My orthopedic surgeon was kind enough to squeeze me in for a quick visit today. After viewing the CT scan, he agreed that my L3 and L4 left transverse spinous processes had been fractured, but that my artificial disc looked fine. Here are some pics from my CT:
He said these types of fractures are not actually serious injuries, but are just very painful until they heal. He also said that I had quite large gaps between the pieces of bone that had been broken off due to the tremendous force of the accident and he didn't expect them to fuse back together, but that this was not a problem. I asked if I would be at risk for any spine instability due to losing the muscle connections on those parts of the spine and he said no (generally these fractures are caused by side impact or extreme muscular contraction of the psoas muscles which attach from the inside of the thigh to the transverse spinous process).
I was concerned that I saw some slightly increased curvature of the low spine (I already had a slight curve) and he said that it was most likely due to muscle spams/tension as a result of the injury and was not serious enough to be worried about. So all in all, there is nothing for me to do but take it easy and come back in 6 weeks. I was glad to get the reassurance from my surgeon who was familiar with my history and with artificial discs in general. He also mentioned that the M6-L has grown in popularity since I had mine implanted and he was still frustrated that he still cannot use it in the USA due to it not being FDA approved (due to the 100s of millions of dollars and many many years it takes for a company to fund the needed trials) so the only option for patients to get it, is still to go overseas. I'll post again if anything interesting comes up.
I could not help but gasp when reading the headline of your post. No one needs continued agony with their back. However, there was an audible sigh of relief while reading the post and now I can’t help but wonder if you are having second thoughts about bicycle riding.
ReplyDeleteSo relieved the prognosis is excellent.
Holy Hell... Glad to see you are OK!
ReplyDeleteIt's great to find out news such as this. While there is still a bit of pain as it heals, but perhaps that's a small price to pay. You could get painkillers to ease them off if they grow too unbearable. Back injuries are no laughing matter, so if the pain is still there after a few weeks, perhaps you can try other methods. Take care!
ReplyDeleteAgnes Lawson @ MedWell Spine, OsteoArthritis & Neuropathy Center
congratulations
ReplyDelete