I think an “ALIF with pedicle screws and rods for back up” is acceptable for a grade one spondylolisthesis. Nonetheless, I am not sure why a 360 degree surgery (front and back) is necessary. I would agree that a stand alone ALIF is probably not strong enough to have a high success rate but if you are going to put screws in the back to stabilize, why not just perform a TLIF also and skip the ALIF with its attendant potential complications?
Now if you had a grade 3 slip (the L5 vertebra is more than 1/2 off the sacrum-rare), then an ALIF with posterior decompression and fusion makes more sense. The problem is that grade 3 slips are very rare.
Once the spinal column fuses in an L5-S1 fusion, you should be able to jog again.
Dr. Corenman
PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
