L3 to S1 DDD

Gen.Patton · #1 12-18-2017, 11:54 PM

Howdy all,
Like so many stories I've seen on this site, I'm currently battling constant pain from 3 destroyed lumbar discs.
I've had epidural Cortisone injections (do your homework before considering this, since it is NOT approved by the FDA) which resulted in my left foot drop.
While I'm only 46, the damage I've sustained over the years has been a culmination of many stress factors including Baseball, Golf, Motorcycles, 2 pretty serious car accidents, (Women drivers BOTH times) and working in the construction industry as a welder for 20+ years.
Situations like mine aren't easy, and infinitely more difficult with 2 kids and a Wife who feels I should "do something."
What she doesn't understand is even with my crummy quality of life now...it CAN get a whole lot worse...I'm not in a wheelchair yet

What I will NEVER do...is to have any kind of fusion surgery (contrary to the opinions of 75% of Doctors I've seen in Northern Colorado) because of the threat of ASD (Adjacent Segment Disease)
My ultimate hope at this point is that the Axiomed Freedom disc will solve my problems when it gets full FDA approval in Q3 of 2018 (per the Axiomed agent I corresponded with)
Lastly I must add...to anyone considering a Pro Disc for a Lumbar application; please don't do it. It has NO shock absorption qualities, it has NO lateral stability which places all the stresses onto the facet joints causing failure over time, and the reason I know this is that one of the best spine surgeons in Colorado has had epic failures with the device. (He talked me out of it)
Like I said earlier, do your own homework, but hopefully I've been some help to guys in my situation.

P.S. Don't fall for the scam on YouTube called 'Balanced Back'. They tempt you with a surgical site down in the Cayman islands as a kind of "medical tourism" vacation...but they are outside the U.S. medical laws, and their device is absolute garbage. No shock absorption, no lateral movement, they completely chop out your facet joints, and the device has upper and lower sections which aren't even captured.

dorian · #2 12-29-2017, 06:16 AM

welcome,
I saw something like that as well, there are a lot of private type hospitals all saying they can do wonders like that laser spine institute thingy and saw another where they put some sort of gel in your spine where the disc is failing... yet you do research on all these chop shops and all you can find is the successful reviews posted right on their site

Gen.Patton · #3 12-29-2017, 08:17 PM

Thanks dorian,
Yeah that Laser Spine Institute commercial boils my blood..."With only a 1 inch incision, all you troubles are cured." I reckon that's marketing for ya :/
I had a doctor offer to do a procedure where he claimed he'd inject 'stem cells' into my discs to regenerate them. Trouble is, what the hell is gonna keep it all in the discs, when all the original goo already leaked out!?! Not only that, but like the Laser Spine scam, the procedure is NOT covered by any insurance! Pretty telling I'd say.

annapurna · #4 12-30-2017, 11:59 AM

Stem cell procedures work (some of the time) with a dehydrated disk. With a torn and leaking disk, there's some thought that fibrin sealant can be used.

The problem with Laser Spine Institute, Stenum, and many others is the one-size-fits-all approach. It's a truism that everyone's back is different but it is pretty obvious that when you combine the spine condition, the whole body health, and the recovery environment, everyone is different. There's no reason to think that a single solution works for everyone.

Gen.Patton · #5 01-02-2018, 01:37 AM

Or that there's even a viable long term solution at all.
The medical industry as a whole reminds me of the Low Back Trax commercial.
All about making money from the pain people go through.

dorian · #6 01-02-2018, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by annapurna

Stem cell procedures work (some of the time) with a dehydrated disk. With a torn and leaking disk, there's some thought that fibrin sealant can be used.

The problem with Laser Spine Institute, Stenum, and many others is the one-size-fits-all approach. It's a truism that everyone's back is different but it is pretty obvious that when you combine the spine condition, the whole body health, and the recovery environment, everyone is different. There's no reason to think that a single solution works for everyone.

I be curious where this stem procedure is performed and what research, doctors etc.. From my understanding there is promising research on stem cells but who is doing it with success?

annapurna · #7 01-02-2018, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dorian

I be curious where this stem procedure is performed and what research, doctors etc.. From my understanding there is promising research on stem cells but who is doing it with success?

There hasn't been a double blind scientifically accurate study to my knowledge. To some extent there's medical ethics involved in that decision as the control group of the study would be getting intradiscal injections with something that wouldn't be anticipated to help if you wanted the study to produce convincing evidence that stem cells did work. As there's a known risk of getting intradiscal injections (see discussions on this board about discograms), that does put the control group at higher risk.

That said, there's anecdotal evidence (some people get the injections and improve). If your disk annulus is intact, it's worth investigating. Otherwise, the idea of using fibrin to seal a leaking disk is still pretty speculative with little prove that it will work. If you want to know more, feel free to PM me as I've already droned on endlessly about this on the board elsewhere.