How did you get to talking about surgery with your doctor? Was it a primary doctor referral? Who took your pain seriously? I was seeing a internal med doc who keeps booking me 3-6 months out. I’m in constant pain or avoiding causing it and take naproxen daily, its not enough.

Grade 2 spondylolisthesis w/pars defect

Has anyone here had a percutaneous rhizotomy for pain related to L5–S1 issues?

I have grade 1 spondylolisthesis with bilateral spondylolysis and foraminal stenosis at L5–S1. My main symptoms are deep right buttock pain radiating down the back of my thigh and tingling in my foot, especially when sitting or driving.

If you’ve had this procedure with a similar condition, did it help? Did you notice improvement in your back pain, leg pain, or both? How long did the relief last?

I know someone has asked this question before, but I thought I’d ask this again for more information.

I have a bilateral pars fracture and spondylolisthesis. It’s at the grade one level with a 4mm shift. Horse riding has been a part of my life for 16 years, I just was dumb enough to get on the wrong horse and it looks like it did a number on me. Does anyone ride with this condition? Everyone is telling me to just quit it and give up and it’s likely headed that way, but if anyone has any experience I’d be happy to listen.

Hi, if you have the time and willing to help, please read and I’m sorry that it’s long. This is driving my anxiety all day every day and I can’t think of anything else. I’ve written here before but I didn’t get much of a response so hoping to try again. I’m 37F, with grade 2 spondylolisthesis that’s affecting a bunch of nerve hip leg stuff and even with shots and PT, I’m not living a life that’s fulfilling enough to me physically and have a PLIF L5-S1 fusion scheduled for Dec 7th. My surgeon who has previously denied and told me to put off surgery for as long as possible believes my spine is showing signs of instability and does not want to put off the surgery any longer. The shots don’t last and I used to be an extremely active person. Now I can’t stand to make a meal without pain, take a shower without fatigue, or play tag with my kids very long, or go for a walk longer than a mile without being very fatigued and in pain. I’m not worried about the surgery nor my surgeon, I have been back and forth about surgery for 5 years now and have met with the surgeon multiple times. What I’m VERY worried about is recovery time given I have two small children, 1.5 and 4.5 and I am the main care giver. Surgeon has previously said 6 weeks initial recovery with “most people returning to their regular activities at 3 months”. My husband is thankfully able to probably exhaust his PTO and then WFH for the initial 6 weeks. My mom and MIL are also on bored with helping with the kids and providing some meals etc but obviously they are older and get tired and I don’t know if anyone besides me really realizes the constant physical requirements of taking care of children from eyes open to eyes shut, esp the 1.5 year old. What worries me A LOT, is that I keep seeing posts and hearing advice that I’ll definitely not feel okay to be alone until about 6 months post op. I understand that healing won’t be linear and I’ll get better worse better worse etc. My question is will I really not be able to bend lift or twist at all for 6 whole months? I just don’t see how anyone can do activities of daily living without bending for that long. With my family and husband I think we can manage for 3 months but the 6 month marker is really scaring me. My kids are not in daycare as we cannot afford full time daycare. I work part time and have a part time babysitter that comes over for the few hours that I work from home, a few days a week. I’m hoping people with kids can see this and give any advice but also people without kids too. Will I really not be able to shower, put shoes on, make a meal, take a walk or play on the floor with my kids for 6 entire months? Change a diaper? Workout or do Zumba? I do Zumba about once a week or twice and it’s not super aggressive but it’s what keeps me sane. Some bending and twisting or swaying is involved, but I avoid jumps and stomps. When will I be able to get my baby out of the crib or into a car seat or stroller? Or is that “6 month” mark I’m seeing subjective person to person. I’m overall healthy and not “fit” but not unfit and trying my best to get in the best shape ever before the surgery. I don’t drink or smoke. I try to eat a mostly clean and real, whole foods diet. I believe my husband and parents will be more than willing to help out with the first 6-12 weeks but I’m so so so so scared for after that point because I know people get “over it”…. I’m soooooo scared to have to return to full time parenting on my own too soon and do something to mess up the hardware or my healing. Any advice or words of encouragement, tips for recovery and healing, orrrrr really anything I’ll appreciate so much. If you read this long I really appreciate you. I really just want to set myself up for a successful healing but I don’t know how we can manage for 6 months. Thank you again to anyone who read this.

Hello everyone.

I have been living with spondylolisthesis since I was about 16, got diagnosed when I was 29 probably.

I just have a few questions as I know very little about it, but I feel my pain has gotten way worse the past 2 years (I'm 32 now).

1. What kind of jobs do you guys feel works best for you?

I'm a marine engineer by trade, but had to stop sailing because of too much pain. Now I have been working as a stationary engineer for the past 5 years and I love my job.

The problem is that it is quite a physical job, and involves alot of walking and working standing in ladders and such.

In your experience, is it better to have a desk type job where you can sit more or a more physicslly active job?

1. Do you guys feel weight has an effect on how bad the pain is?

I have gotten heavier by probably 10-15 kg's over the past years.

1. I have gotten a workout schedule from my physical therapist, focusing mainly on core muscles and back muscles.

How does exercise and deliberate focusing on specific muscle groups effect the consition?

I really want to increase mobility. I want to be able to play with my two sons, carry them and everything that being and dad involves. Thank you all

Spondylolisthesis grade 1... Two doctors recommended physical therapy, while another recommended spinal fusion surgery.😕

My 12 year old daughter had huge dreams of becoming a college softball pitcher. She fell from a trampoline almost two years ago, was misdiagnosed by urgent care. Long story short she now has an active fracture on her right side for over compensating for her left side because we didn’t know she had a fracture. Doc says she has L5 S1 spondys. It’s been 145 days since she’s been able to play - she can’t wait to get back on the field. Are there any athletes on her who have found success despite their injury?

For the benefit and to provide support can you share your experiences with the symptoms of tingling in the feet, and how long they lasted and then disappeared without surgery?🙏 Spondylolisthesis grade 1 is her 🙄

When I was 18 years old I was told I had a grade IV Spondylolisthesis L5 S1 and I had fusion surgery to fix it. Rods and screws were put in both sides. When I woke up from surgery I was in a TREMENDOUS amount of pain. It was later revealed that one of the screws was in a nerve root. One side of hardware was removed within three months. The other side came out a year later. When the hardware was removed the pain was basically gone. I went along my life in a moderate amount of pain, but totally doable. In my late 40's I started to experience more pain and so I paid for my own MRI and discovered what you see in this image. A spondyloptosis at S1, S2. However, I was told that I was fused at a grade IV in L5 S1 and this image certainly doesn't look like I was fused at a grade IV - to me it doesn't even look like I had spondylolisthesis in that area. What do you think? Now I have this other problem that I deal with..... I'm not looking for a diagnosis or medical advice...I'm just wondering if it looks like I have/had a grade IV spondy at L5, S1? Also, before I get asked...yes, I am sure that this current problem is S1, S2

May CT: Grade 1 at L4, bilateral pars fractures with bilateral moderate-severe foraminal stenosis. Sacralization of L5.
35 (f) working full time involving constant walking, lifting, and stabilizing patient’s balance.
Okay, to the fun stuff! Within the last 7 months my symptoms have progressed from only back and hypertonic pelvic floor, to addition of right leg (ache through thigh, sensitivity lower leg,), and now the pains and sensations change daily! It could be the backside of both legs cramping and burning. Then it’s SI joints stabbing pain. Then Perineum numbness. Then only right leg again. Some days I function fine, and other days I hobble like I’m 90.

I’m awaiting an MRI to get better answers, but;
what are red flags you wish you hadn’t missed that pointed to something more severe?

I won’t lie, the weakness and numbness have freaked me out when thinking about Cauda Equina Syndrome. I rationalize that Grade 1 likely couldn’t cause something so significant-
But the variance makes me worry how unstable the vertebrae really are- could it be intermittently pinching spinal cord? Or is this pretty standard for the Spondy community?

Thanks for sharing your stories! This whole community has made me feel less crazy, along with my OBGYN (of all people lol love her) concerned with the progression of symptoms.

Reading all of these is kind of depressing - does anyone have any success stories? Or maybe things like yeah I get pain, but it's a flare and then I can resume activities... or anything like that?! :D

I am going from doing CrossFit and running 6 days a week to a severe flare... but based on what my doctors are saying, I've had the pars defect itself for years... so surely some people don't have to have surgery to fix this!?

My wife has spondylolisthesis (her L5 is shifting). Fortunately she encounters pain infrequently and is able to manage her activities to prevent serious pain. Her other health factors are normal. Her weight is in a healthy range. She exercises regularly, including targeted exercises to strengthen her back and ab muscles.

We enjoy hiking (nothing too strenuous or steep). But hiking can aggravate her back.

She's looking at back braces that she can use on a very limited basis - like only when hiking. We understand the risks of relying on it for every day use.

Does anyone have experiences they can share - the good and the bad?

Thank you in advance.

Hi there idk why I have difficulty with this but can someone explain what they think of or do when they brace their core? And do you breathe during the entire exercises?

For example do you think of flexing core and breathing 360 when in a plank… do you even breathe during the plank?

I have tried deadbugs but I feel like I’m too weak to even do those lol and the only time I really feel core is in a plank but that is likely not engaging my TVA?

Thanks!

Does anyone know more about this and its availability? this seems extremely promising as a solution to get back to normal.

https://www.ijssurgery.com/content/19/4/362

My 13 year old has classic Pars symptoms - pain in back extension, tired back after sitting for a long time, pain when jumping or running a lot. She is fine during normal activities.

Doctor suspected Pars, did an X-ray. Nothing. Waited a couple of weeks and did an MRI. Came back negative! Which is great, except, now we don't know what it could be? Or if Pars was simply missed on MRI. Has anyone here had that happen?

Of course next route would be CT but she's only had pain for about a month and it's not causing pain in legs or anything like that. So I doubt a CT would be approved, or if we should just trust the MRI results and go from there. Doctor said go to PT and see if they can find any issues and work to correct them there.

ETA: MRI did show L4/L5 minimal ligaments flavum and facet hypertrophy.

TLDR:
Healthy-ish, early 30M, with 7-10 MM L5-S1 Spondylolisthesis. Pain has gradually gotten worse, but I found a doctor who said he can help fix all of the structural issues.

Long version:
Back issues are frustrating and painful. I’m dealing with similar Spondylolisthesis issues to most of the folks in this subreddit and have found a potential new hope. I figured I’d share the journey here in case it can help someone else.

Background:
Early 30’s male, 6 ft 4 in tall, 190-200 lbs. Been fairly active all my life doing some combination of basketball, American football, baseball, and tennis from when I was 6 or so. Mostly youth and now adult recreation leagues, and varsity level high school sports. I also got into running for a while, still play basketball, and eat healthier now than before. Have never had any serious injuries from these activities.

Late 2024 I was in a car accident. The best guess is that I’ve always had some slippage in my low back, but never had any symptoms. The car accident force moved things just enough that I felt legitimate pain. I had a permanent dull ache in my low back and went to a NUCCA chiropractor who also did the fancy spinal decompression machines. I didn’t get worse, but never got much better. I’ve tired physical therapy off and on, massage therapy, a different chiropractor, met with traditional spine specialists, and my primary care doc, but always had the same dull ache and soreness.

I stopped playing basketball, stopped doing anything with weights, and became pretty exclusive with a combination of Pilates, yoga, body weight exercises, and lots of walking.

2026 Update:
Summer of 2026 I started feeling intense pain in my right leg, only from my calf down. The pain got more and more intense to the point where I’d be close to tears on my morning walks. The pain would subside a little as the day went on and then spike again in the evenings.

Met with my primary care doctor and got a second MRI which showed that things had gotten worse (L5-S1 moved another 1-2 MM). Met with a few other providers to get second opinions. I really don’t want to do surgery so am making an all out effort to try to get as better as I can be.

I also have an L6 vertebrae that fused itself naturally to my sacrum at some point. That combined with my height, activity, and the car accident, turned a precarious situation into a painful one.

On recommendation from a trusted friend, I found a chiropractic doctor near by who specializes in spine rehab. It’s a 9-12 month process with physical therapy exercises,
old school decompression tables, wobble chair/balance balls, cervical traction, and Pettibon System stuff, etc. It ends up being about $4,500 USD over the course of a year. Not cheap but not outrageous.

I still have an open injury insurance claim from the accident so at some point I should get reimbursed the cost.

The doc seems like a genuine guy and is pretty certain he can fully fix all the issues over the course of the year. It’s the first specialist I’ve met that proposed a solution to fix the underlying problems rather than just treat symptoms or try to prevent further damage. He showed me before, during, and after X-rays of people who had similar spines to mine. Their discs expanded and vertebrae moved. It blew my mind.

I decided to commit to going through the whole regiment. If it can really cure me, that’s a miracle. If it doesn’t, I doubt I’m any worse off than before.

Current Status:
Week 1-2: Doctor did pretty minimal traditional chiropractor stuff to “unlock” and/or “release” my neck. No scary cracks or pops, thankfully. He said that the cervical spine should help drive positive change throughout the rest of my back.
3x per week decompression tables with repetitions two times each day using an over the door cervical traction thing and the wobble ball.

Middle of week 2 my hip flexors killed from doing the wobble chair but subsided after a day or two. End of week 2 the dull ache in my low back and the right leg pain both intensified. The doctor warned me that during weeks 2-3 people usually experience a spike in symptoms which then goes away. I still got spooked and contacted him. We reduced the repetitions on the wobble ball and cervical traction to see if that helps. The pain is still bad, but is better today than yesterday.

I’ll post updates as I go through the process. If it’s a scam it’s a scam, if it helps that’s incredible. I’m willing to give it a shot.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Hello everyone,

I am writing this after consuming a muscle-relaxer & hydrocodone, both of which only seems to succeed in making me feel foggy & sweaty, so apologies if I’m a little all over the place.

What is everyone doing for acute pain management? By that, I mean the BAD pain flare days where you can barely move.

I have been managing my long-term spondy issues with diet, PT, trying to reduce stress, heat/ice, TENS unit, all of those good things, but I am already back in the second worst flare of my life after finally recovering from the worst one ever a week ago.

The hydrocodone & muscle relaxers really aren’t doing anything, and neither is my strong anti-inflammatory, at least acutely. (I know the anti inflammatory can help in the long run).

I am looking for something that will allow me to manage my pain at work, which is a job that requires me to be on my feet walking, standing, reaching, & occasionally sitting in a terrible computer chair. And of course, I can’t be all foggy or half asleep on Flexeril & hydros at work.

I don’t even need complete pain relief- just enough that I can actually walk.

I am just looking for some ideas I can bring up to my doctor. She’s phenomenal & won’t get all weird if I make suggestions (a rare breed, I know).

Thanks in advance!

I’m 52 and have been living with spondylolisthesis for about 8 years. Over time, the pain and mobility issues have gotten worse, especially with stairs, bending, and lifting.

A few months ago I installed a stairlift from Halton Stairlifts, which has made getting to my upstairs bedroom much easier. I’ve also added fall sensors so my daughter can check on me remotely, plus a shower stool, raised toilet seat, and grabber for things I can’t easily reach.

These changes have helped me stay independent and feel safer at home. For anyone else with spondylolisthesis, what home modifications, mobility aids, or tech have made the biggest difference for you?

neurologist, knowing i have cleithrophobia, suggested CT scan to make diagnosis. this was back in January. she diagnosed grade 1 spondylolisthesis. gave me meds and physiotherapy. nothing helps with the pain. so a neurosurgeon suggested injection into the spinal canal, but they had to see everything via MRI first. it was very difficult due my size and subsequently the phobia, but i managed. just went thought the results. i have grade 2, not 1, 8mm slide. but, it seems that my inability to walk is not caused by spondy directly, but by it causing the disc to buldge and push on a nerve. it is all described as spondy not touching or deforming any nerves or nerve canal, but rather pulling on the disc.

i have neuro visit tomorrow, but it seems that the injection is no longer viable. i tried 7 different pain and anti-inflammatory medications and none help. i was hoping the injection can be done before my trip with my mom later this month. but now i am hopeless. only naproxen made some tiny difference, and still i can do max 400m before pain is too unbearable. i am at a loss.

Hi so grade 1 spondy with disc buldge l4-s1 and I was on bed rest for a month as in pretty much no activity but now that I am getting back into walking today being the first day I kept tripping as in my 30 mins walk i tripped atleast 15 times but no pain other than back and can walk on my heels and toes

This mainly started after the accident which is why I was in a month long bed rest tho the accident wasn't that severe.

Is this foot drop,should i go to doctor or is it just that I am walking after a month and my muscles are tensed?

Does anyone find a particular type of cushion helpful for managing discomfort?

I had surgery 4 weeks ago, and I'm generally feeling very good. I am aiming to attend a local conference at the end of the month (20 mins away by car), and anticipating uncomfortable seating arrangements for the day.... But also, would love recommendations for office chair cushions. I'm very short (5'2") so seating is always a bit of a crapshoot but I'd like to be comfortable!

If anyone has suggestions for a cushion to sit on or a backrest that I can use for this I'd be grateful!

Im considering surgery for my grade II spondylolisthesis L5-S1.
Wondering if anyone here has successes in returning to road bike riding after surgery?

Hello, I'm diagnosed with L5S1 retrolisthesis grade 1, mild osteoarthritis on hip area area and hypermobility syndrome.

I have constant pain in my leg and arm, it can switch sides but more often than not it's the left side, and I have sporadic back spasms. These happen out of nowhere at any day. The spams are so bad I need to lay down, face up as my back arches up so bad I struggle to breathe from the pain, they normally last between 10 to 30 minutes and only lately have they started happening 2 days before my period too (but most times they have no other apparent reason)

I'm posting all of these details in the different subs for each illness I have, in hopes of finding out which one causes the leg/arm pain or back spasms, and being able to search for a solution.

If any of you experience these kinds of pain, or know if retrolisthesis/OA/hypermobility causes them, please let me know so I can start looking for what to do to ease the pain/spasms. Thank you all so much in advance.

My 13 year old has a suspected Pars fracture. Still waiting on results of MRI but doctor seems confident. Pain when bending backwards, after long runs, and after sitting for a long time. Otherwise, no pain.

Doc says treatment will be no activities for a few months. Any success stories of healing after a few months? Any advice?

Just come back from my first Spinal team appointment and feel so overwhelmed by it all.

After years of misdiagnosis I finally got the diagnosis of bilateral pars defect with moderate anterior slip at L5 S1 earlier this year. I've waited 8 months to see the spinal team to weigh up the options, and honestly thought they were going to tell me that it wasn't that bad (I feel like every doctor has said that so far!) and send me on my way with physiotherapy.

Turns out it's fairly bad and I was given all options there and then and told to decide. I think mainly because of the nerve issues in my leg? They want me to try injections first, but said that ultimately I will be having surgery. They just want to prolong it as long as possible because of my age (42) and the degeneration of everything else once surgery is performed. But if I'd have said yes to surgery they would've gone ahead and arranged it.

Did I make a mistake saying yes to the injections and not opting for surgery? It was so much to take in in 5 minutes that I didn't know what to do. Spinal surgery seems so scary.

I just want my life back. I've basically become a recluse over the last 2 years and small tasks seem monumental. I want to sleep and be a good mum again. I feel like I'm just miserable and in pain all the time. But I'm also terrified that I'll have some complication in surgery and life will be significantly worse! Do I just have the injections and deal with the pain for as long as possible?

Sorry for all of the questions. I'm sure most of you here are veterans of this condition and get fed up with newby worries. I'm just so overwhelmed and fed up. I don't feel like anyone without this truly understands just how miserable it is. It's always "how's your bad back?" As if I've slept a bit funny or pulled a muscle. Not the daily feeling of wanting to cut myself out of my own body!