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Old 06-19-2015, 03:32 PM
annapurna annapurna is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2004
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The problem with your list of problems is that you have so many that it's difficult to figure out what started what. You could easily point to any one of the major problems you have listed and show how that one problem could lead to all of the others. They could also be symptoms of some deeper problem that's making it easier for these things to show up. Did you have the scoliosis or retrolisthesis from very early, childhood maybe? If not, do you have any obvious contributors that might be the source of the underlying problem? Smoking is the best known one but prolonged bad diet or others can contribute.

The reason why I ask is that you have enough going on that simply having ADR surgery is unlikely to resolve everything. For that matter, fusions and S-I joint disfunction aren't a happy combination either. If it was me, and this advice is worth less than you're paying to hear it, I'd try to get a really comprehensive physical and look at non-surgical options for some of the problems you're facing. Because it works for me, I'd try prolotherapy on the SI joint and neck as well as the lower back. Something like that can help with the SI joint and neck. It might help stabilize the lower back to buy time for a better diagnosis and treatment plan.

Again, if it were me, I wouldn't attempt surgery until you have a better idea of what of your conditions are symptoms of your other conditions. I happen to think that the retrolisthesis and rotoscoliosis will mean that ADR isn't the best bet for you but I hope that I'm being conservative on that call. On the other hand, just replacing the damaged lumbar disks with ADRs or fusions doesn't seem like it's going to do enough to treat your overall situation.

On a last note, anyone who tells you that your pelvic pain and SI joint problems aren't related to your spine problems needs to spend a lot of time re-reading their anatomy texts.
__________________
Laura - L5S1 Charitee
C5/6 and 6/7 Prodisc C
Facet problems L4-S1
General joint hypermobility

Jim - C4/5, C5/6, L4/5 disk bulges and facet damage, L4/5 disk tears, currently using regenerative medicine to address

"There are many Annapurnas in the lives of men" Maurice Herzog
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