[Spine Journey]

Hello Community! Wow, I'm SO happy to find you. I'm so conflicted with to have or not have lumbar ADR right now. I'm curious to know if anyone else has had, or are having the lumbar pain symptoms that I'm having. Sometimes it handicaps me and other times it's just there, but I get around with ALL of the referred pain symptoms. In addition, I struggle with chronic Cervical pain as well (post 2008 cervical disk decompression at 4 levels) so I'm always in pain. After the cervical minimally invasive surgery that left me with a chronic condition, I'm very nervous about the lumbar ADR. My lumbar ortho surgeon ( for ADR) is Dr. Blumenthal at Texas Back Inst.

Original back pain started after a car accident in the 90's. Had conservative treatment ( chiro) was young and bounced back. Got back to running etc. Re-aggravated the lumbar in 2003 MVA and diagnosed w/ DDD L5/S1 w/ 3m mild protrusion w/major sciatic pain that hovered just above the R. thigh. Rhizothomy in 2004 got me 100% pain relief til 2010. Current Lumbar diag DDD L5/S1, mild at L4/5, 3.5m protrusion. Epidural calmed the sciatic, but low back pain is sometime debilitating. Other times it's a constant dull pain in the low back with referred pain that travels down the side of my thighs. This prevents me from walking more than 1 -2 hours or standing 1-2 hrs. I’m thin and 5’7 and otherwise healthy, but the side leg pain is often worse than the low back pain. I'm told this is a symptom of the L5/S1 DDD. 2011 Discogram was concordant with discogenic pain at L5/S. My dilemma is to choose to have ADR right now, or wait b/c I don't always have the handicapping low back pain --meaning the type of pain where I can't get out of bed, but the side of the thigh pain is horrible.

My other issue: in 2007 I started having neck pain. Was pulling my hair back to put into a pony tail and heard a neck snap and felt excruciating pain. Diagnosed w/ cervical DDD, desiccated disks at multi levels c3-7, mild cervical spondylosis, 2.0 - 3.2mm protrusions protrusion within multi levels w/mildly pressing the thecal sac. 2008 had Plasma disk decompression c3-7. It cured the occipital migraine headaches, but I have chronic neck pain every day. Today's Ortho Dr.'s say there are 2 many damaged levels, need to find a good pain management dr b/c they will not do another cervical surgery-Bummed!

Back to the Lumbar, my neurologist suggested I wait and journal my back pain to see if the referred leg pain will calm down since the back pain isn't always handicapping, but it's there. My ortho at TBI, says I’m the perfect candidate b/c the lumbar issue is precise, the disk is DDD, w/ tear and discogram was concordant at L5/S1. Although L4 shows signs of DDD as well.

Anyone out there with this lumbar dilemma? Lumbar pain is there but not always handicapping, but the referred pain is typically worse than the low back pain.