question about bone grafting from hip

[dawndd]

The doctors at Shriners are recommending taking bone from the hip for the spinal fusion. I think he will be fused for 4 to 6 vertebrae. I have heard that sometimes the surgery to remove the hip bone is harder to get over than the spinal fusion. My son wants to be on the track team in the Spring. He's not all that great, but he loves it. Since he is not very athletic, we really want to encourage this as an avenue for exercise. He likes it for the social aspects--cute girls Anyway, is there anyway to minimize the possibility of trouble with hip pain after the surgery? Have your kids healed without much problem? What have your doctors done to minimize hip pain problems in the future? Thanks.

[ecnw]

Grafting from the hip bone for surgery is pretty common to my knowledge. After my fusion I remember being sore for a little while, but nothing too bad. Twenty years later the only thing I notice is that when I get a bad cold, for some reason that area seems to ache. Emily

[LindaRacine]

Hi Dawn...

I think if there were a way to minimize the probability of having bone graft site pain, it wouldn't be much of a problem any more. My understanding is that no one knows why some patients have bone graft site pain and others don't. The only way to absolutely avoid it is to use donor bone (or bone from ribs if anterior surgery is a possibility).

Regards,
Linda

[momofthree]

Hi, my daughter is having her spinal fusion tommorrow and the doctor is using cadaver bone-this eliminates having to make any more incisions and supposedly it works just as well. I believe this is a new procedure within the last year or so. I would check to see if your doctor has the option available.

Kim

[LindaRacine]

Hi...

I believe that the use of cadaver bone for fusion has been around for many years. There had been questions about the success rate not being as high as using the patient's own bone, so some doctors prefer using only the patient's own bone. Here are some references:

http://www.spine-health.com/research...negraft02.html
http://www.spineuniverse.com/display...ticle1002.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract


Regards,
Linda

[nikyergen]

My daughter had surgery 3/15/05. She was fused from T2-L2. The doctor used cadaver bone and she seems to be healing remarkably well and quicker than the doctors expected. Because her fusion was so long he felt she would be okay with the cadaver bone.

'til later,
Nikki

[mamakay]

My dtr had the hip bone graft and I understood it should only extend the surgery by about 30 min.
Yes there is another scar but she only had discomfort for a short while and I figured out if she got into bed opposite the insicion side, it kept the pain away and also gave it a better chance to heal and not be pullled open or the bandage to rub on it.
I think it looks kinda cool with those low waist jeans that all the kids wear and she hasn't complained about it since the 3 week post op time.
Good luck ..mamakay

[jc3]

hi kay
haven't seen you around in quite a while. I am assuming that everything is going good. Can you believe it is almost 7 months??! I cannot believe how fast it has gone. Nicole is doing really good with no complaints. Tell me how things are going by you.
Jennifer

[mamakay]

Hello jc3,
Yes I've been away from the site for a while.
But not forgotten everyone here and thinking of the new moms too.
My mother has been ill and Ste has worn me out w/all the car mishaps and activities. We go round and round, she thinks bc she feels good she can do things I feel are pushing the limit.
I check her school book bag for heavyness,try to know who and what she's doing.
Just like any 16 yr old, I know what I was up too!!!
She is mad bc we won't let her go on anyones motor boat but ours,.Dr said she could but I don't know if he realizes the pounding a boat takes when hitting waves???Did he think I meant a cruise boat? Whatever!!I have decided I will try and be the mom here but my husband is very laid back (which I guess is good bc maybe I worry too much).So you see I sometimes have my hands full(and wringing).
We go to our post op June 8th. (7 months)
I was so mad in Hawaii when my husband was letting her do flips underwater!!
At least he kept her out where she didn't get caught in the waves breaking...far as I know.
That is one thing the Dr said for her Not!!! to be in.
Well I hope Nichole is doing fine. I read where she jumped over /down some stairs and you were concerned.I understood where you were coming from.
Ste is doing great, she has pain in here shoulders frequently and I always worry if the pain is in her mid back or where the rods are, but mostly just the shoulders and she still tires easily. But doesn't tell me all the times.
I think she wants to forget the scoliosis and surgery, but the scar at the top part of her rod where she reacted to the sutures seems very thin and I am concerned if that will ever get thicker. I think the Dr will address that.
I am so happy and grateful we have come this far. It is so amazing to see how strong our children are and what wonderful people are here on this forum.
Did Nic's post op lift any restrictions? Can nichole go down waterslides or diving boards? Just wondering if she is free to do anything now?
Well thank you for staying in touch. I hope you all have a happy
Memorial weekend. Stay safe!!!mamakay

[mamakay]

oops I am learning how to do the icons.. sorry if they look misplaced...

[jc3]

hi kay,
i'm glad to see you are still around this board. I was wondering how step was doing and i'm glad to hear she is doing good. I know it's hard at this point because they feel they can do things that they're still not allowed to do. I've been wondering about boats with the nice weather coming, but then thought about maybe too much bouncing. I think nicole would like to forget about the whole thing also. That must have been a great trip to Hawaii. I would have been freaking out too about doing flips underwater Yikes!! How did it go keeping the scar from getting sunburned. Nicole has a problem with anyone touching her scar so i think it's going to be a problem, but i thought about maybe using the spray sunscreen on her. I worry about when i'm not around that she makes sure this summer that she has someone put sunscreen on it. The last time she has a post op check she was 4 months, and we go again the beginning of July. Let me know how her appointment goes and what she is allowed now to do after your appointment. They sent me a great list of restrictions at every month because i kept calling them asking can she do this, can she do that. I am probably so annoying to them, but i'd rather know for sure.
well have to run for now stay in touch
Jennifer

[Erika1988]

Hip not that big of a deal

The doctors at Shriners are recommending taking bone from the hip for the spinal fusion. I think he will be fused for 4 to 6 vertebrae. I have heard that sometimes the surgery to remove the hip bone is harder to get over than the spinal fusion. My son wants to be on the track team in the Spring. He's not all that great, but he loves it. Since he is not very athletic, we really want to encourage this as an avenue for exercise. He likes it for the social aspects--cute girls Anyway, is there anyway to minimize the possibility of trouble with hip pain after the surgery? Have your kids healed without much problem? What have your doctors done to minimize hip pain problems in the future? Thanks.

The hip kills speaking from expirience but a couple alive and some heat it's just a constant pain sometimes but your going to have to worry more about the fusion and running then about the hip (I'm seventeen and had my surgery in 2001 If you have any questions you can email me elessien@gmail.com)

[mamakay]

Hi Jennifer,
It's good to hear from you again.
Iam glad to hear Nichole is doing the same as Steph it sounds like.
Yes it was a great trip to Hawaii, but getting sunscreen on Ste's scar is a challenge too.
She does not like me to touch it bc she said it feels wierd, so maybe that is how Nichole feels too?!
But I insist sunscreen goes on those scars!!! I use a stick that I can just run down (quickly) w/o any rubbing. The bad area at the top takes a little more detail to cover. She said her friends do it if I'm not around to help her.
That is good you ask alot of questions,I wish they would send me a list of do's and don'ts.
I feel like I bother them enough w/school forms. Also I think my Dr is very liberal with letting her do things that she should probably do in moderation. My husband bought some kyaks and I want to check and see if the twistiing of paddling will be allowed.
I am holding my breath for the fusion to be complete.(Whenever that is?!!)
What are some things on the list they told you for her to do and not?
We go June 8 and am hopng he doesn't let her do too much more...
I will let you know how it goes.
Take care, kay

[Bill's mom]

Hi Jennifer and Kay,

I haven't been checking in very often, but when I saw messages between you two, I decided to add Bill's update.

He's doing great. Had his 6 month checkup in May and the doctor said he is fused. [My husband took him to the appointment since I had a project at work that needed to get done, so I don't have details that I probably would have gotten if I had been there!] The doctor is very pleased and doesn't want to see him until November.

The other day Bill was walking around the yard without a shirt and it was so nice to see a straight spine - easily defined by the long scar! - such a change from a year ago.

As far as activities - Bill, surprisingly, is being cautious. For example, he went swimming with his friends a few weeks ago and said he didn't even jump in the pool. (Not sure how he got in.) I didn't even think to talk to him about that before he went, so I'm glad that he's being responsible - erring on the cautious side. He is going to have the opportunity to go on a boat later this month and I hadn't even thought about that not being a good thing. I will check with the doctor so thanks for mentioning it.

Glad to hear that all is going well for your girls. Hang in there. (In addition to Bill, we have a teenage daughter and a post-teenage daughter (23) so I know the joys and difficulties of dealing with strong female wills!)

Susan

[Jill K's Mom]

I'm responding to two questions. First, our Surgeon also used cadaver bone material for the graft. He is one of the best out there and the graft worked just fine. I have heard of hip pain, I surely would check with your doctor to see if cadaver bone grafts will work.
Regarding restrictions, we just hit a year, and Jill has no restrictions except for tubing and waterskiing (which she doesn't do anyway) . He approved everything, waterslides, horseback riding, basketball, volleyball, running, rollerblading, you name it. I expressed concern about heavy backpacks (which break my back when I carry it for her) and horseback riding (all that falling off). He said her back is stronger now than an average back, and much to my dismay (I didn't want her to ride!) he said she could do anything. She has had physical therapy from October until now and in addition to her solid fusion she has super core stength and is capable of doing anything athletic. She trains with a ball, large rubber bands, the eliptical machine, the treadmill, the step machine. All this helped her strengthen her "core". Even her physical therapist agrees she is stronger than any of his other athletes!