Laser Facet Rhizotomy - L3-L5, My Experience

On Monday I had Laser Facet Rhizotomy surgery to help with lumbar back pain stemming from bilateral facet joint arthritis in L3-L5. I am posting my experience in the event that others are considering this procedure or would like to learn about it.

I have an excellent orthopedic surgeon who explained the procedure as such. A small incision, large enough for the laser to pass through, is made near the facet joint. The laser then severs the nerve which enervates the facet joint causing the pain. A small "cap" is placed on the nerve endings, so the nerve is unable to regrow. One stitch is used to close the incision. In my case, I had four separate incisions.

The surgery was performed at an outpatient, minimally invasive spinal surgery center. The procedure took about 1.5 hours, and I was in recovery for another 1.5 hours.

When I first stood up after the surgery, the pain was a 7 on the 10 scale. It stayed a 7 on the day of surgery. Bending, getting up or sitting down and twisting caused the most pain.

Each day since the surgery, the pain has decreased. On Thursday I drove for the first time and had lunch with family. By the end of the one hour lunch, I was in pain and needed to get home.

Today, five days later, my pain reached a 5 or 6. But it mainly hovered around a 4. If I am not moving my back at all, the pain decreases to a 2.

I have been using a cane to walk, but today was the first day where I felt that it wasn't needed.

Prior to the surgery, my surgeon mentioned that this kind of degeneration was abnormal for my age. I asked him if it was related to my RA/AS, and he said that it is definitely caused by an autoimmune process.

I will not feel the results for another 3-4 weeks, at least. I truly hope this procedure will be effective in the long run. In the best case scenario, the results will be permanent pain relief in the affected area.

Thanks for reading.