Yes. Though it was the herniated disks that caused the injury, the vertebrae have been compressed into a shape where the edges are flared up at the top and bottom. He has titanium rods drilled through 3 vertebrae
Also bone spurs and spinal stenosis which is bone growth that is obstructing the spinal canal and putting pressure on nerves. Sometimes these are the nerves that go down his legs and a legs goes numb or a foot goes numb. Before his surgery he would sometimes just fall down when both legs suddenly went numb.He takes Neurontin for the nerve pain.
It remits occasionally, but then the pain surges back as bad as the original injury at times. They can't figure it out.
He's trying to get a 2nd opinion from a doctor that goes into the spinal canal and clears out bone spurs as a revision surgery, but workers comp is fighting that.
The man recovered from his back surgery and within a year had completed a 100 mile bike ride. He has a racing bike with the clip in pedals and everything.
He's getting depressed, though, that this appears to be a chronic and deteriorating condition.
Oh, and he climbs telephone poles for a living. He's off on workers comp right now. The original injury was a twisting motion as he tripped of the back of his truck. He did not fall on the ground, but that twisting motion messed up something and he had immediate pain.
He's afraid the company is going to declare him disabled and trying to get him on SSI disability which is a pittance and would not allow him to work for the rest of his life. He is not ready for that at age 46.
