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Anyone with more pain after surgery than before?

Spine Health | Last Active: Apr 6 2:27pm | Replies (55)
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@ikcooley

Update on post surgical radiculopathy. It is now 12 weeks post operation, and 8 weeks of PT and I’m still having pain when walking more than two blocks. I’m on 2400mg of gabapentin and tizanidine three times a day and it is not cutting the pain. I go for an MRI on Monday to determine if they can locate the pinched nerve.

I would not like to continue enduring this pain, so I would consider a second operation if recommended. I’m extremely unhappy with the first surgery. It did cure the numbness in both legs but left me with this pain in the right leg.

Have any of you had leg pain dissipate after 12 weeks? I was told it would continue to improve up to 12 weeks if it was an irritated nerve, but I have seen very little progress. The progress is in my ability to endure the pain.

Any suggestions for remedies other than a second surgery?

Ivie

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Replies to "Update on post surgical radiculopathy. It is now 12 weeks post operation, and 8 weeks of..."
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Feb 23 1:38pm

@ikcooley Myofascial release is a physical therapy procedure that loosens the restrictions in fascia and scar tissue. All surgery creates scar tissue, and if that is the source of pain because of tightness and pressure, MFR may be able o help. It has helped me a lot and I did this both before and after my spine surgery. I continue to self treat with MFR stretching that I know how to do to maintain the movement that I have.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
There is a provider search at http://mfrtherapists.com/

Have you heard of MFR therapy before?

Jennifer

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Phil, Alumni Mentor | @upstatephil | Feb 25 11:27am

Dear @kcooley...There is just nothing simple or 100% predictable when it comes to spinal surgeries. Every patient, every surgeon, and every injured spine is different - so it's reasonable to expect outcomes to be different.

For me, my thigh pain got significantly worse in the months immediately after L2-5 decompression/fusion. My thighs had been progressively more numb for literally decades. Post surgery the numbness became intense pain and a feeling of pressure and "fullness". The neurosurgeon explained that long pinched nerves take a long time to re-awaken and there can be associated pain.

He prescribed gabapentin which I never took as I didn't like the listed possible side effects.

The good news (for me and maybe for you as well) is, nine months post-surgery, the thigh pain is very tolerable and I feel still receding in intensity. Nerves are very slow at self-repair and I know of no way to speed their glacial pace.

Are you maintaining a diary? Nerve pain resolution was so slow for me that the diary was useful to actually track improvements that often were undetectable one day to the next.

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