L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

January 19, 2011

Taken from a webpage:

The vertebral bones, discs, muscles, and ligaments are no longer held

together in a tight and proper fit. The spine is designed to provide support,

structure, and protection

for the body and its organs. In the case of an unstable spinal column,

the structure is no longer capable of providing these necessary

attributes to the body.

Types of Spinal Instability

* Microinstability is a fairly common condition in which small internal

movements of the spinal bones are abnormal.

* Macroinstability is when an entire spinal level is moved

into an abnormal position in relation to other vertebrae. Multiple

levels of macroinstability can be a dangerous condition that often

requires

surgical correction.

Causes of Spinal Instability

* Osteoarthritis

can wear down the vertebral bones causing an increased range of abnormal motion

in each vertebral level.

* Osteoporosis

can cause vertebral bones to fracture and move from their normal spinal

position.

* Spondylolisthesis

can become so severe as to compromise the structural integrity of the spinal

column.

* Degenerative disc disease

and

herniated discs

cause discs to shrink and create the possibility of increased vertebral

movement in the affected levels.

* Back injury

can cause the spinal bones to shift and lose normal alignment.

* Certain Congenital conditions

make the spine prone to abnormal movement

Effects of Spinal Instability

* Nerve compression

is possible and may become severe.

Sciatica

symptoms are common in unstable lumbar spinal levels.

* Visual deformity is possible with severe cases of macroinstability.

* Abnormal movement can cause

muscle spasms

that can be extremely psinful. Ironically, these muscle spasms often

temporarily stabilize the spine, making a proper diagnosis difficult to

achieve.

* Severe instability can cause

vertebral collapse or fracture.

--- Babbitt

>

> From: cwarman89134 <cwarman89134@...>

> Subject: Re: L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

> spinal problems

> Date: Sunday, January 16, 2011, 8:07 PM

>

> Ã‚

>

> Thank you, . You are exactly correct. He has spinal stenosis and

foraminal stenosis, the latter especially at L5 left. The surgeon said that

this procedure would alleviate the sciatic nerve impingements causing leg

pain, butt pain and general sciatica.

>

> Just curious, how do you compute 18 levels? I thought it would be 6

levels -- L1 thru L5 + S1.

>

> Dog bone -- great analogy! Thanks.

>

> Carol

>

> ______________________________________________

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Are you talking just two vertebra or the entire row?ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ I

had two done and went back to a desk job (after inpatient physical therapy

for 2 weeks and a hospital stay for a week also) with in 3 days of coming

home. So I went to work about 3 weeks later. I would honestly say that if you

are diasbled as well you will need to find care for the both of you. I am 8

weeks out from surgery and still in pain from only having a laminetamy on

my T2 & T3 vertebra has taken a tremendous amount of time to heal. I would

think a whole spine row would need a fusion as well????

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Kate Fontaine

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > " Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. "

>

> >

>

> > > -Dr. Seuss

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > From: cwarman89134 <cwarman89134@>

>

> >

>

> > > spinal problems

>

> >

>

> > > Cc:

>

> >

>

> > > Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2011 4:38 PM

>

> >

>

> > > Subject: L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚

>

> >

>

> > > My husband is having an L1-S1 laminectomy this Thursday. The

neurosurgeon feels that the sooner it is done the better the chances are that

the

nerve pressure will diminish and that he won't develop a full " drop foot " .

He already has a " flop foot " on the left side, whereby he can't control how

the foot hits the pavement when he walks.

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > He also has leg pain when arising from bed. He can usually " walk it

off " . Two months ago he developed butt pain (which caused us to make the

appointment with the neurosurgeon, in the first place) but that has largely

been ameliorated by the " tennis ball " trick used for Piriformis syndrome.

The surgeon says this is not Piriformis but the tennis ball thing seems to be

working for the butt pain.

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Anyway, I was just wondering what people's experiences with

laminectomies of this length are. I am physically disabled and we will have

help

for me 24/7 for a month. The surgeon says some of his patients go back to

work in two weeks (those with desk jobs, I guess) and the rest (construction

workers) in 4-6 weeks. He says he does 700 (that's not a typo) of these

procedures a year. We've checked him out and he does have a very good

reputation. Two physicians that we know of had their backs done by this

surgeon.

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Whatever info you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Carol

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

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> > >

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January 19, 2011

Ah! That is an excellent question. But sadly many people ignore the reality that

you CAN PREVENT spinal instability and you can reverse many of the SIDE EFFECTS

of instability when you do have it.

The only way to maintain stability in your spine is to strengthen your core

muscles. These muscles are not just your abdominals. They are in your hips,

groin, spine, buttocks, back and abs. I can attest to the fact that you CAN

reduce a lot of your pain by doing this. Also, it is common for those of us who

have bad backs to have tight quad muscles as well as others. This also is a

force pulling against the proper alignment of the hips and spine.

This is a commitment that many back pain sufferers ignore or refuse to challenge

themselves with...because it's work and it's hard. But trust me, you will feel

so good when you do! You will especially notice that sleeping is more

comfortable. Even I have gone off the wagon many times, I know it's hard. Once I

worked at it for real, I reaped the benefits quickly and swore I would NEVER go

back to the way I was before, yet here I am.

I went to a physical therapist with a Masters' degree who also employed a

massage therapist as a PT assistant. He also taught yoga, taught you how to

stretch properly (which almost none of us do), cranio-sacral therapy...all these

things as adjunct to my PT. The goal of my PT was strengthening my core. Many

insurances who cover PT will cover the massage therapies when used in PT. The

doc has to write massage therapy on the script for PT. It usually will

say " Strengthen core, increase ROM (range of motion), massage therapy,

hydrotherapy...etc. If your doc didn't write a particular therapy that you want

and your therapist office offers, they can call or fax your doc and can also

work with your insurance co to get the coverage. GOOD physical therapy IS OUT

THERE....but we have to do our part. You HAVE to actually do the home exercises

several times a day...the payoff is huge though when you find a great reduction

in your pain. This is especially true for

folks who have had a fusion like me. All back pain sufferers can prevent

further damage and decrease pain by properly strengthening your core.

--- Babbitt

From: jarcher107@... <jarcher107@...>

Subject: Re: L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

spinal problems

Date: Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 12:24 PM

Â

Hmmm..just wondering, since my spinal surgeon says that while the rads

are

ugly, my spine is " stable " and thus he's the first to say " You really don'

t want to even think about a fusion. "

Which is nice, other than it leaves a lingering sense of " What can I do to

avoid it becoming UNstable? "

In a message dated 1/19/2011 11:22:15 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,

tpowell1977@... writes:

Taken from a webpage:

The vertebral bones, discs, muscles, and ligaments are no longer held

together in a tight and proper fit. The spine is designed to provide

support, structure, and protection

for the body and its organs.

January 19, 2011

Absolutely. The problem that prevents us from finding that multi-specialty pain

management is one thing....MONEY. Physicians who giveÂ injections make A LOT of

money from each one, spine simulators too. They are personally compelled to

inject, inject, inject. They care less about medication management, biofeedback,

massage, PT, etc... if you are in continued pain, you will return for MORE

injections. I know some docs who actually want to do the left and right sides on

different days! Talk about double billing!

I wish I had the money and business sense to start such a clinic. I would

establish clinics from coast-to-coast. You are right, injections are NOT

permanent relief. They only delay the inevitable and add more chemicals into our

bodies...and give us a false sense of hope.

--- Babbitt

From: jarcher107@... <jarcher107@...>

Subject: Re: L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

spinal problems

Date: Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 12:24 PM

Hmmm..just wondering, since my spinal surgeon says that while the rads

are

ugly, my spine is " stable " and thus he's the first to say " You really

don'

t want to even think about a fusion. "

Which is nice, other than it leaves a lingering sense of " What can I do

to

avoid it becoming UNstable? "

In a message dated 1/19/2011 11:22:15 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,

tpowell1977@... writes:

Taken from a webpage:

The vertebral bones, discs, muscles, and ligaments are no longer held

together in a tight and proper fit. The spine is designed to provide

support, structure, and protection

for the body and its organs.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

------------------------------------

Groups Links

January 19, 2011

- Why wouldn't a Laminectomy be considered a procedure unto itself?

Granted it has to be done to do a fusion also, but I just had both a laminectomy

and foraminotomy (open decompression) on L2-S1 for Spinal stenosis and pinched

nerves and had great success relieving sciatica. I would have had the fusion as

well, which I also needed, but with the extent of the DDD I have the surgeon had

no clear disks (non-degenerated) to start the fusion with so he was afraid of

ongoing degeneration and recommended he not do the fusion for L2-S1 too...at

least not now. He said in the future I may need a complete fusion if my spine

does not get stronger and as you were saying as long as the instability

decreases as a result of strengthening I will not need a fusion. But for now he

felt I needed to wait as that would lead to a drastic reduction of function of

my spine and he thought I may avoid it all together.

Anyway - the Laminectomy was done as a procedure alone! I had central canal

stenosis to 4mm (instead of I hear 12 being more the norm) in two places and

lots of narrowing of the foramen including some where you could see the nerve

being pinched in an MRI. According to the surgeon he removed a lot of bone! It

did not sound like he just slipped of some bone layer...but totally removed the

spinous process and lamina on the L2-S1 vertebrate (and in fact you can now see

it is missing on an x-ray) and removed parts of the processes down to the

pedicel opening the foramen to allow the nerve roots to exit freely!

He did leave the sides of the vertebrate and the part around the anterior of the

spinal column and the posterior longitudinal ligament which means there is no

real instability created other than what was already present due to the disk

issues I also have (2 herniated a disks and a cyst on one disk) in the lumbar

region...

what am I missing as this being a real procedure?

Thanks. Mark

________________________________

From: Babbitt <tpowell1977@...>

spinal problems

Sent: Wed, January 19, 2011 7:55:11 AM

Subject: Re: L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

Good Morning Carol,

You can do a a fusion yes, but your husband's spine in not unstable which is

what fusion is generally for. Laminectomy is not so much a procedure in and of

itself. It can be such as in your husband's case, where that is all he is

specifically going in for. A laminectomy is almost ALWAYS done in ANY spine

surgery. All is means is the removal of a small area of bone which allows access

to where the surgeon wants to go. A discectomy can't be done without removing

this bone first. It's like taking off the car tire to change the brake pads.

It's not really a procedure in and of itself. In your husband's case it is

because removal of this bone is therepeutic. It's being done to relieve the

pressure on the nerves.

To my knowledge, removing the lamina will not lead to instability of the spine.

It is discectomy that is the big spine destabilizer.

Good luck to your husband!

--- Babbitt

From: cwarman89134 <cwarman89134@...>

Subject: Re: L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

spinal problems

Date: Tuesday, January 18, 2011, 8:26 PM

,

We've been doing a bit more reading on this procedure and see that it can be

done with or without fusion. This surgeon says that he will do it (Thursday)

WITHOUT fusion. We were wondering about the stability of the spine after a

laminectomy at 6 levels without fusion.

Do you know anything about this issue? Thanks.

Carol

____________________________________________________

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Are you talking just two vertebra or the entire row?ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ I

had two

>done and went back to a desk job (after inpatient physical therapy for 2 weeks

>and a hospital stay for a week also) with in 3 days of coming home. So I went

to

>work about 3 weeks later. I would honestly say that if you are diasbled as well

>you will need to find care for the both of you. I am 8 weeks out from surgery

>and still in pain from only having a laminetamy on my T2 & T3 vertebra has taken

>a tremendous amount of time to heal. I would think a whole spine row would need

>a fusion as well????

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Kate Fontaine

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > " Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. "

>

> >

>

> > > -Dr. Seuss

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > From: cwarman89134 <cwarman89134@>

>

> >

>

> > > spinal problems

>

> >

>

> > > Cc:

>

> >

>

> > > Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2011 4:38 PM

>

> >

>

> > > Subject: L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚

>

> >

>

> > > My husband is having an L1-S1 laminectomy this Thursday. The neurosurgeon

>feels that the sooner it is done the better the chances are that the nerve

>pressure will diminish and that he won't develop a full " drop foot " . He already

>has a " flop foot " on the left side, whereby he can't control how the foot hits

>the pavement when he walks.

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > He also has leg pain when arising from bed. He can usually " walk it off " .

>Two months ago he developed butt pain (which caused us to make the appointment

>with the neurosurgeon, in the first place) but that has largely been

ameliorated

>by the " tennis ball " trick used for Piriformis syndrome. The surgeon says this

>is not Piriformis but the tennis ball thing seems to be working for the butt

>pain.

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Anyway, I was just wondering what people's experiences with laminectomies

>of this length are. I am physically disabled and we will have help for me 24/7

>for a month. The surgeon says some of his patients go back to work in two weeks

>(those with desk jobs, I guess) and the rest (construction workers) in 4-6

>weeks. He says he does 700 (that's not a typo) of these procedures a year.

We've

>checked him out and he does have a very good reputation. Two physicians that we

>know of had their backs done by this surgeon.

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Whatever info you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Carol

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

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> >

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> > >

January 19, 2011

Carol - I just had an L2-S1 Laminectomy and foramenotomy on 9/21/10 ...It did

wonders for my sciatica! also see a reply I sent to 's response. If I can

answer any questions please let me know!

Mark

________________________________

From: cwarman89134 <cwarman89134@...>

spinal problems

Sent: Tue, January 18, 2011 8:26:38 PM

Subject: Re: L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

,

We've been doing a bit more reading on this procedure and see that it can be

done with or without fusion. This surgeon says that he will do it (Thursday)

WITHOUT fusion. We were wondering about the stability of the spine after a

laminectomy at 6 levels without fusion.

Do you know anything about this issue? Thanks.

Carol

____________________________________________________

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Are you talking just two vertebra or the entire row?ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ I

had two

>done and went back to a desk job (after inpatient physical therapy for 2 weeks

>and a hospital stay for a week also) with in 3 days of coming home. So I went

to

>work about 3 weeks later. I would honestly say that if you are diasbled as well

>you will need to find care for the both of you. I am 8 weeks out from surgery

>and still in pain from only having a laminetamy on my T2 & T3 vertebra has taken

>a tremendous amount of time to heal. I would think a whole spine row would need

>a fusion as well????

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Kate Fontaine

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > " Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. "

>

> >

>

> > > -Dr. Seuss

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > From: cwarman89134 <cwarman89134@>

>

> >

>

> > > spinal problems

>

> >

>

> > > Cc:

>

> >

>

> > > Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2011 4:38 PM

>

> >

>

> > > Subject: L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚

>

> >

>

> > > My husband is having an L1-S1 laminectomy this Thursday. The neurosurgeon

>feels that the sooner it is done the better the chances are that the nerve

>pressure will diminish and that he won't develop a full " drop foot " . He already

>has a " flop foot " on the left side, whereby he can't control how the foot hits

>the pavement when he walks.

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > He also has leg pain when arising from bed. He can usually " walk it off " .

>Two months ago he developed butt pain (which caused us to make the appointment

>with the neurosurgeon, in the first place) but that has largely been

ameliorated

>by the " tennis ball " trick used for Piriformis syndrome. The surgeon says this

>is not Piriformis but the tennis ball thing seems to be working for the butt

>pain.

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Anyway, I was just wondering what people's experiences with laminectomies

>of this length are. I am physically disabled and we will have help for me 24/7

>for a month. The surgeon says some of his patients go back to work in two weeks

>(those with desk jobs, I guess) and the rest (construction workers) in 4-6

>weeks. He says he does 700 (that's not a typo) of these procedures a year.

We've

>checked him out and he does have a very good reputation. Two physicians that we

>know of had their backs done by this surgeon.

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Whatever info you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > > Carol

>

> >

>

> > >

>

> >

>

> > >

>

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>

> >

>

> > >

January 19, 2011

Thank you, Mark.

We had the pre-op meeting with the PA today (surgery is tomorrow) and I insisted

on asking the Dr. about the stability issue. I practically had to force my hand

to get the doctor in the room (I prevailed and he came in) to ask about the

stability issue. He said that no instability is caused by the surgery and that

my husband does not need fusion (which he said is not a good thing).

will also have a foramenotomy at least at L5 left.

Carol

____________________________________________

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > Are you talking just two vertebra or the entire row?ÃƒÆ'Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚

I had two

> >done and went back to a desk job (after inpatient physical therapy for 2

weeks

> >and a hospital stay for a week also) with in 3 days of coming home. So I went

to

> >work about 3 weeks later. I would honestly say that if you are diasbled as

well

> >you will need to find care for the both of you. I am 8 weeks out from surgery

> >and still in pain from only having a laminetamy on my T2 & T3 vertebra has

taken

> >a tremendous amount of time to heal. I would think a whole spine row would

need

> >a fusion as well????

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > Kate Fontaine

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > " Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. "

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > -Dr. Seuss

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > From: cwarman89134 <cwarman89134@>

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > spinal problems

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > Cc:

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2011 4:38 PM

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > Subject: L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > ÃƒÆ'Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > My husband is having an L1-S1 laminectomy this Thursday. The

neurosurgeon

> >feels that the sooner it is done the better the chances are that the nerve

> >pressure will diminish and that he won't develop a full " drop foot " . He

already

> >has a " flop foot " on the left side, whereby he can't control how the foot

hits

> >the pavement when he walks.

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > He also has leg pain when arising from bed. He can usually " walk it

off " .

> >Two months ago he developed butt pain (which caused us to make the

appointment

> >with the neurosurgeon, in the first place) but that has largely been

ameliorated

> >by the " tennis ball " trick used for Piriformis syndrome. The surgeon says

this

> >is not Piriformis but the tennis ball thing seems to be working for the butt

> >pain.

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > Anyway, I was just wondering what people's experiences with

laminectomies

> >of this length are. I am physically disabled and we will have help for me

24/7

> >for a month. The surgeon says some of his patients go back to work in two

weeks

> >(those with desk jobs, I guess) and the rest (construction workers) in 4-6

> >weeks. He says he does 700 (that's not a typo) of these procedures a year.

We've

> >checked him out and he does have a very good reputation. Two physicians that

we

> >know of had their backs done by this surgeon.

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > Whatever info you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > > Carol

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

> >

> > >

> >

> > > >

January 19, 2011

Congratulations Carol on beingÂ your husband's advocate and taking charge. It's

sad that you have to, but ya just do sometimes! Bone up because you will

probably need to advocate for him during the immediate post-op period. He's

going to need you to help make sure he has PROPER pain relief. Good luck to you

both!

--- Babbitt

From: cwarman89134 <cwarman89134@...>

Subject: Re: L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

spinal problems

Date: Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 5:31 PM

Â

Thank you, Mark.

We had the pre-op meeting with the PA today (surgery is tomorrow) and I insisted

on asking the Dr. about the stability issue. I practically had to force my hand

to get the doctor in the room (I prevailed and he came in) to ask about the

stability issue. He said that no instability is caused by the surgery and that

my husband does not need fusion (which he said is not a good thing).

will also have a foramenotomy at least at L5 left.

Carol

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> > > > Are you talking just two vertebra or the entire

row?ÃƒÆ’Ã†'ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š I had two

> >done and went back to a desk job (after inpatient physical therapy for 2

weeks

> >and a hospital stay for a week also) with in 3 days of coming home. So I went

to

> >work about 3 weeks later. I would honestly say that if you are diasbled as

well

> >you will need to find care for the both of you. I am 8 weeks out from surgery

> >and still in pain from only having a laminetamy on my T2 & T3 vertebra has

taken

> >a tremendous amount of time to heal. I would think a whole spine row would

need

> >a fusion as well????

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> > > > Kate Fontaine

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> > > > " Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. "

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> > > > -Dr. Seuss

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> > > > From: cwarman89134 <cwarman89134@>

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> > > > spinal problems

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> > > > Cc:

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> > > > Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2011 4:38 PM

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> > > > Subject: L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

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> > > > ÃƒÆ’Ã†'ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€š

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> > > > My husband is having an L1-S1 laminectomy this Thursday. The

neurosurgeon

> >feels that the sooner it is done the better the chances are that the nerve

> >pressure will diminish and that he won't develop a full " drop foot " . He

already

> >has a " flop foot " on the left side, whereby he can't control how the foot

hits

> >the pavement when he walks.

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> > > > He also has leg pain when arising from bed. He can usually " walk it

off " .

> >Two months ago he developed butt pain (which caused us to make the

appointment

> >with the neurosurgeon, in the first place) but that has largely been

ameliorated

> >by the " tennis ball " trick used for Piriformis syndrome. The surgeon says

this

> >is not Piriformis but the tennis ball thing seems to be working for the butt

> >pain.

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> > > > Anyway, I was just wondering what people's experiences with

laminectomies

> >of this length are. I am physically disabled and we will have help for me

24/7

> >for a month. The surgeon says some of his patients go back to work in two

weeks

> >(those with desk jobs, I guess) and the rest (construction workers) in 4-6

> >weeks. He says he does 700 (that's not a typo) of these procedures a year.

We've

> >checked him out and he does have a very good reputation. Two physicians that

we

> >know of had their backs done by this surgeon.

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> > > > Whatever info you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

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> > > > Carol

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January 19, 2011

The doctor in charge of my pain management during my stay at the hospital works

in a clinic with more of those options. But they seem to be either procedure

oriented or PT oriented most Pain docs...not inbetween. I'm thinking when I

recover from surgery if I still need help I will see both docs. Then i can get

the benifit of boths input.

" Without rabbits a rabbits foot would be nothing but a disembodied

hand full of unidentified toes. " -Pogo

spinal problems

From: jarcher107@...

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 12:52:03 -0500

Subject: Re: L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

Well that ties into my other issue, which is why in almost every case,

those who talk about " pain management " just want to give epidurals? I was

expecting to find a wider range of options in such a speciality, including PT,

balanced use of pain medications, weight control if need be, etc.

I don't' see injections as an answer to lifetime pain and the term " pain

management " made me think that those who talk about that would be into a

much more wide-ranging approach than " Short term " management.

In a message dated 1/19/2011 12:45:07 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

tpowell1977@... writes:

Ah! That is an excellent question. But sadly many people ignore the

reality that you CAN PREVENT spinal instability and you can reverse many of the

SIDE EFFECTS of instability when you do have it.

The only way to maintain stability in your spine is to strengthen your

core muscles. These muscles are not just your abdominals. They are in your

hips, groin, spine, buttocks, back and abs. I can attest to the fact that you

CAN reduce a lot of your pain by doing this. Also, it is common for those

of us who have bad backs to have tight quad muscles as well as others. This

also is a force pulling against the proper alignment of the hips and spine.

This is a commitment that many back pain sufferers ignore or refuse to

challenge themselves with...because it's work and it's hard. But trust me, you

will feel so good when you do! You will especially notice that sleeping is

more comfortable. Even I have gone off the wagon many times, I know it's

hard. Once I worked at it for real, I reaped the benefits quickly and swore

I would NEVER go back to the way I was before, yet here I am.

I went to a physical therapist with a Masters' degree who also employed a

massage therapist as a PT assistant. He also taught yoga, taught you how to

stretch properly (which almost none of us do), cranio-sacral therapy...all

these things as adjunct to my PT. The goal of my PT was strengthening my

core. Many insurances who cover PT will cover the massage therapies when

used in PT. The doc has to write massage therapy on the script for PT. It

usually will say " Strengthen core, increase ROM (range of motion), massage

therapy, hydrotherapy...etc. If your doc didn't write a particular therapy that

you want and your therapist office offers, they can call or fax your doc

and can also work with your insurance co to get the coverage. GOOD physical

therapy IS OUT THERE....but we have to do our part. You HAVE to actually do

the home exercises several times a day...the payoff is huge though when you

find a great reduction in your pain. This is especially true for

folks who have had a fusion like me. All back pain sufferers can prevent

further damage and decrease pain by properly strengthening your core.

--- Babbitt

From: jarcher107@... <jarcher107@...>

Subject: Re: L1-S1 Laminectomy this week

spinal problems

Date: Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 12:24 PM

Hmmm..just wondering, since my spinal surgeon says that while the rads

are

ugly, my spine is " stable " and thus he's the first to say " You really

don'

t want to even think about a fusion. "

Which is nice, other than it leaves a lingering sense of " What can I do

to

avoid it becoming UNstable? "

In a message dated 1/19/2011 11:22:15 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,

tpowell1977@... writes:

Taken from a webpage:

The vertebral bones, discs, muscles, and ligaments are no longer held

together in a tight and proper fit. The spine is designed to provide

support, structure, and protection

for the body and its organs.

January 19, 2011

, can you tell me some activities I can do that are good for core

strengthening. I really feel all that you said there is true. I have very

tight quads and pull them all the time at Judo (a martial art I enjoy that I'm

hoping to go back to after my fusion heals and I rehab). Are there any

activities like Yoga or such that can help me with this? The problem I have is

that most PT's will give you a ton of home excersizes that are often used with

an excersize ball I have no room for in my small townhome with a small child.

And its hard to do them all. I'll be honest some of them are confusing, require

a bunch of towels or a ball or something and are boring and hard to motivate

myself to do. I realize I will just plain have to do some of these but if there

are fun activities I can engage in eventually as well that are good for core

strengthening I'd love to hear about it.

" Without rabbits a rabbits foot would be nothing but a disembodied

hand full of unidentified toes. " -Pogo

spinal problems

From: tpowell1977@...

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 09:44:55 -0800