Answer Summary

Members shared deeply mixed experiences with spinal fusion for lower back issues, with outcomes ranging from life-saving relief to permanent... Read more

Members shared deeply mixed experiences with spinal fusion for lower back issues, with outcomes ranging from life-saving relief to permanent disability, emphasizing the critical importance of thoroughly researching surgeons, seeking multiple opinions, and understanding all potential risks before proceeding. Several members described complications including failed pain relief, worsening mobility requiring walkers instead of canes, adjacent disk deterioration above the fusion site, and nerve damage from surgical errors, with one member noting that inadequate post-surgical physical therapy likely contributed to their decline. A recurring theme was cautious advice to explore all alternatives first, as many found better results from nerve stimulators, medications like Gabapentin and Cymbalta, TENS units, and cannabis rather than repeat surgeries that doctors warned might have only a 70% success rate.