Will I have problems in the future??!
Question: Hi,
I am curious to know if me having spine surgery at 14 will led me down a road to having more spine problems. I had a surgery a few months ago for grade 4 spondylolisthesis, with a lot of nerve damage. I always hear that once you have back surgery, it will bring you problems.
Is this true?
Answers: Hi,
I am curious to know if me having spine surgery at 14 will led me down a road to having more spine problems. I had a surgery a few months ago for grade 4 spondylolisthesis, with a lot of nerve damage. I always hear that once you have back surgery, it will bring you problems.
Is this true?
It can, but that is not always absolutely true. Grade 4 is pretty significant and I am assuming that they did instrumented fusion with interbody. (they used screws and rods and put a spacer in between the vertebra to maintain the space) Most people have good results with this and with your age, you should have a good outcome as long as your overall health is good. (non-smoker, non-drinker, non-diabetic, no arthritis/ osteoporosis, etc....which affect proper healing after a fusion.)
Your best chances for a surgery free future are to maintain a healthy weight and keep up a gentle to moderate exercise routine. No real heavy weight lifting. I'm sure that your surgeon told you all of this already.
Most people that have problems in the future have another medical condition such as arthritis or osteoporosis OR they are smokers/ drinkers/ diabetics and don't completely follow their restrictions post op and into the future.
Good luck to you.