I have been struggling with back pain for most of my life. When I was 14, my mother tried to teach me to make my own clothes. However, one of my hems was always shorter on one side as a result of one of my hips being higher than the other hip. Concerned by the irregularity, my mother, a school nurse, did a cursory examination of my back. She took me to an orthopedic surgeon and told him about the scoliosis curve that she had detected. He blew us off and told my mother to stop trying to practice medicine. So, my curve progressed.

As I grew older, back pain, especially low back pain, became an increasing problem. I was working as an operating room nurse, so I was lifting many heavy instruments and patients. There were several occasions where I would need to rest and it got to the point where my pain was waking me up at night. Finally, I went to an orthopedic surgeon who referred me to a spine specialist. He recommended a serious spine fusion.

In 1980, I had a Harrington Rod inserted from T-10 to L4-5. I was in a body cast and then a body brace for six-months. Recovery time was very different years ago then it is now. Now, they try to get patients out of bed as soon as possible after surgery so that their muscles do not become weaker with excessive bed rest. It was about a year before I was back on my feet and working again.

I was pretty much pain free for 10 years, but in 1990 I started having recurring symptoms of low back pain and muscle fatigue. I traveled a lot with my work and all the flying, luggage carrying, and lack of exercise combined to make it worse. By the end of 1992, I was having unrelenting pain that got worse throughout the day and woke me up at night. I was also having neurological symptoms. My left foot would fall asleep and I would lose my shoe when I was walking, especially if I was climbing up stairs. The hardest thing was when my foot would slip off the clutch of my sports car. I ended up having to sell the car. My quality of life really suffered as I struggled with the pain in my back. I was too exhausted to socialize with friends, I lacked the strength and stamina to exercise, and I could no longer stand up straight due to the Flat Back Syndrome that I had developed. My spine surgeon had said that my body would tell me when it is ready for surgery… and it did. I could not live with the pain anymore.

I ended up needing a 15-hour procedure that involved anterior and posterior fusions. First they opened my back and removed the old rod and the scar tissue. They cleaned off the bone and extended the fusion both north and south for one level. Now it extended from T-9 to S-1. They also put in pedicle screws and plates. Next, I was flipped over for the anterior with a lateral approach. They did an open-wedge osteotomy, which basically restored me to my normal posture. My upright posture was almost fifty degrees from where it had been before!

Again, it took several months to recuperate. I was in a body brace with a leg extension so that my sacrum, a very difficult place to mend in adults, could heal. However, now I am a new woman. I work out with a personal trainer, I got involved in a very busy, high profile job for five years, and I do so many things that I could never have done without my surgery. It gave me a new sense of physical and social well being that I never had as long as I was suffering from constant back pain all day and all night. Now, I concentrate on my own wellness. I keep my weight down, eat right, exercise, and stretch my muscles. I think any patient that has spine surgery needs to do these things to maximize their back health and maintain the high quality of life that they deserve.

I think it is very important to consider yourself in partnership with your surgeon. It is crucial that you realize all the opportunities and decisions that are involved in your care. You must be an active participant in your rehabilitation. It is not enough to sit there and believe that the surgery alone will make you better. You must push yourself on a daily basis and you must ask for outside support from your friends and family. Be patient and be good to your body, after all, major spine surgery does not make you better over night. Find a surgeon with a high level of skill and knowledge about the kind of surgery that you need. It is also important to get second opinions. Most of all, you, as the patient, must feel comfortable with the decision that you make.

Published: April 24, 2002

Updated: February 25, 2005

As you read this please keep in mind that all treatment and outcome results are specific to the individual patient. Results may vary. Complications, such as infection, blood loss, bowel or bladder problems, are some of the potential adverse risks. Please consult your physician for a complete list of indications, warnings, precautions, adverse events, clinical results, and other important medical information.

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