Back issues

I’ve got osteoarthritis in both SI joints, my sacro-coccygeal joint and the last few vertebral joints in my lower back. Starting to develop some in my neck also.

IMO posture aggravates and delays healing for lower back. Once I started daily walking and fixed my posture - my back pains went away - looking at MRI I should be dead so you can’t go by scans alone and my leg weakness disappeared after a cervical fusion so you really need to fully understand where and why the pain is happening or surgery might not fix but make worse.

I've had "back" issues for almost 20 years. About 2 years ago I started working with a trainer to help my golf swing. The trainer mainly focuses on core. Hips and shoulders. Turns out my back problems are mainly hip problems. I stretch every single night and morning and that alone helps. Obviously it's not everyones fix but sure seems to be mine.

It's never heavy weight. It's very controlled movements with light weight typically.

Problem is, knowing a procedure exists then finding someone that does it are 2 different things. It seems you basically have to call around and ask a bunch of different specialists if it's something they do.

MAYHEM8

How I wish that technology was available when I had my Discectomy!

Several years after my back surgery, a replacement disc came out that was basically polyurethane between a couple of plates. I did a free consultation with one of the local surgeons installing them. I was ineligible because of the scar tissue from my previous surgery. It had to be a clean install.

The best advice my surgeon gave me was "Use it or lose it." Meaning I shouldn't get into a sitting around habit, because that was the best way to have arthritis set in.

Over the years, I have learned the signals my body gives me when I haven't done stretches and exercise needed to keep things operating properly.

Next to knee issues, I'd think this is nearly (if not more) common as we age. I personally have lived for around 30 years with a ruptured lumbar disc. I have found that keeping my core tone has mostly worked very well to minimize and manage pain, but have recently done something that has been plaguing me with more pain for over a week now.

Ironically I think it has to do with the stretching I've added to my normal workout routine, but I find that if I skip a number of days, it doesn't take long before I see noticably reduced flexibility. Damned if I do and damned if I don't sort of thing.

Anyway, doing some investigation shows a procedure that takes only about an hour and does the equivilent of patching a flat tire, but to a spinal disc. Thought it was worth sharing in the event others are fighting this and having doctors tell them spinal fusion is their only option. IMHO, spinal fusion should only be a last ditch effort procedure as it can take a year to fully heal from it, and once done, any further options are very limited at best.

news.cornell. edu/stories/2020/03/two-step-method-patches-herniated-discs