[Amaya]

#33372

I am 45 years old and experiencing lower back and leg pain after 5-10 minutes of standing. Minimally invasive, microdisectomy surgery is suggested for me. I need to know further about treatment options and whether I can postpone the surgery for few months. My MRI report says chronic posterior protrusion of L4 L5 with mild thickening of ligementum flava bilaTerally, cauing mild compression of the thecal sac and severe compression of L5 nerve roots at L4 L5 disc levels. Posterior midline annular tear in L5S1 disc.

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#33373

The type of surgery to give you relief really depends upon your specific symptomatology. If you had the majority of pain as significant central low back pain that does not “lean” to the leg pain side, the success rate for microdiscectomy/decompression is less than if the lower back pain is much greater on the leg pain side. It sounds like you have lateral recess stenosis from both the disc protrusion and the ligamentum hypertrophy. You might be a candidate for a lateral recess decompression. See https://neckandback.com/conditions/lateral-recess-stenosis/ to see if this fits with your symptoms. Back pain can be generated by the disc, the bone, the facet and occasionally, the nerve root.

Dr. Corenman

[Author]

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