Problems After Spinal Fusion

[helpforsherry]

Just a quick question. Has anyone else out there have severe numbness in your leg after a spinal fusion? I had a L5, S1 fusion about 3 months ago and woke up after surgery with numbness in my left leg. It's so severe that it's causing my muscles to spasm.

Any comments would be great!

Sherry

[Swingdoc]

I have had 6 or 7 back surgeries along with neck surgery. The back surgeries were performed around 21/2  maybe more years ago. lost track of surgeries and years, been to many, anyway to get to the point. My back is no better, still the same pain, along with that my feet are shot, meaning they are burning, cannot walk real good. Now this all started from my first surgery way back when, at that time I had or received from surgery a spinal fluid leak, very painful, since then nothing has been the same. Now after 4 years from my neck surgery, something obviously the screws and plate in my neck is popping. Basically I had enough these surgeries ruined my Golf carrer, was pro and now not. Just be careful what you do.

[Carrie1234567]

I understand what it is like to be in pain 24/7.  No one understands and no one thinks about how hard it is to be patient and deal with day to day stress when you're in pain.  Everyone thinks I'm a ***** because I'm short-tempered, but it's because I can't think past the pain I'm in.  It is very hard to concentrate and I still have to work 40 hours per week.

I pray that your back gets better or that a treatment is found to give you some relief.  I hope that someone offers you a way to get back to living life the way it should be lived.  I have yet to find that.  

[mamadks]

So glad to see I'm not alone and have ppl that understand my situation to talk too about what I'm going through.  The surgeon did give me an option of going back into surgery to remove that plates since they were just placed there to position everything and r no longer needed.  Yeah like I'm going to take another risk to have them go back into my back.  I'm trying to stay positive that there will be something invented to help us out.

[helenlegs11]

I have had that same diagnosis, Mamadks, scar tissue. I suppose they must not be able to see scar tissue on an MRI ? ? because the scar tissue would need to be impinginging on a nerve to cause numbness etc ? The advance of Mamadks' numbness makes a lot more sense as the scar tissue is forming way after surgery, 3 months (unless inflamation THEN scar tissue is the cause)
The piriformis muscle in the bum can also be a cause of sciatica and all those related symptoms (numbness, stabbing, flashing pains etc) It is supposed to be rare but might be worth checking out. You Tube it (Dr's George Best and Aaron Filler) and see if any other symptoms match.

[mamadks]

I had a post-anterior lumbar fusion of L5, S1  5 1/2 years ago and unfortunately I have suffered from the same issues u all have but not right after surgery, mine started almost 3 years after surgery and the cause of the numbness, tingling & pain is from scar tissue that formed in & around the screws and plates.  This is considered nerve damage, in my case it caused Gradual onset of numbness and tingling in my feet & hands, which spread upward into my legs and arms, Burning pain, Sharp, jabbing or electric-like pain.  This condition is called Peripheral neuropathy which took almost two months to get diagnosed by a neurologist.  I having been getting treatment for over 2 years which brings the tingling & numbness from 10 down to 5 - 6, this treatment is in conjunction to 6 medicines I am taking for pain, anxiety/depression.
Pebbles ~ I would schedule an appointment with a neurologist ASAP.
Ponycar4me ~ I would consult with a neurologist or pain management doctor because from experience PCP do not know anything about chronic pain and are not experts in neurological disorders.

[ponycar4me]

sorry i wish i could help my biggest problems are still pain in arm neck headaches and numbness and now i got labeled as drug seeking by my pcp

[pebbles1965]

yes its been 4 months sence surgery havent been able to swallow in 4 months meat or bread my left ankle and top of foot is partially num and doc says nerve dammage did he cause  it?