Originally Posted by ncsusan22

Hi All....

My Dad had an L4-5 fusion on December 8, 2011. They placed rods, screws, and a cage with bone graft material. He saw his doctor for x-rays at the end of May, almost 6 months post-surgery, and while the hardware looks great (no movement or loosening), the doctor stated that he didn't see any evidence of bone growth/fusion in the area.

His doctor didn't seem very concerned about this, however I would have expected to see some signs of bone growth by now! My Dad is 65 years young and is in great physical shape, not overweight, no smoking, drinking, etc. Does anyone have any experience with lack of bone growth at the 6 month mark? Is this normal? And if he doesn't show any growth by July, what can be done?

Thanks in advance for ANY help!!