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Has anyone had surgery for spinal stenosis? What was your experience?

Posted , 9 users are following.

Susie_T
Susie_T

My partner had surgery for spinal stenosis nearly 3 weeks ago, and although he was pretty bad when he was admitted (crutches, loss of feeling in his legs, cramps, spasms in his legs, collapsing) I don't believe his recovery is progressing as quick or as well as expected.

He is still on two crutches, and still struggles to walk long distances.  His feet automatically default to so close together that he is tripping over his own feet.  I have to help him in every aspect, as a carer, washing, toilet, going to bed, getting upstairs, etc.

I would like to hear of other people's experience who have had surgery for spinal stenosis - how long were you off work? How long before you were walking after surgery and without crutches?  Does recovery increase/get better over the weeks?  Is this normal for him to be like this at this stage?  Are we expecting miracles or is there something else wrong?

Please, please, anyone who has been through this operation please let me know how you recovered, how well you recovered and how long it took (in stages) to recover.

Thank you

1 like, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Laura3333
    Laura3333 Susie_T

    Posted

    You’re expecting too much at three weeks. Has he any feeling in his legs now?

    His leg muscles will till be very weak, depending on how long he had problems for before the surgery.

    I had surgery for spinal stenosis a long time ago, and I was in hospital for two weeks then had lots of physio. It could take months when he had been so bad on his legs, to learn to walk properly again. Have patience.

    • Susie_T
      Susie_T Laura3333

      Posted

      Hi Laura

      Yes he is getting feelings back in his legs now, little by little.

      Don't quite understand why he is still getting spasms, whereby his legs just shoot out like stiff cardboard and rigid?   

      I understand I have to be patient, positive and encouraging but this has completely taken over our lives.

      He has gone for a physio assessment today (three weeks pre op, which is quite disgusting for the NHS, considering he was classed as "urgent"!) so will wait and see what happens.  Did you have hydrotherapy at all?

    • Laura3333
      Laura3333 Susie_T

      Posted

      He's having muscle spasms, the nerves in your spine cotrol the muscles in yoour back and legs, you cant stop it, I still get spasms in my back when my back muscles just seize up.

      It has totally taken over my life, very difficult to live with problems like this.

      Yes I had hydrotherapy, and that gradually progressed onto swimming, first just a little, but I carried on going until eventually I could swim over thirty lengths. Water is brilliant to exercise in, no gravity. But its very tiring at first, and he will ache a lot until he gets used to it. 

      It is a long slow process, hopefully physio will help him.

  • CHICO_MARX
    CHICO_MARX Susie_T

    Posted

    I got bilateral spinal stenosis (kind of like really bad sciatica down BOTH legs) at L2/L3 back in October, 2016.  MRI was inconclusive (no surprise) so my doc ordered a CT/Myelogram with Contrast...the "gold standard" spine test.  Clearly showed the narrowing of the foraminal canals (the cause of the stenosis) at that lumbar location.  To make sure, he had an associate do a pain shot under fluoroscopy to make sure of the surgical location. Worked for a few days; these shots rarely have an effect on me but it was enough for the confirmation.

    I was already TLIF fused (rails and screws) from L3 through S1 so my doc gave me the choice of removing all that metal and re-fusing me L2 through S1...OR...an LLIF fusion.  LLIF is a LATERAL Lumbar Interbody Fusion.  Requires a General Surgeon to open a path from your side to the spine, the neurosurgeon to do the LLIF and the GS again to close.

    March '17...miracle op.  Woke up with absolutely zero pain...ran the hallways...up and down stairs a few hours after waking up.  One night in the hospital, no brace no rehab...like the operation never even happened.  You can see the LLIF device (posterior and lateral views) above my old TLIF rails.  Life changing op...stenosis completely gone.

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-expandable-spacer-570509

    Search Youtube for "Globus LLIF" to see a cute animation of the procedure.  I had the Intercontinental device installed with the double screws.

    PS: I did have one problem...  Started getting increasing lower back pain in late '17.  Seems that the LLIF worked TOO WELL!!!  There was so much fusion bone growth around the LLIF device and down to L4 that my neuro had to go back in last month to clear some of it away as it was pinching some other nerves...go figure...  3 1/2 hour op...he needed to do quite a bit of work to make sure the nerve compression will never happen again...serious post-op incisional pain for a week and then nothing.  All gone.  After 45+ years of hockey, the bill comes due.  Four knee scopes and then a metal knee, metal hip, four spine ops (two of them fusions), two shoulder impingement ops.  Wish I could still play but that's NEVER going to happen...damn...would be GREAT playing in an over-70 league...

  • mike09523
    mike09523 Susie_T

    Posted

    Hi Chico  Marx,

    I have read many of your reports regarding your surgery over the years, a real journey which I would have hesitated every step of the way. Am I right in assuming your medical care is done privately under medical insurance?

    Here in the U.K. There is not a chance that the same choices of differing operations are offered on the nhs. Once you are diagnosed, something that can take years to achieve, you are put in the hands of a neurosurgeon  that really does think he is above question, and you are given a brief description of an operation then you take it, or not.

    I realise that this is my own personal experience and many, many patients will voice totally different outcomes, good for them. However, it was for this reason that I delayed having an operation following three appointments being cancelled, and why my neurosurgeon closed his file on me.

    Good luck for your future,

    Mike.

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX mike09523

      Posted

      I'm 70 and on Medicare.  I see any doc I want.  The guy that did my spine saved my wife's life almost 8 years ago when she had an unruptured brain aneurysm.  He's one of the best on the planet.  I just do what he recommends and the results have been fantastic considering what I put my body through during all those hockey years.  I'm thankful for his skill, the medical facilities here in Dallas/Fort Worth and the insurance I worked a lifetime to get at 65.

  • michael37951
    michael37951 Susie_T

    Posted

    I had lamenectomy 5 yrs ago left me in a paraplegic state loss of bladder and bowel ,sensation ,balance it took 2 yrs of therapy to regain mobility water therapy was a game changer I now walk with a cane .Gods speed to you.
  • Kyle62901
    Kyle62901 Susie_T

    Posted

    I had an hemilaminectomy & microdiscectomy on L4-L5 during the summer semester of my junior year of college (2015). My back blew out while trying to get off the MRI table. Pain was so bad that I couldn't move on my own, so they slid me onto a gurney and took me to the emergency room. They called my neurosurgeon and I was in surgery a few hours later.

    I woke up with cauda equina syndrome, so I couldn't feel my legs, stand, or control my bladder when I woke up from surgery. A few hours later, I could stand with a walker, but not for long and I couldn't walk because I couldn't move my feet. I was basically wheelchair-bound through 10 days of rehab (I got out of rehab 3 hours before I wheeled myself into my organic chemistry final). I was on the walker for one week after that, then crutches for two or three weeks, and then on a cane for three more.

    It took about six to eight months for most of my mobility to return. I still have numbness in my left foot, so my max speed is walking since I have some mild balance issues, but I could deal with pretty much anything after living through the worst pain in my life.

    It's going to take a while to recover. My surgeon said it could take up to two years until you reach the point where it's not going to get better (depending on how much nerve damage there is), so it's basically just a long waiting game. We know exactly what you're going through and wish your partner a speedy recovery. 

    • Laura3333
      Laura3333 Kyle62901

      Posted

      Hi Kyle, reading this is a reality check. None of us want to go through back surgery. I have done twice, big surgeries, and some small ones. I most certainly was not running up and down hospitals and stairs straight afterwards. I think theres a bit of self delusion going on there.

      Your story is so hard to read, its the reality of backs going wrong thats worrying. Evey back patients fear, no one knows before the surgery how you'll come out of it. Over here in the UK you have to be in a pretty bad state before they will operate.

      I hope you improve a lot, you are only young so time is in your side, and as you now know, spinal surgery takes a long time to revover from.

      I wish you all the luck in the world, and hope that in another two years time, you are in a far better place, physically wise.

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