Deciding Against Spine Surgery for Chronic Pain Relief Part II

Patients share advice about deciding against spine surgery
In this section, patients share their insights about why they made the decision not to have spine surgery.

I have cervical and Lumbar DDD and was told I would need surgery as I have leg weakness, hand numbness, back and neck pain. After reading through the posts in the Artificial Disc vs. Fusion section, it is obvious that those who are satisfied with their surgeries are only weeks into recovery. The horror stories are those who have had it done several years ago and then live in horrible pain or have to have second and third surgeries.I think the bad outcomes here are far more than the good, so I am sticking it out till there is a real better alternative!!!

From: Stevie – Indiana, USA

I had suffered from sciatica and lower back pain for approximately 9 months before the pain became unbearable. I finally had an MRI done which showed L4/L5 disc herniation with nerve root impingement on S1. I tried months of conservative treatment (chiropractic, 2 epidurals, stretching, exercise, and weeks of rest) to no avail. I finally opted for a laminectomy-microdiscectomy of L4/L5 . I am now 3 days into recovery and have ZERO pain!!!! I can actually sleep for more than 3 hours a night and literally have no pain in the leg or lower back. I think a lot of the information out on the web is motivated by fear as opposed to fact. The general response I received from people when I discussed my decision was to not have the surgery. The best decision I made was to not listen to them.

From: Sloth – California, USA

I am 55 years old and have had back problems in the form of a herniated disc (L5-S1) since 1975. I had an operation (discectomy)in 1985 after numerous bouts of being bent over for what went from a few days in the early years to a couple weeks at a time by 1985. Also, by 1985 pressure on a nerve in my back at the herniated site caused severe sciatic pain which subsided after a while and as it did my right leg went numb below the knee.

My doctor told me that my discectomy, which is a removal of the herniated disk without fusing it as in a "Laminectomy" would solve my back problems. What He DID NOT tell me was that the operation was only a temporary cure. I was to find out later that in a study that followed 2200 people who had either a LAMINECTOMY or a DISCECTOMY 80% to 90% showed substantial relief from their back problems for a period of 6 or 7 years, after which their back problems returned in full or worse than they were prior to their operations. I have had back trouble now 31 years and it is slowly getting worse. I must now wear a back support, and X-rays show spurs on the spine as well.

My advice from my experience is this: Avoid SURGERY unless it’s an Emergency!!!!!

From: Carey Craig - Canada

This Is Why I Don't Recommend Surgery For DDD:

Since 1990, I've had multiple surgeries for spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease, including fusion, AcroMed Steffie VSP fixation, discectomies, removal of the AcroMed fixation instrumentation (awarded $19,000 in the AcroMed class-action remedy), Brantigan PLIF cages installed, and Titanium fixation assemblies installed.

Still, I have continual low back pain when tying shoelaces or putting on socks. Resolved with exercise and Ibuprofen plus Tylenol.

I also have DDD in my cervical spine, but nobody is going to open up my skin there!

From: Stan - Arizona, USA

About 4 - 5 years ago I started having severe leg cramps and low back pain. I went to an orthopedic surgeon and began reading Spine-health.com. MRI's showed that I had severe stenosis of the lower spine and two slipped vertbrae. Surgery was planned, but when I asked about recovery and was told that a lot of walking would be part of the therapy, I said I didn't know how much walking I could do because I was having severe knee problems and would probably have to have knee replacements. I was told to get the knees fixed first and then we could proceed with the back. Following one knee replacement and the therapy that followed I found I had considerably reduced back discomfort. Following the second knee replacement and its therapy my back pain almost completely disappeared. I still have some discomfort but it is not painful. I play golf 2-4 times a week and work out at a gym 2-3 times a week. I'm 75, take one Celebrex each day for general aches and feel like the stenosis is not a real problem. Thanks for your inputs. I'm thankful I have escaped any back surgery so far.

From: Anonymous

I had originally decided against back surgery and suffered chronic back pain for 13 months. The pain meds and other meds and physical therapy and the epidurals did nothing to give me relief. For me there was no cure without spinal surgery. I feel that by waiting so long for surgery I had made my condition worse. The surgery was painless and I was in and out of the hospital in one day. The operations gave me total relief from the pain in my back and the pain running down the length of the back of my legs. Had I gotten the operation much sooner I would have saved myself all those months of great suffering.

Most of us work horses who do a lot of heavy lifting for a living and are around their sixties will suffer chronic back pain that is due to premature aging from too much stress on our backs. Do not make the same mistakes as I did and try and muscle through the pain like I muscled through everything else life threw at me. See the Pain Management/Spine Specialists for a real cure for
that dang back and leg pain that just will not go away. These Doctors will educate you about YOUR specific back problems and show you your back problems with your MRI scans and such. This old work horse has had three back operations in fifteen years and thanks to modern medicine I can still sling freight.

From: Frederick Pick – Pennsylvania, USA

I had fusion and metal rods and screws L2 - S1 three years ago. It was the worst thing I ever did. It made it worse. There was so much stress at the next level that it bulged the disk and it became a herniated disk. Now they want to remove all the metal and go up another level to L1 - S1. My advice is to do as much exercise and try pain meds. Build up the muscles in your back and avoid surgery. It is only a band-aid because you have a long spine, and they only do surgery at one part of it. Maybe if there is only one level you might consider it. I know so many people that have had more trouble after back surgery than they had before.

From: Theresa - Wisconsin, USA

The best advice is to do your research on the procedure and the doctor doing the procedure. Talk to others with the same condition. Try all non-surgical therapies first. If you can live with the day to day agony keep doing so. When you cannot live with it any longer then it is usually time for action. be sure to weigh the possible benefits against the risks. For every success story there is a story of someone who was left worse off and wished they hadn't gone for the procedure. I was left worse off and I still pray every day that a new, more improved procedure is made available to relieve me from constant pain.

From: Chip – Pennsylvania, USA

I have progressive kyphoscoliosis with associated difficulty in walking and arthritis. While surgery is encouraged by my physician I have decided against it--or at least for now.

My main reason for this is the seriousness of the surgery which would be performed. I am in my 50s which makes this more dangerous. In fact there is a 10% complication rate for my type of surgery. My mother-in-law died just after back surgery which does not make me more comfortable. Also this surgery is known for needing revisions. I cannot see myself being 75 and having hardware adjusted.

I use rest and heat most often for relief. Exercise makes it worse. If I must, I resort to pain medication. There are no treatments at my age except surgery so options are limited. I have tried PT which helped the pain temporarily.

As for considering surgery, it is always an option. I know I may have no choice, but as long as I can function I will not do it. I know what I have now. Surgery could make it worse.

From: Gloryb - USA

I had spine surgery twice, and regret it. I am in constant pain and my life has not been the same. The other parts of my back are rapidly degrading. I am young and practically disabled. I wish I would have had much more information and tried many other treatments prior to the surgery. I think the original doctor wanted to operate on me. I am now on major medications and can barely consider any physical therapy, although Pool therapy is the best treatment I've ever tried. If you are considering surgery, do more research, get more information, consider other therapies. I would not wish this on my worst enemy.

From: ssonmys - Massachusetts, USA

I suffered for 10 years with scoliosis and sciatica. Had one fusion in l996 with hardware. Finally decided I'd had enough and found the best neurosurgeon I could and went to a hospital that specializes in spinal surgery. The surgery went fine but I'm now mostly blind in my right eye due to some blunder, undoubtedly by the anesthesiologist. Either my blood pressure got too low or I lost too much blood or there was too much pressure on the optic nerve, who knows? The chart is a joke - the operative report was written two months after the surgery no doubt with an attorney standing over his shoulder. My advice is if you must have surgery talk to your doctor and anesthesiologist before about this risk. It can be prevented - it's very rare but becoming less so with time. Check the anesthesia website www.ASA.org or .com - can't remember which.

From: Greta Ibarra - Kansas, USA

After multiple MRIs in supine position for cervical, thoracic, and lumbar discograms and after having to personally read up the scans myself, as diagnostic evidence on the scans was not listed as, although there, I went back to my surgeons to have them acknowledge evidence that was in black and white originally.

Finally, I went overseas and had positional MRIs, in seated, standing, flexion, and extension positions. This produced more diagnostic evidence. I have gotten 3 opinions on new scans so far, each adding more info. How many do you need to go to before the full diagnostic picture is noted? Until it is, surgery will have to wait, if appropriate at all. It’s no wonder patients are often repeatedly in with poor outcomes - their diagnostic evidence and symptoms are not properly investigated to start with. I've now been told that my condition is inoperable without making it worse. Bottom line get as much diagnostic evidence as possible and get a second opinion and a third. Chances are the diagnostic evidence is already there.

From: Martyn - Melbourne, Australia

I had spinal cervical fusion in 2001 on levels c5/6 and 5/7. Felt great afterwards. 4 years later I have another level c4/5 herniated, w/cord compression. I have decided to postpone surgery and tough it out hoping that an artificial disk is approved. My fear is that I will yet again compromise the integrity of the level above. I have had acupuncture and it has yielded some comfort. But it is a roller coaster. I can have low level discomfort to feeling stabbing pain everywhere, without doing anything unusual. At present I am on a daily regime of Aleve. I take 1 every 24 hours. If it's really bad I'll take 2. I don't understand why in this country we are so behind in testing these artificial discs that have been in Europe for 10 years.

From: Rosella - Delaware, USA

Communicate with others making the same decisions.

* Note: This page expresses the experiences and opinions of patients, not doctors. The Back-to-Back forum is provided because we think people often have very practical advice and insights to share that can benefit other patients who have similar back problems. This section has not been peer reviewed by our Medical Advisory Board, and is provided for your informational purposes only.

If you have questions about your specific condition or treatment approach, please go through this site to read peer-reviewed health information about spinal conditions, diagnosis and treatment options. The quickest way to locate information on the site is to use the “keyword search” located in the upper left hand corner of each page. Also, if you want to talk online with others who may be in a similar situation, please go to the Message Board.