I’m back to working Corrections in the jail. With the weight of gun belt and ballistic vest...the spinal canal has narrowed between L4 and L5 Lumbar vertebrae, to the point where I have severe shooting pains down both legs...along with the inability to walk. Especially in the morning and night.

MRI showed severe stenosis along with arthritis. A prominent Neuro Surgeon has scheduled me for surgery April 9th, to remove bone matter obstructing spinal cord and nerves in that area.

I’ve tried alternate therapies to no avail. Thought I’d reach out to synthzone friends for advice.

Thanks,
jingleman

Hi J,

Wishing you the best on 4/9. You will feel much better to get that nerve free. Are they doing a fusion? Will they do surgery through the front or back?

I had a C1/C2 procedure in 2009 and another (same) in 2012. Currently, I have a herniated C5/6 disc, but just living with the pain for now.

Expect a recovery time for a few months - delicate area. A neck brace will help and make you feel more secure after surgery.

Best of luck to you...........

BTW, my MRI done this past month to reveal the C5/6 problem, revealed another problem - cyst on Adenoid. Of course, this necessitated another trip to an ENT. Camera up the nose was no fun, but the cyst was just a fluid pocket (thank God), so was good news - nothing required.

Jingleman, hope everything works out well for you, the recovery time is usually a couple months and recurrence is not unusual due to adhesions, though this usually takes several years or even decades to reoccur.

You will not likely have a spinal fusion, but a laminectomy instead of a discectomy. The procedure usually requires one to two days of hospitalization, then a couple months of physical therapy.

Good luck,

Gary

Does this have anything to do with standing while performing?....

in any case good luck and get well very soon!!

Donny, spinal stenosis is primarily attributed to the aging process, but has also been attributed to smoking, which decreases blood flow to vital organs and the spine. Standing for hours on end while playing could eventually cause problems, even when the keyboard is adjusted on the stand to the highest playing position.

The biggest culprit is calcification of the spinal foramen, the openings in the spine where the nerves exit. As these openings begin to close, sometimes due to inflammation, the nerve is compressed, resulting in horrendous pain that often radiates down the affected extremity. In the case of L4/5 L5/S1, this compresses the sciatic nerve. In my case, the compression is so severe that my right leg is partly paralyzed. This is something I just have to live with because of my lung problem. I would not survive the anesthesia.

Hope this helps,

Gary

Gary... Understood

I've had this procedure done a year ago this coming June. Stenosis and bone spurs. I'm living pain free and have resumed my normal activities. I had the best neuro surgeon in the Seattle area do the surgery and he did a wonderful job. I'm sure you will do fine as well. Be careful with follow-up physical therapy. Listen to what "your" body is telling you and don't let the therapist over stress your spine. You know what is best for yourself and trust your good judgement.

Take care.

Jingleman
Had laminectomy/microdiscectomy in'06. As Gary described; recovery was short. It did not work for me however as I needed a fusion in same place (L5/6) within 2 years.Unfortunately the nerve damage was done by the time the mechanics were stabilized and I still suffer with pain.

So my advice to you is don't put it off before too much damage is done. Recovery from fusion is longer.

Jim,
I had c5/6 fused in 2010 also..I'm full of hardware.

The best part of this post is the warning you have given to the rest of us, thank you Jingleman.

Do the exercises that are needed to strengthen the parts that lifting and standing by our keyboards is trying to damage. Last year I began to get a little ting when I lifted my keyboard, I have been going to the gym since with no problems.
Please don’t wait, I can feel the pain of the men that have posted here.

John C.