firestarter
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Trauma and it depends on the damage involved. Hope you feel better soon.
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cleo_woman
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No clue...Look it up.
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xoxslowkissesxox
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huh?
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chippe
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The L signifies ur Lumbar vertabrae which are the 5 big ones. L3 is above L4 which is above L5. A compressed L4 may lead to compression of the Lumbar nerves under the spinous process, so you may experience dicomfort in ur lumbar region, pelvic region or legs. I would recommend a chiropractor- they work wonders and may be able 2 fix u without surgery. A chiropractor may be able 2 manipulate ur spine to relieve the compression, however they may not be able 2 if u have 2 broken vertabrae... go & see a chiro first
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GiGi
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http://laserspineinstitute.com/home.aspx
This is a fantastic site.
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godschild
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?
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oceandollhouse
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i would not have surgery at all. you have to let all the discs heal on their own!!
if they cannot there is no reason they couldnt.
i would consult another doctor like yesterday!!
otherwise you will wind up crippled.
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kameo_44
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i had a herniated disk at L4 and L5. had 2 surgeries and now they want to do a fusion on it but if they do that then they said id have to have at least 2 more surgeries because it would make the disk above and below pop out. do you have degenerative disc disorder? is that what you call broken? i have to tell you with any back surgeries there no guaranties and your back will never be the same but you have to do exactly what the Dr. says (i didn't and went back to work 2 weeks after first surgery, fell and re-injured what he fixed.) so if you do it follow Dr.s orders completely.other place you can look it up at is www.webmd.com maybe you can find answers there, if its just a disc removal it was bad first time but second time came home day after surgery. but i would ask surgeon very detailed questions. write them down and talk to him about all concerns. best of luck to you :)
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hawaii gurl 06
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What do you think, that there are doctors on this place? Just ask the doctor that is going to the surgery. Or, get another doctor's opinion (second opinion).
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annoyed_with_the_other_answers
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broken doesnt say if its was the pedicle, arch, body, transverse process, or spinous process. No, do not see a chiro first, u need to be evaluated as to the location of the 'break'. The body is the load bearing part, while the others are muscle/ligament attachments. Compressed L4 may need trimming of the annulous fibrosis to keep clear of future impingement. You will NOT get steel pins with screws, you will not get a bone graft either. There are NO spinal nerves under the spinous processes, the closest would be the dorsal root ganglia. You don't need a neurosurgeon, you need an osteopath since your problem is of bone and not axonic or dendritic.
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my2cents793
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Stay away from chiropractors until you are thoroughly evaluated by a spinal specialist. You may also need to see a nerurologist to ensure that your nerves aren't compressed. As for surgery - this should always be a last resort. Seek various opinions before you make any decision to move forward with surgery. Do your research. Physical therapy (different from just chiropractic care) can help but before you agree to any physical manipulation, you must have a clear diagnosis and evaluation of your injury. Keep a journal of your symptoms, pain, level of mobility and other aches and pains and limitations of movements, including times when the pain or immobility strikes. This information will help your doctor with the diagnosis. If your doctor is not listening to you or seems to be quick to get you under the knife - GET A SECOND OPINION.
Hope it works out for you. Good luck.
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Jason
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Broken back around the belly button height. If the spinal cord is severed, they will be paralyzed from there down. If the cord is not severed they may still have temporary paraplegia from swelling. Surgery varies greatly. Sometimes they put steel rods along the spine with screws. Possibly a bone graft but unlikely. They may be doing surgery to prevent bone splinters from doing more damage. any way you look at it this will be a long recovery. Success rates are good for what their trying to do ,but they cannot reconnect a spinal cord. Sorry.
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Pearl N
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It's really good now with laser surgury, and you will heal much quicker than they used to be the operation will be worth it to relieve the pain you must be in. Good luck
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Linda B
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Your spine is divided into four regions. The neck bones are cervical spine, the spine along all the ribs is the thoracic spine, the lower part is the lumbar spine(L1l2L3l4L5) and then the lowest part is the sacral spine (tail bone is at the very bottom). When they say you have broken L3 and L5, it means that you have fractured two vertebrae in your lower back. Compressed L4 means that the cushion disk between the vertebrae is being squashed. Have you been in an accident? Surgery only required if the breaks are through and through, or crumbled, or the compression is causing pain in one or both of your legs. Back surgeries are always successful and repairing the spine, but it does not guarantee that all of your pain will go away. Once you have had a back injury it will usually cause you problems at one point or another for the rest of your life. Good Luck
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coolgirlannie
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good luck
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Sandy
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get to a neurosurgeon, will need an MRI/plain films, if you have had these..neurosurgery is very successful...may need a fusion of discs...good luck
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Little Chiro
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The L signifies ur Lumbar vertabrae which are the 5 big ones. L3 is above L4 which is above L5. A compressed L4 may lead to compression of the Lumbar nerves under the spinous process, so you may experience dicomfort in ur lumbar region, pelvic region or legs. I would recommend a chiropractor- they work wonders and may be able 2 fix u without surgery. A chiropractor may be able 2 manipulate ur spine to relieve the compression, however they may not be able 2 if u have 2 broken vertabrae... go & see a chiro first.
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catywhumpass
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I ruptured my L5 last spring, and peices of the disk broke off on both sides, so I get sciatica down both legs. They can so surgery that will remove the bulged and ruptured disk, leaving what is still were it is supposed to be in place. my husband had this surgery last year, and even though he still has discomfort at times, he is much better than before the surgery as he was completly bed ridden and in severe non stop pain. I have not yet had the surgury, but had PT all summer to streinthen my back and abdomine muscles....but I am sure the surgury will happen eventually as I still have very bad days. Good Luck.....and remember that when you see your surgeon, every question you have deserves a detailed answer...its your body!!!
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Hunny Bee
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my husband just had surgery on S1and L5. They did disk removal with fusion. He is still in pain and can't get through a day without very strong pain pills. We now found out he may have to have a second surgery on L4 because it has ruptured. You need to talk to your doctor about this and ask about the pros and cons, because I believe my husband is worse off now then he was before surgery.
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runningsmooth75
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I had a horse riding accident and broke my first lumbar vertebrae, I had to undergo an operation and now have rods in my spine and a six and a half inch scar up the lower part of my back. I am due to have the rods removed in April which will be one year and 5 months after the accident. It happened abroad and I've been left to own devices ever since. Here is what I've learnt ( I think!) - vertebrae don't break like normal bones they crush - if the spinal canal is damaged then you have a chance of paralaysing yourself...my spinal canal was in tact. I beleive they grow back stronger (?!) and I hear you lose a little tiny bit of height (?!!) other than that, I'm lost.
I only knew I had done damage when in the morning, after the accident my body couldn't hold itself up right, I was like a rag doll....I'm assuming if you've done damage you know about it and need to get to a doctor/hospital.
Good luck!
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chickmedic
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Not sure what "broken" defines. The "L" series is your lumbar verterbrae and if by broken you mean cracked either one or both could cause compression on the L4 - in most cases with proper rest and exercise (when ready) surgery is not usually required unless there is pressure on nerves or issues with bone fragments etc. or some other complications. PLEASE PLEASE discuss this with your doctor - improper information or worse "guessing" could cause you serious and long lasting injury
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cbman1947
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IN 2001 I HA A LAMENECTOMY ON L4-5 AND I WOULD SUGGEST YOU NOT HAVE IT MINE IS WORSE NOW
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sunnykayday
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the Lumbar Spine PLEASE ASK THE DOCTORONLY SHE/ORHE KNOWS
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rose_merrick
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there are many ways you can break a vertebra or back bone, so I would have to see the Xray to be sure.......most people break the 'spine' on the back of the bone, the bit that sticks out towards your skin. Back surgery is always dicey; I would not have it done unles my surgeon was absolutely clear about what he was going to do to improve the situatuion, and knew what the outcomes would be; too many spinal operations are performed to alleviate pain with poor success rates because it is a case of try our best and hope it works.
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jayrey30
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go to md health its very helpful
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Tiarianna_surfette
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you need to contact a physician and ask him his success rate at surgery of the spine
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tiredsurgeon
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As others have explained, "L" refers to your lumbar spine. These are the five vertebrae in your lower back directly above the pelvis. They are numbered top to bottom with L1 being the highest and L5 being the lowest (directly above your pelvis). Broken L3 and L5 could mean a lot of things. There are the vertebral bodies which is the flat portion of bone between the discs, there are the facets which are the articulations with the vertebrae above and below, there are the spinous processes which are the points off the very back of the bone and there are the transverse processes which point off the sides. If you have a compression fracture of L4, it means that the vertebral body has been crushed and is now flattened out somewhat. I can't comment on your L3 and L5 fractures because I don't know what exactly is broken on them. A spine specialist (either orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon) can diagnose if the fractures are unstable and require surgical fixation of the spine to maintain function. Sometimes these are non-operative and can be treated with a brace known as a TLSO brace (looks kind of like a giant plastic tortoise shell). I work as a general surgery/trauma surgeon so it's not quite my area of expertise, but whatever your spine specialist tells you, I would take their advice.
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tennessee
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sounds like you got some trama. And should only seek and listen to a realdoc not on line quacks like me! God bless
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Dan
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Depends exactly what your presentation is as to what type of treatments will be most successful. The success of low back surgeries is less than 30%. Conservative treatments such as physical therapy have been shown to be more effective in the long-term. I would advise asking your doctor about a referral to a Physical Therapist or go on your own if you are in a state with direct access.
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Gringo L
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Is this a maths question? I was rubbish at algebra
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BUSHIDO
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first of all dont listen to any brain dead sugestions about seeing a chiropractor.dont let anyone talk you into having the op. on your back until you have researched it thoroughly.when you've done that do it again,talk to people that have had the op as well before you make a descision.try massage to help in the meantime make sure you tell the truth about your back before they work on you.they cant fix your back but they can help make life a bit more bearable.if you keep your back relaxed it helps stop other things tightening up(ie:hamstrings,sciatic nerve etc.)which in turn helps you live with your back problem.it's not a miracle cure but it definately helps.
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