Spinal stenosis

Having started the thread last year, here’s an update! To begin with the surgery solved the sciatic pain , but a new pain started in thigh. The back pain was marginally better , but standing still painful. I won’t say I regretted having surgery as I would never have known if I’d be one of the successful cases.
If the MRI shows that you need a knee replacement , it may well affect your back pain , and at least one body part pain free

Know this is sn old thread but wondering if anyone has similar situation. My problem started with knee pain, back pain followed very quickly. This started a year ago. MRI and x ray results mean I need a total knee replacement, I also have spinal stenosis with disc bulge. Back pain is far worse than knee. Can't walk or stand for more than 10 minutes. I dont know whether to 1) continue with physio/stretches/pilates which seems to help one day and not the next, 2) have knee surgery in the hope it will help back pain as physio thinks knee is the cause 3) go straight to decompression or similar to help back pain. I dont want any surgery but have been in pain every single day for over a year.

Remember that the risk of not having surgery and what might happen if the stenosis worsens are also going to be many and probably pretty awful. I think people forget that when they are offered surgery. It is likely that apart from infection and bleeding the risks of not having surgery are similar as the spinal chord is damaged. As has been said ask your surgical team all the questions you need prior to going ahead including what not having surgery might look like, but as waiting lists are long I would agree to going ahead asap as you can always decline later. Good luck.

After trying injections - helpful for a while, but the effect wore off - I had decompression surgery some years ago. That almost fixed the problem, and I have done exercises daily to stretch the spine and keep everything flexible. My back will never be perfect, but most of the time it is fine, and so much better than it was before having the surgery.

Or sorry for those of you who are suffering, and good to know there have been positive results.

I have been diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis and also have a bulging disc
I amin agony and have been told it's at least a year
It took a year to diagnose.
If I thought it would definitely work, I would scrape the money to go privately.
My partner has mettle cell Lymphoma so its all a bit grim. I don't feelIhave any quality of life.

I have a quite bad scoliosis which is getting worse day by day. I have had injections in my back several times injury fee4t, in my groin and just about everywhere nothing helps for longer than a week. The surgeon recommended an Segmental Decompression op. on the L3/4 , cutting a bit off the bone, but did warn me, that there was 70 % change of improvement, 20% chance of a no change result at all and 10% chance og it going pear shape. Sadly for me that is what happened. I cannot stand upright now and now walk with 2 poles. I still drive though although I had to change to an automatic as I could not manage the clutch any longer. 3 years later I had a Lumbar Epidural to check if it was nerve pain which it is not, but that took some of my feeling in my left foot away, I often feel it numb other times I have pins and needles in it. I am on Morphine 3 times a day plus 8 cocodimol every 24 hours, even that does not remove the pain totally. I should have had the op as a child I am told, but was not aware then that I had a scoliosis. They told me one leg was shorter than the other and gave me insteps but change the diagnoses in my forties, when I started to suffer with severe back pain and seizing up with spasms. Back pain is horrendous and affects everything you try to do.

My DH has had surgery twice (11years apart) for spinal stenosis. Both were successful in relieving the severe pain. Bony spurs can grow and put pressure on the spinal area. The surgeries were carried out by a neurosurgeon. He was advised to go down that path.

I have spinal stenosis, scoliosis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and spondylolysthesis. Spinal injections helped but things are still deteriorating. I was scheduled for an operation 8 years ago but bladder cancer put that back, when I had fully recovered from all the treatment I was seeing a surgeon to decide on the operation again only to find I had developed breast cancer. I am reluctant now to proceed with any major operation.

My husband ( 64yrs old) had decompression surgery in jan 2024, he was in terrible pain for about 18 months before the op. He only has the odd twinge of pain now, his quality of life is a lot better, back at the gym three times a week. Take advice from the surgical team.

They do have to tell you of likely or even possible problems that can arise (as I recently discovered with cancer treatment) but that does mean that all or even any of them will affect you significantly. It's a risk you have to weigh up.

I had this done 5 years ago, picking out splinters of the bone with tweezers. 2 nights in hospital. Miraculous. I have since had a hip operaration after 2 tears on crutches. Another miracle woke up the next morning with no pain. Thank you NHS

Look into red light therapy

My husband had the procedure a few years ago with a very positive result. The operation was quick and he was soon over it, only stayed in hospital overnight because he was last on the list and not out of surgery until after 5.00 pm.
He has a lot of other problems but that one was successfully sorted.
He had all sorts of dire warnings from physios before the surgery but the consultant was very reassuring and confident of what was a good result.

Our elderly friend was crippled by a stenosis which the NHS said meant a two year wait so he paid for the operation and is now fine - on holiday abroad this month! He wasn't insured but he dipped into savings. I think it cost about £20k.

Nannytopsy

My mum had the surgery in her eighties which gave her great relief.

My sister had the surgery a few years ago, she was pleased.

She had no further pains, she did quite a lot of physio after.

The surgical team give you this information about your surgery, so that you are fully informed about the procedure, along with the potential complications, and intended outcomes, so that you can give informed consent for them to perform the surgery.
It is 'not just to cover themselves'; if you are not fully informed about the intended procedure - that is not a good thing.
Ask as many questions of your team as you need, and for as much written information that they can give you, and then you can ask more questions until you are satisfied and can give 'informed consent' for your procedure.
Good luck.

LadyGracie

Atqui I did have 2 decompression surgeries prior to my TLIF unfortunately neither gave any relief.

My consultant said I was just unlucky.

You were very brave Lady Gracie.

Now you are asking Madeline i was just told it was an op for spinal stenosis It was a few years ago and I only see her a couple times a year and don’t feel I can phone and ask. However I think the gap down the centre of the spine had narrowed and basically the channel was widened

Atqui I did have 2 decompression surgeries prior to my TLIF unfortunately neither gave any relief.

My consultant said I was just unlucky.

LadyGracie

I had this condition for many years and also tried many therapies. My only option was surgery, I had a TLIF and haven't looked back.

I looked upTLIF and I don’t think that’s been suggested. Think it’s removing bone to open up the canal. I don’t know that consultants explanation was clear enough.

My toes already have “neuropathy” No one seems to know of that’s from the back . Pain from the back goes down both legs . The list of possible complications including driving being affected is v . long, but I’m 75 and thing if it gets worse I won’t want op later. Such a dilemma

Hello Atqui I'm sorry you have this. Fellow sufferer here surgery not indicated yet I am told so the answer is lots of physio to keep me going. I too have a foot and lower leg that doesn't belong to me. Thank heaven for pain killers.

I had a full spine MRI this week and fear this may be the direction in which I am heading. God I hate this wretched aging lark .......

Which operation did she have Gwllt?