Spinal Fusion 101

Let me start by stating the obvious. I am not a Medical Doctor. In fact, I’m not a Doctor of any kind (except maybe in my head). Anything written about medical conditions and surgeries should be taken in that context.

In other words, don’t trust me.

I accepted there would be pain. A motorcycle accident and moderate scoliosis had guaranteed that. But this numbing of my leg and its subsequent failure to move was new. It started about four years after the accident. The pain getting progressively worse until the ability to walk became a chore that often brought me to tears. Something had to be done.

I scheduled an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon, whom I have seen for my scoliosis since I was a little Tarah. He ran the usual diagnostic imaging tests: x-rays, MRIs and CT. What he found amazed me: a bi-lateral break of the spinal processes leading to spondylolisthesis. The bones holding my vertebrae together broke and my spine was slipping off itself. Because I didn’t respond to physical therapy and the condition was progressing I was a good candidate for a spinal fusion. Specifically a Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion of theL5 and S1. Suddenly, I needed to expand my vocabulary.

Since I was in the middle of my penultimate semester of undergrad, I did physical therapy until I was ready to take time off and do the surgery.

The procedure went well, except for the part where I bled internally and had to stay a few extra days. I have two incisions. One for access to the spine (obviously), and the other for access to the donor bone used to fill in between the vertebrae.

It was incredibly painful at times. My mother tells a story about how the cries of pain I made trying to stand up two days after the surgery were the worst sounds she could ever imagine. I needed a lot help (and still do at times), but my friends and family were truly amazing. My mom even did my laundry at my apartment and brought me food, even though we lived on opposite sides of town. My recovery took a solid 6 months, including a stint in a super sexy blue back brace.

But I can say, it was successful! In fact, the fusion gave me my body back. It took time to learn how to move and adapt to my new spinal hardware. Those lessons I will document in the pages of this site (look for the category “Spinal Fusion”).