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My 18yr. old son has had mild to moderate lower back pain for more than 2yrs now and after a recent examination,
x-rays revealed that his L4 & 5 vertebrea are almost totally fused together. Could this be a birth defect? Or the result of an injury? Can vertebrea actually fuse themselves together naturally? I,like my father, have a very thin disc in our lower lumbar that supposedly, we were born with, but nothing like this. For as long as I can remember my son has always been stiff and unable to touch his toes, no matter how much he stretches. He has always played football & baseball and recently signed to play college baseball. We have an appointment with a specialist in Dallas and I will of course get a second opinion, but is this something that can be surgically corrected? Or can therapy and medication take care of this?
In Reply to: Spinal birth defects? posted by Ed on May 22, 2002 at 00:06:32:
Hi, Ed.
If this were MY son, I would avoid surgery for this like the plague! At worst, this birth defect will slightly decrease his flexibility--something you both have already noticed.
If any surgeon suggests surgery, I would get at least another opinion. MUCH to lose by surgery and really nothing to gain!
LET IT BE!
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Spinal birth defects? (Archive in spinal.) posted by Walt Stoll on May 23, 2002 at 07:12:31:
Dr. Stoll,
Thank you for the response. I currently have an appointment scheduled with a doctor in Dallas,Tx which was referred by my local doctor. Is there a Dallas area orthopedic that specializes in back care that you would recommend?
In Reply to: Re: Spinal birth defects? (Archive in spinal.) posted by Ed on May 24, 2002 at 12:05:49:
Yes, Ed.
My son, Scott Stoll, DO, PhD is an assistant professor of manipulative medicine at the Fort Worth Osteopathic Medical School. He also has a private practice called SMART across the street from the school.
If I had this, I would do nothing.
Walt
In Reply to: Spinal birth defects? posted by Ed on May 22, 2002 at 00:06:32:
My father-in-law, my husband and one of my sons has this same condition and we were told that it was present at birth. None of these men have had real problems with it except that they do require fairly regular chiropractic adjustments. Their backs 'go out' every now and then and they need to be careful about waiting too long for their adjustments. None have required surgery.
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