Spondylolisthesis Story #1: Brenna (Spondyloptosis/Grade 5 & Grade 1))

Brenna (Cat) - Spondylolisthesis Story (Spondyloptosis/Grade 5 & Grade 1)

My story begins in 1990/1991. I was about 9 or so when I began experiencing a lot of pain and other nagging symptoms in my low back and lower extremities. I complained of pain numerous times, and my parents brought me to several doctors over the next few years, including a Chiropractor. After enduring this pain for several years, I had to stop playing all of my beloved sports; the pain was just too much to bare. My primary care doctor told both my parents and myself that nothing was wrong ... She proceeded to advise my parents that I was exaggerating my pain in attempts to seek attention, get out of playing sports, and simply being lazy. She said that all I needed to do was stretch and remain active (encouraging me to become even more active in fact). She never once diagnosed me, referred me, nor suggested there was a problem of any magnitude. After a few of these appointments, I stopped complaining of the pain, and truly thought that everyone felt the way I did. Boy was I wrong! 

A few years later (1996), my back pain had become excruciating. I began to have weakness, numbness, and shooting pains in my legs, and I would occasionally fall down as well. The pain was so great that it literally caused my skin to turn a grayish-green shade. My "new" skin colouring did not go away until after I had my surgeries. After spending several years in silence about my tremendous pain and discomfort, what ultimately drove me to tell my parents (and then doctors), once more that my back did not feel normal, was discovering a large "lump" on my low back. The lump turned out to be my S1 protruding due to my slip. In fact, due to the degree & severity of the slip (3 inches beyond a grade 5), my body had become very compressed. Not only had a stopped gaining height, but I soon began to lose about an inch in height prior to surgery. At that point in time you could actually see the bottom of my ribcage touching and rubbing against the top of my hips. I saw a number of specialists within a short period of time who diagnosed me with Spondylopstosis; which is considered a complete slip after Spondylolisthesis Grade 5. I was 14 at the time, and within 6 months I was on my way to a new life without pain ... but not before enduring some very extensive and traumatic surgeries, full body traction, and a long & challenging recovery. 

In the 6 months prior to my surgeries my mom found a practice called Soma Body Work. The therapy itself actually began to help moving the spine in the correct direction. This fact amazed the doctors to no end. I have continued with this Integration Body Work Massage Therapy ever since (I have been getting these treatments for nearly 16 years now). It's one of the main things which helps to relieve my pain to this day as well as assisting with my nerve-related issues. I often wonder what surgeries and general nerve damage I could have avoided had we found and started this body work 2 or 3 years earlier. But, unfortunately, one cannot go back in time. 

In 1997, after much consideration, my parents decided to go with a series of surgeries and full body traction; which was the best option to avoid nerve damage, or worse, paralysis. There were several options presented by different surgeons around the country, but slowly reducing the slip over a longer period of time seemed to be the best bet, and I really believe that it was. My first surgery was a Laminectomy. I was then put in body traction, which consisted of a halo cast on my head and two rods through my knees. Each contraption had ropes attached that led to the respective ends of the bed. Weights were added each day to those ropes, which slowly stretched my spine, literally. This was the most painful part of the entire experience; something I will never forget. I was supposed to be in traction for a total of 2 weeks, but on the 7th day I began to lose feeling and movement in my feet, so after much insistence by my family the surgeon stopped the process and moved on to the 2nd surgery. Because the traction had to be stopped early, my slip had only been decreased to a grade 5. This was good in several regards, as it allowed the surgeon to be able to fuse the spine and avoid further nerve damage in my legs and feet. The second surgery was an Anterior Fusion. They went through my abdomen to reach the front of my spine and fused with two screws, a femur bone (donated cadaver bone), and bone graft, which was harvested from my right hip. Unlike most fusions, both an Allograft and Autograft were utilized in the fusion in order to increase the overall stability and solidity of the fusion mass region. I woke up after this surgery with a body cast on, and a lot of pain in my hip, but not so much in my back or stomach, interestingly enough. At the time the doctors had failed to mention that bone graft would be cut from the hip. My family thought that I was really out of it when I continually complained of my hip pain. My mom kept saying, "No honey, you had back surgeries. You did not have hip surgery!" LOL.

I spent just over 4 months in my body cast, followed by a year in a body brace. I do have permanent nerve damage in my feet unfortunately, but in the grand scheme of things, this side effect is minor. Over time my body learned how to compensate to function with my foot drop and other related issues. I was very fortunate to not experience any serious bladder or bowel complications or involvement. In that specific department, the most problematic issue has been related to the extensive scar tissue surrounding my lower organs, including that of my intestines/bowels. Breaking up the scar tissue through massage has been helpful to some degree, although no matter what I do, I have since had issues with digestive matters unfortunately. I did not have any additional problems involving my back for the first 8 years after my surgeries. 
In 2006, I experienced increasing pain and nerve problems, which were determined to be the result of Deterioration/Degeneration and Early Onset Osteoarthritis above the fusion region, mainly at the L4, L3 & L2. This was to be expected, just not as soon as it presented. These issues may be connected to my auto immune diseases - PsA & AS - which I began witnessing in late 2006/early 2007. And, most recently, in my search to find answers to my auto immune related symptoms, a new slip in my neck at the C6/7 was discovered during a MRI to rule out MS. While I do not have MS - which is beyond awesome - it was a shock to get the news of yet another Spondylolisthesis slip. I do feel very fortunate to have had this slip diagnosed much earlier in the progression, as it's currently estimated to be a grade 1/2. 


So, that's my story in the smallest nutshell I am capable of! LOL. :)


If you would like to read more about my story, please check out my Spondylolisthesis blog: Spondylolisthesis. And, if you would like to hear more extensive information and details regarding my recovery period, surgeries and the traction itself, please feel free to contact me at Healthandillness@gmail.com. 


- Brenna 


My Pre & Post Op X-Rays from 1997:

Brenna Pre-Op X-Ray Spondyloptosis

Brenna Post-Op X-Ray Grade 5 Fused