... (10 replies)

... can be a bit more specific in my comments. First, the smoking. Just so you are aware how seriously surgeons regard this, some spine surgeons will not perform a fusion on patients who smoke. It is that much of a detriment to healing. ... (7 replies)

... The key is whether the steroids will be able to reduce inflammation to the point that the spinal nerve is no longer compressed....No one can predict whether this will happen, or not. ... (10 replies)

... I had a 2 level fusion 4 days before you and everytime I sit up it feels as if someone is cracking me in the back with a baseball bat. The pain gets worse with activity. ... (9 replies)

... Walk. Walking is your most important activity until you are showing signs of fusion. Take many small walks, even if it is just around the house. ... (9 replies)

... I just found this message board when I was googling about after having a spinal fusion. ... (6 replies)

... S1 in June of '05. Her doctor gradually allowed her to do more activities. As Blue Atlas said he made her wait until after the no bending lifting twisting time. Before beginning a new activity we always checked with her dr. first. ... (3 replies)

... old male who has had two fusion surgeries, 2002, 2003. ... (6 replies)

... ess I aint no spring chicken , but I'm only 40 yrs old . I am, fit or should say was a fit person until this injury happened. I feel you will never be the same after a fusion . Now I am glad I had it done. And would do the same thing again , But I really hated my surgeon for telling me I would be normal. ... (49 replies)

... Hahahaha.. ok what I DO know right now is that I don't want to get into a car with Rob (giggle). No worse than driving in a car or riding in an airplane??? Ok, lets think about this.. I mean seriously. A roller coaster goes 60+ miles per hour (I know of one that actually goes 120 mph), they twist you (a definite no no :nono:), turn you, and make you go updisde-down. ... (11 replies)

... ld be no worse than riding on an airplane, driving a car, riding a horse, or any other outdoor activity. I have read where people get back to doing those things after fusion surgery. As far as the weight limit if you lift properly and condition yourself correctly, I cannot see what the big deal is. ... (11 replies)

... S1 discectomy surgery in 2006 done by a neurosurgeon. I developed scar tissue but it never caused any problems. About 2 years after that surgery i had another part of that disc fragment off. ... (1 replies)

... It sounds like you did too much activity after having not been active for a period of time...and I imagine the bike riding was particularly irritating to the front of the thigh. ... (7 replies)

... ou cannot count on the hardware preventing you from damaging the fusion. There is a chance it might hold, but you cannot count on it. This could happen as well after you are completely fused too, but chances are much less. ... (6 replies)

... surgery, patients often think that if they can just get through the first couple days after surgery, that will be the difficult part. But the weeks and months post surgery present their own special challenges. ... (9 replies)

... First, what you are experiencing is normal for many fusion patients. Nerve pain can take a long time to go away...beyond 3 months. ... (2 replies)

... S1 fusion for my spondylolisthesis. they approved it for a week but then decided that it wasn't a new injury and that my 2006 worker's comp case should cover it. ... (3 replies)

... I have been increasing my activity levels and am now swimming 30 lengths of the pool so the weight I put on after the surgery is finally starting to shift. ... (8 replies)

... Thank you so much for all your help...I am so glad I joined this board and hope I can be of help to others in the future. Do you think the artrtic damage will cause a longer healing process? I will keep you posted as I recover (11 replies)

... Back to your question about pain medications, some people feel they no longer need them after a couple weeks, and some are still on them a year after surgery. There is no "common" or correct period of time. There are too many variables for anyone to even guess what is an appropriate amount of time. ... (11 replies)