4 months post op Hybrid
 

Hi

I'm 4 months post op l5s1 fusion l4l5 adr.

I'm still having a lot of pain on activity. I do a lot of core work and physio but my spine still cant accept much load without generating strong pain. Can walk maybe 2-3km, swim a bit with a pull buoy.

I dunno, sometimes feels like my facets are going into too much extension and may be part of pain as they complain, so continuing to work on posture. Really really hope they are not part of the problem.

Otherwise fusion could just still be quite painful.

Has anyone had similar ops, fusion etc, can give me some feedback on how they found this longer term part of recovery?

I really have difficulty and like everyone just want to be free of this horrible stuff and well again, but I know that is not always realistic. I'm hoping it will continue to gradually improve over the months, bit by bit.

Thanks for any feedback,
Chris.

Taking it slow is the best way to go.

I don't know the severity of your pain but fusion takes longer to heal than ADRs and they can take their sweet time too. I had complications so am not a good guestimate but it took 2 years before I was 'good'.

From info posted on forums, it appears some do quite well quickly and others can take their time. If you're going to do well, you will - when, that's another question? I hope it's sooner rather than later.

Dale

do you think
 

You're trying to push yourself too much too quickly? I know you want to get over it as quickly as possible or back to your regular self ASAP however your body will take it's own time to do what it's going to do.

Of course I've not had fusion or ADR even tho I was recommended to have the same surgery as you~ so I'm just throwing out my own recovery experiece from discectomies re surgical experience and all the post surgical recoveries I've read about over the years when I was thinking of having more surgery and even when not (something like nearly 10 years now).

Sounds like you're doing the right stuff, just be kind to your body in it's recovery. Slow and steady. Hopefully you'll get there sooner than later.

Well I looked at my pelvic alignment and I was spending a bit of time in extension, overloading my facets Im pretty sure. I dunno, it just seems to go there very naturally since the op so I'm working at holding it more neutral. Certainly a lot less pain, just going to have to focus hard on keeping it around there.

neutral position
 

Chris,
I had erased something I wrote about trying to stay in neutral position w/o any extraneous movements (flexion/extension/twisting) until you're feeling better so I'd imagine that neutral is good if it seems to take the load off. Also wondering about pelvic tilting to bring you into that position (ever so slightly perhaps back flat up against wall and slightly bent knees).

Flexion is what bothers me when something bothers me altho extension would do so as well if exaggerated for any amount of time such as in certain stance. Pelvis forward (at least on one side w/one leg out and one slightly back) and swayback sometimes when holding my dog as I'm strongly using my lower abs. to stabilize while holding this 20lb seemingly big baby. Not good.

How are you swimming? If extension is a problem and you are using crawl or breast stroke, that may be flaring you up???

Does flexion relieve what you percieve as 'facet pain'? Does prayer stretch provide relief?

Mark

I'm also mobilising the facets more now, but it just seems to naturally roll into extension and can cause me a shitload of pain. Holding it in what I think is neutral as I walk requires a lot of effort.. but it does control pain. I'll have a talk with the physio when I get back from this uni stuff, had me up last night because I swam and I had to take some tramadol to sleep :rolleyes: I wouldve liked to be further along at 4 months So I'll work at retraining it in neutral and developing more proprioception etc etc blah blah been doing this for yonks it seems hope it helps

I was just wondering if anyone else who had adr experienced a similar thing?

btw you're right Mark, crawl stroke, can't hold that fused sacrum/l5 in the right position, extension of the l4l5 facets... lots of pain. It doesn't settle down quickly either, that stuff, being kept up at night is bad juju

Don't do what causes the flair. No pain, no gain does not work when recovering from surgery. It's great to stay in shape, work on core fitness and flexibility and all that stuff, but you should not be doing what flares you up.

It's very rough to be still suffering so much at 4 months post-op. You see all the amazing recoveries and know that it's not you. You cannot expect a sudden turn-around. But, if you modify your activities to avoid the problems, (carefully) work on your fitness, etc... you can expect to make slow and steady progress. Success may sneak up on you.

Also... I've seen people who think they have failed surgery because they have the same pain levels and medication levels as pre-op. BUT, they experience that with an activity level that could not have been dreamed of before their surgery. That is still success. (I have a theory that we all have a pain level that we can tolerate, and modify our activities to get to that pain level, but not worse. So, success means more activity, not less pain.)

Yeah Im pretty aware of all that stuff, I'm better than pre-op, doing some uni, before I couldnt even get through a day of just walking to class and stuff, had alraedy lost job/career, pain would blow me clean away by the end of it. Now I can get through it, just my facets hurt like absolute buggery.

The way I see it, the good news is

1. It's still improving post-surgery, its not degeneration.
2. I've only just noticed now, that I'm able to do a bit more now that pain is reducing, how stuck in extension I am. So they'll take a while to settle to what they will. The pain post op just stuffed my body awareness/mechanics.
3. I spoke to a bloke who reckoned it took 9 months for his facets to settle down.

Pre-op I was always in a bit of extension, due to that stuffed disc, it just couldnt tolerate even the slightest bit of flexion... just pain stuffing body mechanics. But there's cartliage there, and I dont think its severely arthritic as it can go through motion without pain. I think it's just a matter of unloading it as best I can and waiting for it to settle after the distraction, see where I am at 6 month mark.

Ta for the replies, and if anyone is familiar with this issue from their recoveries, pls chime in.

I just realized what you are saying. Stuck in extension is hyperlordotic????

You are saying that your lower back is very, very curved; as if you were arching back.

I have seen several clients with loooong slow recoveries, who had much more lordosis post-op than pre.

you have a very clear picture.... good handle on the issues. Like you, I wish there was a way to speed this up and know where it was going.

All the best,

Mark