I figured it is time for an update, as it has been about 5 years since my last one. Having had my M6-L implanted back in 2011, I have hit the 15-year mark. With several friends from our early cohort undergoing revisions over the years due to osteolysis, infection or wear, that background anxiety about device failure is always lingering in the back of my mind. With so many of the old spine forums gone, it is hard to know how many long-term patients are quietly doing well versus running into issues.

On Monday, I had my first major scare in years. While taking stairs two at a time at work, I felt a sharp tweak in my lower back that put me into severe muscular guarding. It was the first time since my pre-op days that I experienced that level of acute back pain, and I immediately feared the worst.

I went in for a full lumbar and flexion/extension X-ray series yesterday. The radiology report just came back: the L4-L5 implant is completely stable and unchanged from previous imaging, with preserved disc height and no visible hardware complications. (just an xray, so we can never be 100% sure on the polymers)

My working theory is that this appears to be an acute flare-up of facet osteoarthritis at L5-S1 alongside a protective spasm in my QL and multifidi. The context matters here: I have been dealing with a knee reinjury (torn ACL graft) since May, and weeks of heavy walking, hiking, and altered gait mechanics may have overloaded my kinetic chain. Sneaking in strength work on the stairs at work with an unstable knee seems to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. (I REALLY hope this is the case, anyway!)

I am managing it with rest, heat, naproxen, and a bit of methocarbamol (Robaxacet), and it is finally starting to calm down. My stomach is already complaining about the NSAIDs just like back in 2011, but the relief of seeing the disk unchanged in xray was intense.

I have attached my recent X-rays for anyone tracking long-term M6-L survivorship. Hoping everyone else from the early cohorts is hanging in there, as well as any of you with fresh new ADR’s. Keep your cores strong AF! (I’m still doing the post-op core work religiously, at least 3 days a week)

PS: My flexion and extension images are limited because of this spasm that won’t go away, but ROM is pretty close to the xrays I had last year. Also, the adjacent levels seem to be doing ok and are exhibiting typical wear and tear for a 48 year-old, very active male.