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Foot numbness and pain after L5-S1 fusion: anyone dealing with this?
Neuropathy | Last Active: Sep 1 12:06pm | Replies (21)Comment receiving replies
Very familiar! It has been 5 years since a spinal fusion operation in the lower lumbar area has left me with a loss in proprioception to the point where I cannot walk a straight line. In addition, my right foot goes numb to the extent that soon I will not be able to drive a car. I recently had an MRI, that according to my Doctor, does not reveal the cause of the problem. He is focused on root nerves which he says are okay, and recommends that I return to a Physiatrist who I have previously seen, but with no results. I cannot understand how, or why no one is interested in finding a solution to a problem I did not have before the operation.
I will soon be seeking another opinion.
Thank you for listening,
Philnob
Replies to "Very familiar! It has been 5 years since a spinal fusion operation in the lower lumbar..."
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@philnob Sorry to hear about your issues. Sounds like scar tissue from the surgery. Did the surgeon or radiologist mention fibrosis or scarring specifically, or was it just a standard MRI read?
Worth getting a few more opinions from doctors outside the original surgical team. In my experience with two spine surgeries, surgeons rarely acknowledge that their own procedure caused a problem. The other specialists you see may be happy to point where the problems are, but in general terms surgeons won't criticize their own profession's track record. My own read after going through this is that spine surgery outcomes get reported more favorably than they play out for a lot of patients, the successes get the airtime and the failures get absorbed into "chronic pain" or "complications" rather than counted against the procedure. Not saying that's universal, just what I've seen and what I've read since.