hold them out in front of me and I have weakness in the fingers. I was thinking about asking for a referal to a neurosurgeon? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

About 14 months ago I had cervical fusion at c6-7 with bone fusion. I have had pain the last few months and my doctor sent me for a new MRI and the results are in. They found the fusion is only partial and that i have a posterior Protrusion of the intervertebral disc at c6-7 and loss of the cervial lordosis and Extrinsic pressure on the ventral epidural surface with a narrowing of the cervical spinal canal at that level. So my questions is how this happen and is this dangereous to the spinal cord and is there a chance I will be going for another operation on my cervical spine?

I had a laminectomy about 11 years ago and have had absoulutely no problems with my back until now. I had been faithful during this time with my back exercises and walking program. One day while walking, I felt so strong that I started jogging. Well, since then (about 8 mo. ago) I have been progressively getting worse. I have an almost constant nagging feeling deep in my lumbar spine, and my legs feel numb or heavy at times. I have some sciatic pain that comes quickly and leaves. It is very uncomfortable sleeping, and when I get up in the morning my back feels kinda locked up for about an hour. If I sit for very long my legs go numb. I can control most of this with medications (2-4 Robaxin a day, 1/2-1 loratab and just finished a dose of celebrex). If I do not take these meds, my back freezes up and goes out--total muscle spasm. I know something is wrong. Can you advise?

I was diagnosed with disc herniation at L4-5,L5-S1 two years ago after being injured at work. After a year of PT and two blocks that had minimal effect, an Anterior diskectomy on both levels was performed. My condition has gone downhill since then. Orginally I had only severe back pain, with some hip, now, in the last 3-4 months my symptoms have become unbearable and include constant left leg pain and back pain that restricts me to bed almost 90% of the day. Another block was done in the last month that only made it worse. A recent MRI shows the two discs have dramatically degenerated from pre surgery status and a small bulge is still present.There is also considerable scar tissue from the anterior surgery. The opinions I have received, both by spine specialists, is a 2-level fusion. One surgeon wants to do an anterior and posterior fusion, believing that will provide the best chance of successful fusion. The other surgeon thinks that may be overkill, and that a posterior fusion has an excellent chance of success given that I am 34, don't smoke, and am in good shape. What has been your experiance with these two types of procedures? PRos-Cons? Most effective hardware for fusion? Any alternatives?

I recently had an MRI completed on the cervical spine and was asked to return to have another one done with gadolinium injection to determine whether or not I have a neuro fibroma on the left lateral recess at C6/C7, measuring 1cm in diameter. Upon consult with my orthopedic surgeon, he believes it is very possible that I have a herniated disc instead, but does not want to make this conclusion until the second MRI is completed. My question(s): What is a neuro fibroma? What starts this condition and what are the treatment options?

I had one level spinal fusion at L5-S1 one year ago (10 Dec. 1998), with cages and screws (because of degenerative disk disease and bulging disk). The fusion "looks good" on x-rays. I still have pain in my legs and feet when I sit or walk more than 30 minutes. Then, at night I have pain in calves and can sleep only with Hydrocodone and Soma and Neurontin. The pain in my legs is more of an electrical sensation, with pressure. In my feet, though, it is burning pain in heels and along arch, sometimes toes as well. Often the next morning, my feet feel bruised--from the first steps I take--like I've been walking barefoot on rocks. The surgery was supposed to stop the pain. It didn't. What do I do now? I will be getting a second opinion later this month, from a neurosurgeon. The dr. who did my surgery (orthopedist) said at last visit (Oct.) that I either have scar tissue irritating the nerve root at L5-S1 and/or I have bursitis setting up around the screws. Can surgeons trim the scar tissue so as to relieve the pressure on the nerve?

Hello I am Bernadette 42 yr old female I will try to make it short if possible I injured my back in 94 and had back surgery in 95 (laminectomy),have been putting off lev1 spinal fushion for 2-3 years recently found out that surgery came appart.After surgery I was off 2 yrs went back on restrictions and 20 hours per week 4 hour per day, I hurt so bad that I was thinking about suicide, when I drove home from work I would cry the whole way home and then when I got home I was absolutly no good to anyone.I have been out of work now for a year and refused the spinal fushion with hardware because I am just afraid of it,the smaller surgery I had in 95 came appart , I get so mad when people tell me that I can work I wish they could only be in my body for one week!

Having suffered with chronic Back pain for over 6 years, and since 2 discs were removed, I have had Lumbar injections facet injections, Physiotherapy, hydrotherapy etc, etc, I have now been informed that there is NOTHING more that can be done, I am currently on a "Back Rehab Course" to which there seems little point, as we are reminded constantly that there are no more avenues to explore, "You now have this for the rest of your life, now put up and shut up!! Oh and stop asking for referrals or further treatment as there isn't any, GOT IT!!" I truly believe that there are many more avenues to explore, "Be a Guinea Pig, You Bet!", I personaly would rather build a new life with wheels for legs than continue with the 24 hour pain and discomfort that currently ruins my life. My question is simple (and please forgive the above whinge) surely there is somewhere that will look into my problem with a degree of hope and optimism, and who share my feelings on an eventual cure, or at least relief enough to regain some normal life pattern?