Originally Posted by
nobodyhere
Get at least 2 and maybe 3 opinions about surgery. Surgical skills vary wildly. A friend ruined for life (now wears diapers). Web sites, check for complaints and suits on your state website, ask OR nurses who they would choose.
Do have fear of back surgery. I very, very carefully chose my surgeon for an L-4, L-5 fusion. Walked a mile in the next morning, out that day, rehab with walking 2-3 miles per day, on mtn bike in 18 days. I was 71 at the time.
Good luck.
I guess I should add - I did extensive physical therapy, acupuncture, inversion table and you name it prior to my surgery. It was not something I took lightly. I was to the point of not being able to stand up, and it was spondylolythesis - which is pretty bad - not just spondolylosis, plus I have stenosis - narrowing of the canal.
A good doc of my wife once said "We treat symptoms, not MRI's"
Ask PT's who does the best job. They know, if they will tell you.
And, yes, I am driven to do the physical therapy correctly AS PRESCRIBED and it pays off - really pays off. My wife the same with two knee replacements - she has full range, followed PT orders to the "T"