1. < Neuropathy
Profile picture for pauldandurand

Foot numbness and pain after L5-S1 fusion: anyone dealing with this?

Posted by pauldandurand @pauldandurand, Mar 27 5:35am

Has anyone had a failed L5-S1 fusion that introduced foot problems that didn't exist before surgery?

I had the surgery to address lower back pain and a burning sensation in my right calf. The surgery resolved the calf burn but introduced new numbness in the ball of the foot and pain when bearing weight while walking. What my surgeon didn't know beforehand is that I have a conjoined L5-S1 nerve root, an anatomical variant where two nerve roots share a single exit point, which made the nerve more vulnerable and harder to identify during surgery. He most likely injured it in the process. The MRI radiologist missed it. After the surgery a different radiologist had a look and he clearly identified the conjoined nerves. Post-surgery scar tissue has since encased and tethered the L5 root.

A second surgery 6 months later removed bone, replaced the disc with a spacer, and added rods. This made my foot symptoms worse, probably due to further nerve aggravation and additional fibrosis around the root. Too add to the frustration, the second surgery hardware is failing with screw loosening and the L5/S1 space is not fusing (pseudarthrosis). So, I also have constant back pain.

Every neurosurgeon I have consulted has said there is nothing surgically correctable and that I should either live with it or consider DRG stimulation. I looked into the latter carefully: DRG stimulation targets the dorsal root ganglion, but my injury is too far upstream at the nerve root itself for that mechanism to help.

I am now doing home self-therapy which includes neuropathic foot exercises and sensory re-education using vibration, brushes, texture discrimination, etc.

I am looking for others in a similar situation, particularly anyone who has been told the same thing by their surgeons and is actively trying rehabilitation rather than just pain management. I know stem cell solutions are probably years from now, but I'm not giving up in finding ways to regain my normal foot.

Please share. Thanks!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Neuropathy Support Group.

Profile picture for insanepain
insanepain | @insanepain | Sep 1 12:06pm
In reply to @dwbfootball "@pauldandurand I’m glad to see you’re so pessimistic about the outcomes of surgeries on backs and..." + (show)
Profile picture for dwbfootball @dwbfootball

@pauldandurand
I’m glad to see you’re so pessimistic about the outcomes of surgeries on backs and spines. The reality is it’s very tough to have totally successful surgeries in those areas. Furthermore I see that neuropathy appears to be fairly untreatable unless it’s with narcotics. The best I do is maintain good posture try to lift everything correctly don’t over Lyft and stay in shape. That’s about the only way I can handle neuropathy in my left calf and foot. Along with an occasional old opiate I’ve been sitting on my dresser for six or seven or eight years to help me get through the night. It sucks but that’s where we’re at good luck everybody. I’ve been on the site for about a week and I realized through everybody’s contributions that in the end were pretty much stuck with neuropathy

Jump to this post

@dwbfootball Well, I 'try' do be pessimistic. I went from doing everything for everyone at work (this being running around getting 15,000 steps daily at work for 50hrs a week), and doing all the cooking, cleaning, laundry and yardwork at home to not working at all and having to have family and friends help out around the house. I try not to feel helpless. I had to drop my calorie intake from 3000 calories a day to under 2000, just so I don't gain weight. I only weigh 135lbs, so it's easy for me to get around on my walker and knee wheeler. And of course I tried everything I could find on Amazon (they love me.. lol), but nothing helped in the slightest, none of the topical creams or ointments, no herbal supplements or gagets aimed at neuropathy. No physical therapy, I do my own exercises when I can. Resistant bands, ankle weights, tens unit to try and stimulate the dead nerves in my leg. Does it help? Who knows, but I try and motivate myself and not get depressed. I also have a few pain pills left over from my surgery for the 'bad days', and I just break one in half. All we can do is take it day by day and help educate others not to jump right into back surgery like the rest of us did.

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.