Physical Fitness Lumbar spine surgery

[TRPrecision]

I am going under the knife on November 16th after 18 months of bi-lateral leg pain. Having a bi-lateral laminectomy and discectomy on L 4/5 due to stenosis and a disk herniation. For those of you whom have been through this or similar, what can I expect? Realistic recovery time? When should I be able to get back to shooting PRS? I am a diesel truck mechanic, so work is physical, realistic time off work?
Not looking for the Dr's opinions here, looking for actual accounts from spine surgery patients.

 

[John Glidewell]

I had mine done a few years back, L4-S1, took a few months before I was really able to return to most activities. Lots of variables to this. How well does the surgery go? How fast do you heal / recuperate? Mine ended up being more invasive due to the damage they found. I did my initial PT in the pool then advanced to regular PT with weights. I think I was 3 months post before being released for regular activity but I was not 100% and it was probably 6 months before I felt normal again.

Best advice, listen to your body, go slow, do not over do it.

 

[MacMan48]

I'm sorry to hear you have to have this procedure done.

I had my laminectomy and discectomy at the L 5/S1 in 1989. I will not candy coat it. You will be in agonizing pain for several days to several weeks. Hopefully your surgeon will provide you with adequate pain meds.

Do your rehab exercises as prescribed. Take the meds after the exercises and rest and try to relax. Try to use a little opioids as possible.

The doctors will tell you you'll be GTG in 6 months. I don't think so. It took me a year. I was an O/O running big trucks and did my own maintenance and repairs. Working on diesels is hard physical labor as you well know. If you are an extraordinary physical specimen you may be able to tolerate the work at 6 months.

I subsequently have had my lumbar spine fused from the L/2 to S/1. My back was broken and I had a procedure where the surgeon went in from the front i.e. anterior and used ten screws to screw my spine back together along with four cages because I no longer had intervertebral discs left. The next day they open up my back put in more screw and the rods as well as the the bone grafts. This was, I believe, because I had to go back to work after six months and never fully healed from the original laminectomy and discectomy.

YMMV I hope. Prayers and best wishes for a full and complete recovery.

 

[Baron23]

I am going under the knife on November 16th after 18 months of bi-lateral leg pain. Having a bi-lateral laminectomy and discectomy on L 4/5 due to stenosis and a disk herniation. For those of you whom have been through this or similar, what can I expect? Realistic recovery time? When should I be able to get back to shooting PRS? I am a diesel truck mechanic, so work is physical, realistic time off work?
Not looking for the Dr's opinions here, looking for actual accounts from spine surgery patients.

I had the same at the L3/4 13 years ago and this spring I'm going to have to have these two vertebrae fused as there is no disk left and its bone on bone.

The one VERY important thing I have learned over 13 years of dealing with neurosurgeons, pain docs, etc on surgical results is that to some extent everybody's injury is different and so is their surgical outcome and recovery. AND the techniques of these types of surgeries progresses and improves every year. A fusion from 20 years ago has zero to do with the fusion I'm going to have in 2022. See what I mean.

I understand soliciting other's experience, but please take it with a grain of salt and rely on your surgeon's advice and information.

Just my view of it after wresting with this for so long.

Cheers and good luck.

 

[TRPrecision]

my surgeon is saying good to go, back to work in 6-8 weeks, 12 weeks max. I think he is full of shit! Wants to do a fusion but insurance wont allow it since the joint is still stable. Getting worried that this is going to be a lifelong issue...

 

[Numb_Skull]

L4/5 done in 2013 and I was good to go directly after surgery movement wise. I was in bed for 7 months pre-surgery.

How is your pain on a daily basis? Can you still walk and wipe your own ass?

 

[judgedelta]

I had two stenosis relieved and a fusion done in November of '19. I was at home with nursing visits for a week, then physical therapy for a month. Took about three months before I felt brave enough to ride my Harley. I still have a little numbness (and weakness) in my left leg, but I can do anything I need to. Good luck and keep up the therapy as prescribed. I think I took two opioids after I got home and that was just to sleep at night. Everyone is different. Good luck.

 

[Do-nothing]

Had a synovial cyst removed and L4/L5 fused in 2016. I'm a small old guy and have stayed active. Walked the dog one night and the next morning could hardly walk. The pain was the worst the second and third days after the operation and subsided after that. I was off pain meds completely after about a week to ten days. Everyone's pain tolerance is different. It took about six months to get back to normal but I had an office job, nothing like what you are doing. My doctor is great but does error on the side of caution as he does not like to operate more than once on the same spot... Follow instructions and do your PT exercises. Hope all goes well for you. You are in my prayers.

 

[TRPrecision]

I am in decent shape, but a bit over weight. The last 18 months I have not been very active and packed on an extra 35lb that I cant shed, I am mobile on a daily basis and still working. If the pain was on side only I would be alot better off.
Right side has the nerves trapped when sitting, lying down etc and will cause sciatica, can only sit for about 15min at a time. This will get better when up moving around, but once it starts for the day my leg stays numb most of the time. The left side is being impinged by arthritis / stenosis and causes pain with activity but gets better with rest, sitting etc. Doing what helps one side hurts the other so I can rarely find any full relief. I have been taking 10-15mg of hydrocodone daily for over a year as well as the maximum dose of gabapentin.
Had to give up sports car and motorcycle road racing due to back issues, don't want to give up PRS, but that #24 rifle is pretty heavy after the 5th or so stage of the day...

 

[eddie102870]

depends on what kinda shape your in. im 2 years post surgery and have been good to go for about a year. i still have a little pain but not no where near what it was. i just deal with it. fixing to drop about 20 lbs. that should help a lot in my case

 

[c1steve]

As a prior marine diesel mechanic, I feel your pain, or should I say I remember what it was like. I wait a long time, then had an MRI, and the entire nucleus of the disc pushed out into the spinal canal. Surgery was pretty easy, no fusion, I went home the next day. Within a month I was pretty good, and a lot wiser.

Use a winch or other piece of equipment, rather then being in a hurry to lift something. DO NOT twist and lift, the disc is about 75% weaker when twisted. This is because the 26 layers of the disc have fibers set at 120 degrees apart, alternating with each layer. When you twist, half the fibers are relaxed and doing nothing, and the other half are stretched to their maximum. So an accident ready to happen.