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  • Swollen lower back and pain

    Hi everyone,

    I've been having leg pain (I'm guessing it's sciatica) for about 6-8 months. It only seems to be an issue when I walk. About once a day I get this jolt up my leg that is so painful that it takes my breath away. I sometimes get bad pain above my hip in the low back. Yesterday this pain in my low back was really bad. I could barely walk by the time I got home (leg pain as well). I felt my lower back and the left side was very swollen, though not red or warm. I rested most of the evening and felt better this morning.

    On my way to work I felt this same pain again when walking and my lower back was swollen. I also felt this popping in my lower back with every step. This has continued off and on all day. I also have this jolt of pain going up the left side of my back (started yesterday) and a rash up the same side.

    My husband convinced me to call my surgeon and so I made an appointment for tomorrow. Am I making a big deal out of nothing? I'm almost 3 years post-op and fused to L2. This problem, if any, seems to be below my fusion.

    Has anyone had anything like this before?

    Thanks!

    Shell
    Chemist, 30

    1998- 18 degrees
    2003- 33 degrees
    2005- 37 degrees
    2006- 44 degrees
    May 2007- 47 degrees
    December 2007 - 50 degrees X-ray

    Surgery May 27, 2008
    Fused T1 to L2
    Curve corrected to 15 degrees X-ray

  • #2
    Shell

    So sorry to hear this news.

    We scolis are so tough that we have to justify a visit to a Doctor when we cannot walk....

    You know what to do.... Sciatica is devastating.

    A very hot bath can help for now. Maybe a shot will help, see what your surgeon says.

    Many have issues under their fusions as time passes.

    Ed
    49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
    Pre surgery curves T70,L70
    ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
    Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

    Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

    My x-rays
    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by briarrose View Post
      Hi everyone,

      I've been having leg pain (I'm guessing it's sciatica) for about 6-8 months. It only seems to be an issue when I walk. About once a day I get this jolt up my leg that is so painful that it takes my breath away. I sometimes get bad pain above my hip in the low back. Yesterday this pain in my low back was really bad. I could barely walk by the time I got home (leg pain as well). I felt my lower back and the left side was very swollen, though not red or warm. I rested most of the evening and felt better this morning.

      On my way to work I felt this same pain again when walking and my lower back was swollen. I also felt this popping in my lower back with every step. This has continued off and on all day. I also have this jolt of pain going up the left side of my back (started yesterday) and a rash up the same side.

      My husband convinced me to call my surgeon and so I made an appointment for tomorrow. Am I making a big deal out of nothing? I'm almost 3 years post-op and fused to L2. This problem, if any, seems to be below my fusion.

      Has anyone had anything like this before?

      Thanks!

      Shell
      Hi...

      You're not over-reacting. Degeneration below one's fusion is really common, and can cause radiculopathy.

      Good luck with your appointment. You were lucky to get in so fast.

      --Linda
      Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
      Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

      Comment


      • #4
        Thanks for your kind responses, Ed and Linda! I just got back from my appointment and it was good I went. I need to have an MRI and X-rays done in the near future to see what is going on. My surgeon is concerned with the swelling and asymmetry of my lower back (left side is much higher than the right) and with the electric jolts I'm getting up my leg. He's guessing it's a herniated disc. What is normally done for those? I'm assuming PT and injections and if that doesn't work, more surgery. The fun continues.

        Thanks again,

        Shell
        Chemist, 30

        1998- 18 degrees
        2003- 33 degrees
        2005- 37 degrees
        2006- 44 degrees
        May 2007- 47 degrees
        December 2007 - 50 degrees X-ray

        Surgery May 27, 2008
        Fused T1 to L2
        Curve corrected to 15 degrees X-ray

        Comment


        • #5
          hi Shell
          so sorry you are suffering!
          herniated discs are hell! i managed my scoli just fine til i herniated discs one day at work...it is VERY easy to do...i lifted a baby kindergarten chair, and POP!

          i have been in increasing pain since...and have had many different kinds of injections....
          no one really knows which ones, if any, will work until you try them...IF that is what your doctor decides is best for the next step....

          i have a friend in CA who had bad discs from ranch work, etc...he had NO scoli..he had some arthroscopic kind of disc surgery and it was really easy and fast...he was back up and around in 3 weeks...but i do not know that they ever do that for scoli people! i asked, and they won't just do my discs...they insist i have to have my whole back done...rats!

          discs cause all kinds of misery! my suggestion is to get the radiology done as fast as you can, so your doc can figure out the next move for you!
          i hope your lower back is not reacting to the upper fusion....

          feel better...
          jess
          Last edited by jrnyc; 04-21-2011, 04:46 PM.

          Comment


          • #6
            Shell- I am sooo sorry to hear about this! Keep us posted. Sending hugs your way...
            71 and plugging along... but having some problems
            2007 52° w/ severe lumbar stenosis & L2L3 lateral listhesis (side shift)
            5/4/07 posterior fusion T2-L4 w/ laminectomies and osteotomies @L2L3, L3L4
            Dr. Kim Hammerberg, Rush Univ. Medical Center in Chicago

            Corrected to 15°
            CMT (type 2) DX in 2014, progressing
            10/2018 x-rays - spondylolisthesis at L4/L5 - Dr. DeWald is monitoring

            Click to view my pics: pics of scoli x-rays digital x-rays, and pics of me

            Comment


            • #7
              Jess - I wonder if it's a disc or if a screw popped out of place or my rod broke. I'm having a lot of pain around one of my screws (L1 or L2) that radiates out to my ribs. I don't know what's going on, but I'm starting to get scared. I'm used to having muscle spasms that last a day or so, but this is something different. Maybe it's nothing at all. I'm hoping to have the X-rays and MRI done next week. I'm waiting on my insurance company to pre-approve the MRI.

              From what my surgeon said, it sounds like he would do surgery for a disc problem if all else failed to help. That's a shame you can't have surgery for your discs. What type of injections work best for you? Are you planning to have surgery?

              Susie - Thanks for your support! I'll keep you updated!

              Shell
              Chemist, 30

              1998- 18 degrees
              2003- 33 degrees
              2005- 37 degrees
              2006- 44 degrees
              May 2007- 47 degrees
              December 2007 - 50 degrees X-ray

              Surgery May 27, 2008
              Fused T1 to L2
              Curve corrected to 15 degrees X-ray

              Comment


              • #8
                hi Shell
                everyone is different in what they respond to...
                for me, sacroiliac joint injections, which i had this week for 2nd time, work great...relieve ALL lumbar pain...this time i hope it lasts for more than the 3 weeks i got last time, as there is a limit to how many times one may be injected with steroids in a given time period....
                nerve ablation helped me somewhat, also for only 3-4 weeks....
                i personally have not been helped by epidural injections, or facet block, and a few other types i've forgotten by now....but other people have been helped by those type of injections...i do not think there is a way of knowing until you try....

                i can get my discs done...but not alone...
                i would have to have them done while getting scoli fusion surgery, T11-pelvis, or T4 -pelvis, depending on whether or not the botox i get in my upper spine keeps relieving pain up there....

                i would consider only minimally invasive lumbar surgery...if i have surgery.....

                for now, i have bad knees, including a medial meniscus tear in one and arthritis and a cyst in the other...how i would "bend from the knees" if i do have scoli surgery is a mystery to me right now....i am about to make some appts to consult with knee specialists, including those that do arthroscopic surgery for the knee! i know someone who had full open knee surgery years ago..he was in agony! i am a big fan of minimally invasive surgery when surgery is a must...

                hope you find your answers...maybe it is a screw, indeed...i guess only the radiology results will tell....
                hope you feel better soon!

                jess

                Comment


                • #9
                  I have degenerating discs all above my fusion. I get ablations done in the T3 -T10 area. I have had them done 3 times and this time they have lasted over a year. I just had my C5-C6 disc replaced in my neck and have great relief. Just relax as much as you can. Stress can make your pain worse. It will also raise your blood pressure.
                  T12- L5 fusion 1975 - Rochester, NY
                  2002 removal of bottom of rod and extra fusion
                  3/1/11 C5-C6 disc replacement
                  Daughter - T7 - L3 fusion 2004

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I saw my surgeon today and he said I have degeneration of the left facet joint at L3 and L4. He also suspects my pain is coming from my bone graft site. He pressed on it really hard today and I had radiating pain in that area for about an hour. He offered to do injections, but I declined. That was probably dumb of me. I'm going back in 6 weeks so if things don't improve, I'll have the injections.

                    Thanks,

                    Shell
                    Chemist, 30

                    1998- 18 degrees
                    2003- 33 degrees
                    2005- 37 degrees
                    2006- 44 degrees
                    May 2007- 47 degrees
                    December 2007 - 50 degrees X-ray

                    Surgery May 27, 2008
                    Fused T1 to L2
                    Curve corrected to 15 degrees X-ray

                    Comment

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