Mobility/flexibility after ADR

[badbackbeauty]

Hello,

I have been going through this site for quite some time now and I would like to thank everyone here for making this journey easier.

Quick facts about me (if you don't want to waste time reading the background, please skip to "my questions" section ):
-27 years old
-133 lbs, 5ft 7" tall
-I had a car accident 10 years ago. My low back problems started then
-last year I had my first MRI; DDD L4-S1 with a few bulges and some facet arthritis at same levels (all "mild" according to the radiologist)
-Disk heights are still considered "adequate"
-I have attached an image of my most recent MRI
-I havent had any surgery procedures or injections as I an conviced they are all just a band aid and ultimately don't do any good
-I have also noticed some problems with my neck but not bad enough to start doing something about it
-My problems are focused on my low back: dull, achy pain, stiffness, loss of mobility and flexibility. Bending to put my shoes on or pick something up off the floor is nearly impossible (not so much bc of pain but because I have lost so much mobility)
-Trying to improve my core strength and flexibility/mobility, I began practicing yoga but it actually sent me into 4 straight months of horrible sciatica on both legs.
-Sciatica problems have resolved after 3 months of PT. Now I keep pain at bay with mild cardio and core strengthening exercises (not taking anything for pain).
-I can foresee my back problems getting worse (as they are not getting any better with time), so I have started to look into ADR surgery
-Although I am not in excruciating pain, I am mild-moderately limited. I have had to put my nursing career on hold due to this.

My Questions:

-for those who have recovered from surgery, has your mobility come back? meaning; are you able to bend, reach, twist without pain or major mechanical stiffness?
-How much pain are you on a "good day" and a "bad day"?
-Do you ever regret getting surgery (fusion or ADR), please keep it real?
-Due to my age and overall good health, would it be wise to "ride it out" and buy some time until I can go no more before I start considering surgery?
-I am terrified that if I go the ADR route now my problems won't be improved, and that if I wait too long my problems will be too bad that surgery won't fix anything

Thank you all for reading and for providing your honest opinion

[Blizzaga]

Originally Posted by badbackbeauty

-for those who have recovered from surgery, has your mobility come back? meaning; are you able to bend, reach, twist without pain or major mechanical stiffness?
-How much pain are you on a "good day" and a "bad day"?
-Do you ever regret getting surgery (fusion or ADR), please keep it real?
-Due to my age and overall good health, would it be wise to "ride it out" and buy some time until I can go no more before I start considering surgery?
-I am terrified that if I go the ADR route now my problems won't be improved, and that if I wait too long my problems will be too bad that surgery won't fix anything

Hi badbackbeauty!

I am only a few months out of surgery, but I will give my honest answer to your questions. By the way, I am in your age and had the same levels fixed as you have trouble with.

1. Mobility is slightly worse than before surgery, but no pain while bending/twisting. I cannot reach my knees with my fingers, when bending forward, but it is close. Before surgery, I could reach my knees (barely).

2. So far all days are quite similar. No real variance between good/bad days. I have some pain if sitting for a long time.

3. Assuming it is not going to get suddenly worse, it was the best decision in my life. But it is too early for me to give a final answer.

4. I was in pain for over a year. Waiting just made it worse. It is not possible to give you an advice based on the limited information in your post. Have you had your Oswestry Disability Index calculated? It is far from exact, but (very) roughly speaking, if you end up below score 40 surgery risks may outweigh gains, but if you are above 40, then your life is so bad you don't have much to lose, so

5. I was terrified too. It is only natural!

[badbackbeauty]

Blizzaga,

Thanks a lot for your response! If you don't mind my asking.... how old are you, who did your surgery, and have you been able to go back to work?

My O DisabilityIndex is currently 38%. So not bad enough to operate now, but not nearly good enough to be able to work normally as a nurse I have accepted the fact that I won't be able to go back to the type of nursing I was doing but even the less active types I feel I am not physically callable capable of doing them.
At home I am able to function ok, being careful and constantly watching my movements, and I even exercise regularly without agravating things. I constantly go back and forth between I need surgery and I'm ok to wait it out.

[Blizzaga]

I know that feeling. At times you could feel "ok". At other times, you tell yourself "who am I really kidding here? This isn't going to be better by itself...".

I am about your age, was able to return to work ~3 weeks after surgery. That's also when I stopped all pain medication. I probably could have returned at 2 weeks, but I still had quite a few symptoms and was eating the pain killers, so it would not have been very pleasurable to return to work then. My work is not physical. If you have a physical work, you should probably wait 6 weeks. You can read my outcome at the surgical outcome forum.

[badbackbeauty]

Originally Posted by Blizzaga

I know that feeling. At times you could feel "ok". At other times, you tell yourself "who am I really kidding here? This isn't going to be better by itself...".

I am about your age, was able to return to work ~3 weeks after surgery. That's also when I stopped all pain medication. I probably could have returned at 2 weeks, but I still had quite a few symptoms and was eating the pain killers, so it would not have been very pleasurable to return to work then. My work is not physical. If you have a physical work, you should probably wait 6 weeks. You can read my outcome at the surgical outcome forum.

I read your outcome post and I'm so glad and happy for you! it also gives me hope since you got the same levels done that I need. Congratulations on your success. What made you got for the acvtivL? I've read it's a good disc but I'm concerned it doesn't have the extended lifetime I need (based on my age, I need about 40+yrs)

[Blizzaga]

Thanks! I went for activL, because it is well-studied and superior to Prodisc-L. I also looked into the elastomer discs, but there was not a lot of independent peer-reviewed data available about them, with the exception being the M6. However, I did find worrying information about the M6 from different sources, so I do not personally trust it. I do believe that in the future one of the elastomer discs may supersede the activL, but I wanted to maximize my chances to get better today.

Modern lumbar ADR only exists from the period since 1984, so we cannot yet say what is the true lifetime of the discs. A lot has happened in the field since then and a lot will happen in the upcoming 40 years. Maybe I need re-surgery 40-years from now, or maybe I don’t. Nobody knows for sure. It is also possible that the disc will be encapsulated at some point, imitating a progressive fusion. If I can live a pain-free and surgical-free life for the next 40 years, then I am extremely satisfied with my choice.