1. < Spine Health

Fusions on back - Ever break?

Posted by cbeasley @cbeasley, May 22, 2023

I’m 68 with 3 fusions-last was pelvis to past shoulder blades I am in constant pain, but today while cleaning, I took shoes off, I heard a loud crack in back & nearly go down, still can’t walk…lot of pain! So afraid something is broken!

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windyshores | @windyshores | May 24, 2023

Just fyi it takes at least 48 hours for a compression fracture to show up on x-ray. I had a bad experience with a serious fracture when it took 6 months for my PCP to stop saying it was just soft tissue- because the nitial ER x-ray was negative for fracture.

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cbeasley | @cbeasley | May 24, 2023

My ER saw my L-1 was a compression fracture the same day.

I can’t remember if a CT was done also it was so long ago. It is better than just an X-ray.

Wow, that had to be terrible waiting to find out!

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cbeasley | @cbeasley | May 25, 2023
In reply to @aamodt "Definitely call your surgeon and his team and tell them what happened. I have had 11..." + (show)
@aamodt

Definitely call your surgeon and his team and tell them what happened. I have had 11 spine surgeries, am fused C6-S1…and have had screws pull out on a couple different occasions, it happens. From your brief description I have a feeling that is what happened. A few years ago, I was closing a sliding glass door about 6 months after surgery and felt something pop in my back and had excruciating pain right after. It ended up that one of my osteotomies had popped open and screws in a section of my upper back had popped out. Ouch! So, definitely call and tell the you want them to order an X-ray/CT to make sure everything is holding! Don’t wait! Good luck! Side note: we replaced the sliding glass door too! 🤣

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So you had another surgery to fix the screw??

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1 reply
aamodt | @aamodt | May 25, 2023
In reply to @cbeasley "So you had another surgery to fix the screw??" + (show)
@cbeasley

So you had another surgery to fix the screw??

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Yes. They had to take out the section of my hardware that had popped out and replaced it, revising that section to better secure the area. I have also had a separate instance where only one had screw came loose in my lower back, and my surgeon replaced the one screw with a larger screw.

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cbeasley | @cbeasley | May 25, 2023

Oh no, I do don’t want more surgery!
It feels like it’s the screw that goes very near the pelvis bone

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