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Lower back pain 16 years after Harrington rod?

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  • #16
    I have been wondering too if this hip/leg pain and numbness isn't coming from the sciatic nerve and is unrelated to the scoliosis and/or sgurgery. Has anyone's doc mentioned this?

    Also, my doc is recommending cortisone shots to see if this supresses the pain. Has anyone done this? Also, does anyone know of any reason NOT to do the shots?? Side effects??
    Background - Diagnosed in 1981 with a s-curve. Very progressive. Wore a Milwalkee brace from 1981-1986. I had back surgery in 1989....spinal fusion with Harrington rods and bone from my hip.

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    • #17
      Cortisone shots

      I had a severe episode with lower back pain last summer. It was so bad that I could barely walk. It definitely did help along with physical therapy. Side effects?
      I didn't have any. I'm sure just like anything else.........there are possible ones.
      CSC
      Idiopathic Scoliosis; Wore a Milwaukee brace; Told by physician it would not progress
      S curve; Surgery date: January 29, 2008!!

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      • #18
        Originally posted by mocity
        I have been wondering too if this hip/leg pain and numbness isn't coming from the sciatic nerve and is unrelated to the scoliosis and/or sgurgery. Has anyone's doc mentioned this?

        Also, my doc is recommending cortisone shots to see if this supresses the pain. Has anyone done this? Also, does anyone know of any reason NOT to do the shots?? Side effects??
        Scoliosis surgery did help my sciatica, but not completely. Pillows under and in between knees whil sleeping and sitting in good chairs helped even more. I had a cortisone shot, for a hook that hurt real bad and the pain relief only lasted a few days. It did indicate that taking the hook out would help(as it did) I'm now awaiting a new type of injection(something about a costal block(can't read what's badly written on my prescription), could be a year, wait is awful here :rolleyes) , again for my thoracic srews that hurt and make me want to pull my hair out at times. Nerve pains are the worse
        35 y/old female from Montreal, Canada
        Diagnosed with scoliosis(double major) at age 12, wore Boston brace 4 years at least 23 hours a day-curve progressed
        Surgery age 26 for 60 degree curve in Oct. 1997 by Dr.Max Aebi-fused T5 to L2
        Surgery age 28 for a hook removal in Feb. 1999 by Dr.Max Aebi-pain free for 5 years
        Surgery age 34 in Dec.2005 for broken rod replacement, bigger screws and crosslinks added and pseudarthrosis(non union) by Dr. Jean Ouellet

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        • #19
          This is my first posting, but my story is similar...

          Hi everyone. My brief history is this: diagnosed with scoliosis at 10 years old, Boston brace worn 1 year in 1978, Milkwaukee brace 1979-1982, fusion with Harrington rod 1982, removal of Harrington rod due to severe pain & hardware problems 1999.

          I have been experiencing severe pain for about 4 years now, and numbness & weakness in my right arm & leg. I have tried PT 3x & seen many different Drs but nothing has worked. My Surgeon wants to do a 360 cage fusion on the vertebrae below the previous fusion.

          Now I am on strong meds & having a series of injections/shots. I've had SI joint injections, a Caudal nerve block, and facet injections. I am scheduled for more facet blocks, and if they work I will have RFA to burn the nerve endings.

          It seems the root cause is degenerative disks which are causing nerves to be trapped between facet joints.

          mocity was asking about shots...I will let you know if they work.

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          • #20
            I had three injections and received little relief. I didn't have any problems from them though. I also have nerve pain going down my right leg all the way to my foot. Nothing seems to help. I take a couplr vicotin a day and it just takes the edge off.
            surgery 9/06
            Rothman institute

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            • #21
              Cortisone shots

              I don't know about side effects of other shots since I only had cortisone ones, but I know that it's not good to get them too often, apparently they can make the area weaker(from what some docs have told me).

              I did have a side effect once when I had one, I just almost lost concsiousness but that was due to the shot not the cortisone-it also happened another time when I got an iron injection in my butt. Apparently it hit a nerve ending and my blood pressure went down fast. Went away after some time(about half an hour).
              35 y/old female from Montreal, Canada
              Diagnosed with scoliosis(double major) at age 12, wore Boston brace 4 years at least 23 hours a day-curve progressed
              Surgery age 26 for 60 degree curve in Oct. 1997 by Dr.Max Aebi-fused T5 to L2
              Surgery age 28 for a hook removal in Feb. 1999 by Dr.Max Aebi-pain free for 5 years
              Surgery age 34 in Dec.2005 for broken rod replacement, bigger screws and crosslinks added and pseudarthrosis(non union) by Dr. Jean Ouellet

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              • #22
                lower back bain 16 years after Harrington Rod

                Hi Mocity, I had the cortisone injections and in my case the actual pain from the injection was worse than the pain I had been in. This was about 5 years ago and I wont have any more.
                They tried about 4 times to get the injection in the correct spot in my back due to the fusion and the rods and the discs etc etc , and they finally did and I thought wow hope this was worth it.

                When I got home I was in tears and had to ring my doctor to double my meds. It was a waste of time for me to have the injections but I had to try though, This of course is just my experience and does not happen to everyone.
                I honestly have tried absolutely everything over the years to try and stop the pain or at least relieve it and have found nothing helps except maybe warmth.



                The site helps absolutely just to know I am not alone and strangely, my pain is exactly in the same places as everyone elses.

                Macky
                Operation 1966, Fused from T4 to L3, had Harrington rods inserted. Originally had an 85 degree Thoracic curve with lumbar scoliosis as well but had a good correction.
                Perfectly normal life till 1997 but now in a lot of pain daily. Consider myself very fortunate though.

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                • #23
                  Chiropracter

                  Have you seen a chiropracter? I have been going for awhile and it was really helping relieve the pain, until recently when a 90 year old woman rana ared light and slammed into me....SIGH.....now i am having trouble again but hoping to find relief soon. Good Luck

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                  • #24
                    I was told by my surgeon never to go to a Chiropractor. At this point, if it will help, I will try it. Are there dangers with this? Has anyone else heard the same thing from their surgeon?
                    Background - Diagnosed in 1981 with a s-curve. Very progressive. Wore a Milwalkee brace from 1981-1986. I had back surgery in 1989....spinal fusion with Harrington rods and bone from my hip.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Mocity Hi, yes my surgeon told me exactly the same thing, not to go to a chiropractor.

                      Along I went though as I was in so much pain I had to do some thing. Well honestly they (I went to 4) all of them did not want to touch me in fact they refused.

                      The told me it was too dangerous. So that was the end of that. They took Xrays and all before each one individually made that decision.

                      Never mind,
                      Macky
                      Operation 1966, Fused from T4 to L3, had Harrington rods inserted. Originally had an 85 degree Thoracic curve with lumbar scoliosis as well but had a good correction.
                      Perfectly normal life till 1997 but now in a lot of pain daily. Consider myself very fortunate though.

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                      • #26
                        MoCity, I had a cortisone shot in my cervical spine and it helped for about 2 hours. Then the headache, which is supposedly a side effect of cervical cortisone shots knocked me off my block. It was not worth it. I saw Dr. Shelekov's assistant a few weeks ago in Plano and he said since my cervical disks are completely ruptured, the stenosis is compressing the spine which is causing all the nerve pain. So I am now scheduled for an epidural nerve block which is supposed to really do the trick, but we will see. My cervical pain has been worse than the lumbar pain, although now my lumbar and hip pain is starting to catch up. My neurologist has also prescribed a tens unit that a wear every day which helps throughout the day but once you turn it off everything is exactly the same, so it is only a temporary thing also. When I went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago I had lost another inch in height, but I was just told they cannot determine if that I am turning again. I told them that I know my own body and that I have noticed a significant change under my fusion and that my hip has really moved, which is causing the hip and lumbar pain, but I am scheduled for a follow-up in 6 months. I have an appt. with Dr. LaGrone in Amarillo in 2 weeks to see if that is any different, but I guess we will see.

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