Spinal fusion after 1 year.

I hope that, other than the fractured screw, you at least have achieved some pain relief. If I could go back to 2017, I would never have the spinal fusion that did absolutely nothing for my pain. I have read(but cannot confirm with any certainty) that spinal fusions are one of the biggest cash cows for orthopedic surgeons. Plu. it's a win-win situation. If it works, good for the surgeon. If it doesn't work, they fall back on the old "Failed back surgery syndrome". Pretty handy.

Sorry your surgery was not successful. It can cause extreme discomfort. I would have never thought I would wake up 2 years ago in such pain in my left arm and hand. Took almost a year with doctors and nerve conduction test and MRI to find out what was wrong. Severe narrowing of the spine with such pressure on my spinal cord. Recommended Ulnar nerve surgery and then spinal fusion followed . The recovery was brutal and OT/PT. Pain is pretty much subsided. Still nerve damageto left hand. Some occasional discomfort but very manageable. I was just wondering if anyone had a fracture with Pericles screw and what they experienced or how it was resolved. Not wanting to have surgery again to fix unless necessary.

The occurrence of spinal fusion hardware breakage is pretty small. I tried finding a study that may have looked at this complication and there were few. One NIH study of 16 patients with broken hardware found that the error rate was 4.6% extrapolated. This small number shows that it’s not a very common occurrence. Sorry for your mishap. The doctor didn’t fail in their duty to you as the procedure was a success, the hardware failed. I hope they find a solution for your continued pain.