That's a huge number of levels. I'm working at recovery from L3,4,5 at 8 months.

My xrays show I am not yet fused. At what point do they decide the fusion has failed? And what do they do then? Anybody know?

I'm finding the most helpful thing in the recovery is massage. I've had several "alternative" bodwork treatments since the surgery, and standard PT was the least helpful. Pilates, which everyone recommended to strengthen the core, served only to make me even more spasmed and guarded than before. Feldenkrais, which I highly recommend, works with the problems as they are, rather than trying to actually fix them. It's a brain retraining program, so the brain can learn efficient ways of moving you, now that things are so changed. I had a 50% decrease in pain the first session. And it lasted. However, I did feel I plateaud out recently.

So I tried old-fashioned deep tissue muscle massage with someone knowledge, with gifted hands. He just fearlessly works into those muscles along the spine and pelvic girdle, and going after the spasm.

The rule is: a muscle in spasm cannot stretch. First get rid of the spasm, then increase the moving and stretching. At least, that's what the bodyworkers are telling me.

I am most happy with the bodyworkers post surgery. More than with the doctors. The doctors tend to say, oh well, you are a failed back. Or, There's nothing wrong on xray, so you should be fine. But my own body tellls me different: It tells me the surgery has not failed; my body has simply not yet stopped fighting it. It needs to learn to relax and come out of spasm.

But I'm really interested in what people can tell us about failure to fuse. When is it for sure? Xray? CT? And what then? Do they go back in to try to get you fused?

Have we some experts here?