What Causes Pain In The Lower Back And Numbness In The Leg?

Hello I am a 62 yr old male with significant Lower back pain and Leg numbness. It is impacting my daily life at home and work. I am 6 foot and weigh 215 lbs I had an MRI with the below results: L3-4: Mild diffuse disc bulge most pronounced in the inferior foraminal regions, moderate facet and ligamentous hypertrophy. Mild canal narrowing. Mild lateral recess crowding without neural displacement. Mild to moderate right greater than left foraminal encroachment, with residual foraminal fat. Disc abuts the far lateral exiting nerve roots bilaterally. L4-5: Large diffuse/lobular disc protrusion, marked facet and ligamentous hypertrophy causes marked canal stenosis. Relatively taut appearance of the cauda equina above this, and redundancy below it suggests significant stenosis. The lateral recess regions are markedly encroached. There is moderate left and mild to moderate right foraminal encroachment with residual foraminal fat. Disc abuts the exiting nerve roots far laterally in the foramina. I had been dealing with this for almost 6 months. it I have tried conservative methods such as therapy, medication, massage, rest , cold and hot modalities. My PCP has been less than helpful - he did not even do MRI. When I asked for an MRI in April He stated why would you want that - you only do that if you want surgery ... I got so frustrated with him, my wife who is a therapist made me an appointment with a neurosurgeon when I did not respond to conservative methods. I saw the neurosurgeon s PA who ordered the MRI with the above results. The PA got the ball rolling for me and I am grateful. She also put me on Neurontin and a muscle relaxant - it has helped with the stabbing pain but not the constant pain. I am scheduled for an injection in a few days followed in a few more days an appointment with the neurosurgeon. I have a son who is disabled that requires care and I own my own business that requires extensive lifting. 1. What is the likely hood of injection / injections helping and allowing me to return to normal duties 2. If surgery is an option - am I a candidate for minimally invasive surgery 3. What is recovery time for lifting after surgery - both open typical surgery or minimally invasive