u/Frequent-Layer27

T5-L3 posterior fusion in 2016 at age 17. X-rays from a few years earlier (not shown) started at around 30 degrees, was 60 degrees at time of fusion.

Woke up immediately with really awful pain, took years and many scans later to reveal it was because one screw was slightly pointed inwards, causing sciatica.

I was not told to exercise ahead of my surgery, or given any specific physio instructions for after. Just "try swimming." Maybe I did, but I can't remember.

Always felt tense in my left shoulder, if I slept on my left it would seize up and I would get recurring pinched nerves in my neck, always the left side.

In the middle of my left back I have a constant tightness, where I guess the muscle grew back in a bad way. My back, arms, shoulders, neck are all very clunky, crunchy and generally terrible.

Massage therapy weekly since before surgery, and continuing after. Used to be able to get the bus home and not have my massage ruined, but after pandemic, I got driven and I guess that was enough to lose any tolerance, now I have to shell out for private rides homes.

On and off attempted physiotherapy.

I bring pillows with me everywhere, I cannot sit on surfaces that are not highly cushioned, and I need support for my back.

2020 two screws and some rod are removed to help my sciatica. I'm able to decrease my specific medication by half, but told "well, it should have totally fixed it, so that might not have been the problem."

Tried K-laser, radial shockwave therapy, dry needling (muscles so tight they bent the needles), myoActivation (deep needling to referred pain areas.)

January 2024, terrible pinched nerve in my neck, ability to do anything drops off a cliff. I struggle to turn my head to the left, I must sleep on my back, I have shooting pains under my collar bone into my left arm, it wraps around my rib cage, and my left neck is constantly seized up and rock hard.

Luckily I live at home, but I cannot do general ADLs.

My entire left side is tight. My scalp, face, neck, back, rib cage, abdomen, arm, shoulder, hip flexor. My left leg has a real wobbly and funky locomotion to it because everything is so tight.

I have had freezing and steroids into my facet joints, which helps somewhat, but I have been told steroids are not a long term solution as they will weaken the joints

I'll be returning for another round of myoActivation after three years, but I'll probably also have to get more freezing facet joint injections.

I started university in Fall 2025, so I have a laptop riser and writing slant I bring so I don't have to lean forward. I also have ergonomic chairs with a cushion, However, I still need to bring three pillows with me, for behind my back and to support my left arm. Allowing my left arm to hang causes it pull down and irritate the nerve pain originating from my neck.

I do cat-cow, child's pose and thread the needle every morning. I use the elliptical everyday for around 20 minutes. However, doing even four reps each of my altered physio band exercises (the lightest band) causes me a huge amount of pain (not exercise pain, ouch ouch everything hurts pain).

I lost hope a while ago that things would get better. I know I'll never be pain free, but I yearn for something like 2019, when I could recover from my soreness just by resting, taking less pain pills, and weekly massage. I have been underweight the whole time, which does not help, but recently gaining a little weight has not helped me at all, so I doubt that is a real solution.

Anyways, that's me! I know so many other people have had much worse experiences than me, with bigger and/or S curves, larger fusion, infection, other health problems.