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RFA made my lower back pain worse. Anyone else?
Spine Health | Last Active: 6 days ago | Replies (52)Comment receiving replies
@wdawes Good afternoon, and thank you for replying. This is one area that I have participated in already, Nerve Conductivity, and EMG testing. What the doctor found was Thoracic Radiculopathy at T12-L1, and Denervation of the nerve at that junction. He performed an epidural at T12-L1, and there was no change to my condition. Still the same right side pain, as well as numbness in my right flank and paraspinal muscles on the right side of the thoracic area of my spine. This nerve doctor mentioned a spinal implant as a possibility, but he had no other advice after the epidural did not improve anything. He just said he didn't know what was wrong with my back and walked away.
Replies to "@wdawes Good afternoon, and thank you for replying. This is one area that I have participated..."
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@marcd2k
If your current doctor “walked away” and is not helping, then time for a second opinion. Perhaps find one who will do a trial spinal cord stimulator (SCS). The trial is about 7 days, and if it works you will know it. I’m my case the thigh pain went away completely it seemed, but it was hard to be sure about the lumbosacral pain, because the spine is trying to heal from having the implant leads in the epidural space? (This is my guess.) Patients who have had the permanent SCS done say that several weeks are needed to get over that post operative pain.
There are two types of SCS implant leads: percutaneous (this wire) and paddle (a flat, somewhat wider lead.) A pain management doctor can do the SCS percutaneous leads, but the paddle leads require a small hole into the epidural lamina for the leads to pass through (laminectomy), requiring a neurosurgeon. Paddle leads are basically permanent, but the percutaneous can be removed later.
All my doctors: physiatrist, pain management and neurosurgeon are quite frank about the radiculopathy pain. There are no easy fixes but the SCS can make life a % of pain free. I just want to easily sleep somewhat pain free at night, be able to get off the floor easily after stretching, be able to walk long distances, and so on like I used to. If having an SCS implant gets me there then I will put up with it?