Flat Back Syndrome

[Donnagrace]

I had two Harrington rods placed in 1975 at the age of 23. I am just now experiencing severe pain in lower back, hip and left leg. Went to ortho doctor last week and he explained about the flat back syndrome and my options (pain management, surgery, etc.) For now, I am taking the pain management road, but feel it is only putting off the inevitable. I was wondering if anyone has had this corrective surgery (rod removal, fusion, etc.) or if anyone has had success with just pain management (epidural blocks).

[rainbow2010]

I had pain in my low back, left hip and down my leg. My fusion had grown on its own and I had to have part removed as it was pressing on a nerve. I went to a neurosurgeon and he left some major scar tissue in the area that has caused a lot of pain. I am now seeing a doctor who deals with adult scoliosis patients. He happened to study under my original doctor. He sent me to a spinal rehab doctor to see how much help I could get before having to resort to another surgery. I have other problems above my fusion also and arthritus all over my spine.

[LindaRacine]

Hi Donnagrace...

In addition to any responses you receive here, you might want to check out this forum:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Flatback_Revised/

Regards,
Linda

[Donnagrace]

Flatback Syndrome

Linda,
Thank you so much for that referral - it is a great resource! I am scheduled for my first injections this Friday morning - hopefully some relief will follow.

Donna

[rainbow2010]

I have had spinal injections. Know that you will probably still have pain for 7 - 10 days after the shot. That is just pressure from the meds. Once that stops, you will notice less and less pain. I go back on Friday for the doctor to map out a course of treatment to try to relieve my pain. I react to most pain medicine, so I can't take pills for relief. The heating pad works wonders!
Good luck with your shot

[Lauretta]

new member

Hi what is flat back syndrome?
Lauretta

[LindaRacine]

Also known as Fixed Sagittal Imbalance. Here's an explanation:

http://www.spineuniverse.com/display...rticle308.html

[MariHOU]

Wow! Thanks for the website Linda. Great information. This -flat back- would explain the reason why I lean forward and it gets worse with time, cannot lean back at all and constant chronic low back pain. I read that one of the possible causes is an aged fusion. This is definitely something I will address with the doctor later this month. I mean, I read all the symptoms and 100% of them apply to me. Amazing that I've never heard about flat back before huh? How long does flat back develop? I wonder why my doctor of nearly 30 years did not tell me about this, but then he retired about 4-6 years ago.

[LindaRacine]

Hi Mari...

There's really no way of knowing whether you have flatback without xrays and an expert opinion. When I have a lot of lower back pain, I look like I have flatback, but definitely do not. The big difference is that I can (painfully) force myself to stand straight without bending my knees. I think that people with advanced flatback cannot do that.

Flatback that is caused by surgery is created at the time of surgery. The onset of symptoms can be anywhere from immediate to more than 30 years post op.

Regards,
Linda

[MariHOU]

Thank you Linda. Outstanding information!

Marilyn

[macky]

Hi Linda, I am the same as you as far as being able to stand up straight, and yes it is painful as well, without bending my knees.

I do find though that I am tilted forward a bit when I walk, but I think that I am trying to protect my body from the pain by doing that.

I am glad that you wrote that as it helped me as well. Thankyou. I know we are not exactly the same, no one is , but as I said that was helpful.

God bless,
Lorraine

[trulyaries]

Flatback Syndrome?

My last surgery for spinal stenosis was in August 2005. The nerve pain down my legs beforehand was - bar none - the worst pain I ever felt in my life. However, I have been in more pain since this surgery than I was after the original scoliosis surgery. I quit work in January 2006 (I thought temporarily) to try to focus on therapy/exercise etc. For 11 months I did 20-30 min. on treadmill (I could hold on!) and stretching daily, and worked with a personal trainer on strength training 3 days a week. I also had epidural injections, acupuncture, 8 weeks of physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, pain killers, and lidocaine patches. In spite of the epidurals, the nerve pain is getting worse again. And nothing has made a difference in the low back (butt) pain. I cannot walk very far without bending over. By the end of a bad day I'm bent over almost double. When I read about flatback syndrome on the spine-universe web site, specifically the fatigue and referred pain from trying to stay upright, the symptoms really hit home for me. I naively thought that only Harrington Rod scoli's suffered from flatback. I saw Linda's comment
My questions: Is it possible that I might have flatback this soon? I was very unhappy with my surgeon's response and attitude when I saw him ("everything looks fine; you have to decide what level of pain you want to live with") so I want to see someone else. How do I go about finding out a particular surgeon's depth of experience with revision surgeries BEFORE making an appointment? Does anyone know a surgeon in the metro Detroit area with revision surgery experience? I can't imagine living this way for the rest of my life. Some people might consider 63 old, but I don't and I still have a lotta livin' to do! Thanks for any advice.

[trulyaries]

Flatback Syndrome?

My last surgery for spinal stenosis was in August 2005. The nerve pain down my legs beforehand was - bar none - the worst pain I ever felt in my life. However, I have been in more pain since this surgery than I was after the original scoliosis surgery. I quit work in January 2006 (I thought temporarily) to try to focus on therapy/exercise etc. For 11 months I did 20-30 min. on treadmill (I could hold on!) and stretching daily, and worked with a personal trainer on strength training 3 days a week. I also had epidural injections, acupuncture, 8 weeks of physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, pain killers, and lidocaine patches. In spite of the epidurals, the nerve pain is getting worse again. And nothing has made a difference in the low back (butt) pain. I cannot walk very far without bending over. By the end of a bad day I'm bent over almost double. When I read about flatback syndrome on the spine-universe web site, specifically the fatigue and referred pain from trying to stay upright, the symptoms really hit home for me. I naively thought that only Harrington Rod scoli's suffered from flatback. My questions: Is it possible that I might have flatback this soon? I was very unhappy with my surgeon's response and attitude when I saw him ("everything looks fine; you have to decide what level of pain you want to live with") so I want to see someone else. How do I go about finding out a particular surgeon's depth of experience with revision surgeries BEFORE making an appointment? Does anyone know a surgeon in the metro Detroit area with revision surgery experience? I can't imagine living this way for the rest of my life. Some people might consider 63 old, but I don't and I still have a lotta livin' to do! Thanks for any advice.

[LindaRacine]

My questions: Is it possible that I might have flatback this soon? I was very unhappy with my surgeon's response and attitude when I saw him ("everything looks fine; you have to decide what level of pain you want to live with") so I want to see someone else. How do I go about finding out a particular surgeon's depth of experience with revision surgeries BEFORE making an appointment? Does anyone know a surgeon in the metro Detroit area with revision surgery experience? I can't imagine living this way for the rest of my life. Some people might consider 63 old, but I don't and I still have a lotta livin' to do! Thanks for any advice.

Hi...

Yes, it's certainly possible. It's entirely possible that you were fused without enough lordosis, giving you instant flatback. Even many great doctors have had this happen.

I would definitely get another opinion. I'm sure that having your surgeon ignore your problems is frustrating. I don't know any of his patients, but Stanley Lee in Ann Arbor, was trained in St. Louis, where they definitely do a lot of revision surgery.

Regards,
Linda

[trulyaries]

Flatback Syndrome?

Thanks, Linda. I just posted in the physician feedback section to see if anyone has any further info. I'm curious - in a previous post you said:
When I have a lot of lower back pain, I look like I have flatback, but definitely do not. The big difference is that I can (painfully) force myself to stand straight without bending my knees. I think that people with advanced flatback cannot do that.

I can force myself to be somewhat upright as well, but it's not a position I would be able to hold for more than a few seconds. If you don't mind my asking, was that your doc's diagnosis, and if so, what are they saying is the cause of your low back pain? Thanks.