Has anyone dealt with Post Lumbar Fusion chronic pain?

That is my greatest fear, of continued pain even following a fusion or laminectomy. Just going through post open pain and lengthy physical therapy afterwards and still no relief .

Hi Christopher,

I'm sorry that you're still in pain. I've had a lot of replacement surgeries (both knees, right hip, left shoulder). I haven't had fusion surgery. I'm a candidate all right, but at 71, I'm in the gym everyday and do the one thing I can control - maintain a strong set of core muscles and this supports and protects my lumbar spine.

What does your surgeon have to say about the continuation of pain in both legs? My understanding is that this should either be gone, or it will go away, but when?

Anyway, seems like your surgeon is the best place to go for answers.

One suggestion - use ice on your lower back and not heat. Heat feels good and does relax muscles, but it also increases blood flow and therefore inflammation in the lower back. Even ice would only provide temporary relief. Of course there are NSAIDs like ibuprofen and Tylenol for some relief.

Sorry I don't have better answers. It does seem unusual to have the pain you describe 4 months post-op.

Are you still in PT?

All the bets to you, friend.

Joe

@heyjoe415
My surgeon has said it takes 6 months to a year to heal. It is unusual that I am having so much pain still. I have been doing all that you mentioned; Ice, PT (core exercises +) and NSAIDs. I am prone to inflammation. It is just very frustrating when the progress is so so slow. Everything I read talks about feeling much better after 3 months. I am wondering if others have had this experience and if it turned out ok. That would give me hope!
Thanks for the reply!

@marietter
Hello Marietter,
Are you considering having surgery?

@1christopher
No. Will not. I personally know people who’ve had surgery and still suffer from pain years later . Repeat surgery is common as well. I’m 71 and can’t see myself going through all of that . I will manage without and know what my body can handle then rest to recover . Unless I’m losing limb function or become incontinent , then I may consider it.

Hello,
I had lumbar fusion surgery (L5-S1) back in November, and in my second week after the surgery, I developed severe nerve pain in both legs that lasted all night from about 7pm until the morning. After four nights of no sleep, I went to the ER to see what they could do. They prescribed Lyrica, and I was taking 75mg three times a day. By the second day, I was not feeling the pain any longer, and a side-affect was that I slept better on the Lyrica than I had in months. If you haven't talked to your doctor about this, I would ask about getting Lyrica prescribed.

I have just started taking Lyrica about 4 days ago. Previously I was taking Gabapentin. The dose is lighter than the Gabapentin if you use the 6:1 ratio. Perhaps the doc wanted to make sure I don't have an adverse reaction to it.
Thank you for the advice!

@1christopher This is accurate. Unfortunately. And I share your pain. I've had lumbar fusion - still have herniated discs (that are being ignored) with constant low back, bilateral hip pain and pain down my right leg that almost causes me to fall constantly. I also have had multiple cervical fusions, the last being C2-6, causing new post-op C6 radiculopathy and shooting / electric shock pain down my left arm. Also being ignored. I couldn't even get a second opinion because, apparently, the "gold standard" in ortho spine surgery is "one year". They think miraculously everything will just heal.

But. Ice, PT - and do your exercises at home! I know it's frustrating now but not everyone is messed up like me! 🙂 Also, Biofreeze Ultra flex lidocaine patches (in my opinion) are the best on the market right now and work wonderfully! Feel better!!

@1christopher
Dont dispare as there is hope. I had two surgeries. The first was a L5-S1 fusion where post operative recovery was easy but after about a year the pain came back, so I had another surgery to fuse L4 to L5. That recovery took a bit longer... about 3 months, BUT after that I was back to all my normal activities. There is HOPE

@1christopher You are welcome. I hope it helps with your pain. The ER doctor gave me a much lower dose, 25mg, and only scheduled me to take it twice a day. My surgeon's PA said it needed to be more aggressive, and she prescribed 75mg, 3 times a day (morning, noon, and then around dinner time). It worked very quickly for me, and now I am not on any medication as of the 3rd week of January.