Quick summary: I had the 2 Harrington Rod, bone grafts from the right pelvis operation 25 years ago. I had an active and pain free life for 24 years. Last year I started to get progressively worse pain in my right pelvic/hip area (mostly when I exercising). The pain went chronic and now I can't be on my feet for more than 15 minutes at a time. It's debilitating.
After many MRIs, CT scans, injections, doctors, etc., I finally saw Dr. Boachie in NYC yesterday, who is a scoliosis specialist. He confirmed what my physical therapist has been telling me: that there is nothing surgically than can be done. There are no nerve impingements or anything wrong with the rods. It is the donor site that is causing the pain, and the muscles and scar tissue around it. I was told to just continue with physical therapy, myofascial release therapy, and core strengthening. I completely believe the diagnosis, because I've seen enough doctors and had enough testing, that Dr. Boachie just confirmed what I already knew.
My question to the forum is whether anyone else experienced this "donor site" type pain, and what, if anything, made it better? I am so scared I will not be able to get rid of this pain. I am only 41 with 2 young kids. I need to get back to a semi-normal life again. This pain has been chronic since last June. The physical therapy helps a bit, but I'm not seeing any significant improvement. I am hoping there is a success story out there to give me some hope. I still have a curve in the last 2 vertebrae underneath the bars, and if that keeps curving, I will eventually need more fusion, but I'm hoping that exercise and other methods can keep that at bay. Any thoughts?
P.S. Dr. Boachie was fantastic. There was a long wait to see him, but if I ever needed surgery, I wouldn't hesitate to go to him. He took the time with me, and was extremely compassionate and knowledgeable.
After many MRIs, CT scans, injections, doctors, etc., I finally saw Dr. Boachie in NYC yesterday, who is a scoliosis specialist. He confirmed what my physical therapist has been telling me: that there is nothing surgically than can be done. There are no nerve impingements or anything wrong with the rods. It is the donor site that is causing the pain, and the muscles and scar tissue around it. I was told to just continue with physical therapy, myofascial release therapy, and core strengthening. I completely believe the diagnosis, because I've seen enough doctors and had enough testing, that Dr. Boachie just confirmed what I already knew.
My question to the forum is whether anyone else experienced this "donor site" type pain, and what, if anything, made it better? I am so scared I will not be able to get rid of this pain. I am only 41 with 2 young kids. I need to get back to a semi-normal life again. This pain has been chronic since last June. The physical therapy helps a bit, but I'm not seeing any significant improvement. I am hoping there is a success story out there to give me some hope. I still have a curve in the last 2 vertebrae underneath the bars, and if that keeps curving, I will eventually need more fusion, but I'm hoping that exercise and other methods can keep that at bay. Any thoughts?
P.S. Dr. Boachie was fantastic. There was a long wait to see him, but if I ever needed surgery, I wouldn't hesitate to go to him. He took the time with me, and was extremely compassionate and knowledgeable.
Comment