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Anyone had spinal decompression L4/L5- in UK?

Posted , 6 users are following.

pauly504
pauly504

Hi,

I've recently had a spinal decompression on L4/L5- L5/S1 back in March this year in the UK. I had been suffering for almost 2yrs with sciatica and was on lots of pills, mostly towards the end Codeine and Morphine (morphine worked wonders) but was getting fed up on meds as it's not a fix.

I got sent for 2 MRI's and my sciatic nerve had no room to move where it travels through the piece of bone/gristle on left side. Tried the injection of cortizone but no joy so decided on this operation. It has definitely helped me but I do have to take some meds on most days to help and some days I can just about manage without.

I'm looking to see if anyone else has had this to see if this is normal to still have to take some pain relief? It's nearly 5 months and I would like to be off them completely, however my surgeon said it can take as long to heal nerves as I put up with the original pain which would be 12/18 months. My left foot and big toe is numbish also but he said the op would not help that. 

Any advice greatly welcome, Paul.

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • prev
    prev pauly504

    Posted

    Hi Paul 

    Yes I have had this IDD treatment after years of suffering and I had all the physio and injections and painkillers which didn't work. The IDD treatment has been working wonders and saved me from surgery. I have had relapses along the way and I do get numbness but no sciatica for a long time now. I have tried to spread information to fellow sufferers on here before but with no response. I know the pain and would love to help others out of it. 

    • pauly504
      pauly504 prev

      Posted

      Hi

      I have never heard of IDD treatment but have looked on google. Is this very expensive?

      Tthanks Paul

    • maggie301017
      maggie301017 prev

      Posted

      What is IDD treatment?

      How does it work and where can I get it?

      Please respond, also searching for help!

    • prev
      prev pauly504

      Posted

      Hi Paul 

      I had the treatment at a spinal disc clinic in London "Spinex disc clinic" I highly recommend you to call them and speak with the Osteopath there. It isn't too expensive and worth every penny. I could barely walk when I first went there. Feel free to mention my name when you call, I'm on the wall of success stories in the clinic. 

    • prev
      prev maggie301017

      Posted

      Hi Maggie 

      IDD is carried out on a computerised oscillating table which you are strapped on to slowly and softly stretching out the spine and releasing pressure from the discs and sciatic nerve allowing the healing process to occur naturally. Plus the Osteopath will do any extra work needed. This is carried out at the Spinex disc clinic in London. There is now a new clinic aswel so I believe there are 3 in London. I went to the one just off Edgware Rd. I highly recommend this treatment. 

    • maggie301017
      maggie301017 prev

      Posted

      Hi Prev, thanks for that information. Shame I'm living in Australia!! I can fly to London as that's where I came from originally but would prefer to try it more locally. Do you know ok what IDD stands for?

    • prev
      prev maggie301017

      Posted

      Hi Maggie 

      Intervertebral Differential Dynamics (IDD) Therapy is the successful and trusted non-surgical spinal decompression treatment for back pain,neck pain and related conditions such as sciatica.

      Maybe you can find this treatment in Australia I know it hasn't been available in the uk for that long but it has been successful so far. I hope you can find it. 

  • Genie59
    Genie59 pauly504

    Posted

    Hi pauly504,

    I suffered with left sided sciatica for 2 years. Had all the mess and injections. Nothing helped with the pain. I couldn’t stand or walk so I’m dec 2012 I had a discectomy L4& 5. I still had pain and

    Couldn’t walk, I was on Tapentadol which did help with the pain. It took around 20mth for it all to settle down and I was then fairly normal and mobile. I had around 2 good years then 18mths ago it has all started again. So here I am waiting for surgery again but this time with no guarantees as it becomes more tricky after having had it done once before. So give it chance and hopefully things will settle down. But remember to alway be extra careful as you are not

    Necessarily out of the woods.

    • pauly504
      pauly504 Genie59

      Posted

      Hi Genie 59

      Sorry to hear you need further surgery. I hope I do not have to myself however the surgeon did say it's one of those things, I may of been born that way. He also said it may do the same on the other side or it may not. I think I may be expecting too much too soon with stopping any pain relief altogether from what you have said. I started thinking I may be taking pills just because? The thing is it most definitely helps me to carry on working and being a motor mechanic/ MOT tester my job is quite a manual one and at 51 you just want some quality of life :-) 

      Thank you Paul.

  • maggie301017
    maggie301017 pauly504

    Posted

    Hi Paul, I think your post operative pain is normal. I had L4-5 laminectomy and fusion 11 months ago and I'm also still on pain medication, Lyrica because of sciatic pain in left foot and back of leg. Initially my doctor said the nerve woud take up to a year to heal as it was extremely squashed and white. Now I'm wondering if something else is wrong as it's not going away although symptoms change regularly. It easily gets irritated if I over do it, by DC ping relatively little! You could ask your surgeon to do another MRI to check nothing is impinged

  • sjy72
    sjy72 pauly504

    Posted

    Hi Pauly504

    I'm sorry you are still suffering. Are you taking the meds because of sciatic pain still? I am 12 days post op, also on my L4/L5 & L5/S1. This is my second op on my L5/S1. First 1 was in Feb 2017, so 18 months ago. Unfortunately things were only improved for 24 hours after that op. Over the next 12 months , we tried physio, cortisone injection, & epidural injection..but nothing helped. Then, 5 months ago, the pain intensified so bad, that eventually I couldn't bare weight on my leg at all, and the pain was horrendous non stop. An mri after going to A&E in May, showed the L5/S1 was out, but also, the L4/L5 was completely squashing my sciatic nerve. I'm still getting posterior thigh pain and occasionally heel pain. I'm hoping it eases, but not holding my breath. Early days tho..and this surgery was more complicated, because of going in, in the previous scar and scar tissue. Really hope yours settles for you.

    • angie55306
      angie55306 sjy72

      Posted

      hi.. your story is almost identical to what im going through now.. im waiting to have my second surgery, ( repeat ). can i ask why is it more risky going back in for the second time through the old scar? what is more risky about it please? im intrigued..

      hope you are well now!

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