Calf pain after discectomy

Tagged: calf pain after discectomy, L5 S1

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

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gr3ggnat1
Participant

October 30, 2018 at 6:00 pm

Post count: 2

#29752

I am 2 1/2 months post op, and I have pretty severe calf pain. It does not feel like sciatic pain, the only way I know how to describe is to say it feels like my calf is in a constant state of Charley horse, however the muscle is not tight at all. The pain is enough I’m limping while I walk, and sometimes I get almost a popping feeling in the muscle, and it makes me stumble.

I have talked to both my surgeon and my pain management doctor, and neither seem concerned. I am starting PT Thursday of this week, so I will bring it up with them as well, but I feel like they are not listening to me. If it hurts enough I am limping and stumbling I dont think that can possibly be normal. Anyone else experienced this issue? Any suggestions? I am currently on gabapentin and my pain management doc put my on a 5 day dose of steroids, but 3 days into the steroids has had no effect. Super frustrated!!!!!

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

November 4, 2018 at 8:08 am

Post count: 8660

#29765

You must describe what type of surgery you underwent. This calf pain is unusual and needs to be worked up depending on what type of surgery you had and the original diagnosis that required surgery. One of the potential post-op disorders that can occur is a blood clot (DVT). You should be checked for that too (and soon).

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.

Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

gr3ggnat1
Participant

November 7, 2018 at 12:02 pm

Post count: 2

#29776

Sorry if I wasn’t clear, I appreciate your response. I had a discectomy on my L5/Sl Aug 24th 2018. I had a tear on both sides.

Per the MRI report:

Paracentral disc extrusions at L5-S1 both sides. These impinge upon the traversing right S1
nerve root and come in contact with the traversing left S1 nerve root.

I have researched and don’t believe it is DVT, I have no redness or heat, but the calf pain continues daily.

Thank you again for your time!

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

November 9, 2018 at 5:05 am

Post count: 8660

#29782

Don’t discount the potential for a DVT just because you don’t have “redness or heat”. Many DVTs can be quiet. I would recommend considering an ultrasound test just to make sure this is not a DVT.

Did you have surgery on both sides (bilateral) or only on one side? Has your surgeon recommended a repeat MRI for consideration of looking for a seroma or a recurrent herniation?

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.

Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

ndamian3
Participant

January 26, 2021 at 2:13 pm

Post count: 1

#33574

Dr.Corenman,

Thank you for reviewing these request.
I am about 1 month and 2 weeks post op
I am experiencing a similar pain as gr3ggnat1. I have pretty severe calf pain. It does not feel like sciatic pain, the only way I know how to describe is to say it feels like my calf is in a constant state of Charley horse, however the muscle is not tight at all. The pain is enough I’m limping while I walk, the pain increases when I am in the sitting position with my legs bent. The exterior of my left calf is numb and runs down all the way through my foot. In addition to this my ankle swells in the sitting position as well.

My Surgeon says that he will see me again in 8 weeks but there is nothing that he can do about the swelling as these 2 issue are not connected. I went to my primary and she had me complete a ultra sound and this was negative for any DTV. She had me where compression sock and this helps the swelling but now the pain. They both kind make me feel that they are not sure what it is.
Can you give any advice as to how I should better describe this pain to them. Feeling frustrated as well.

ndamian3 from Seattle,

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

January 26, 2021 at 8:17 pm

Post count: 8660

#33575

6 weeks out from a micro disc at I assume L5-S1 (but could be L4-5) with “pretty severe calf pain” especially increased when “in the sitting position with my legs bent” would make me think to look for a recurrent disc herniation. A new MRI would be considered. For symptoms, a trial of oral steroids should be considered

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.

Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
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Donald Corenman, MD, DC

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Eric S

Sep 26, 2021

by Eric S on Donald Corenman, MD, DC

Successful pars repair at 46 years old

Back in November of 2018 (at 46 years old) I came from Vancouver BC to have a pars repair done with Dr. Donald Corenman at the Steadman Clinic in Vail Colorado. I'm finally posting this review nearly three years later in late 2021. The reason I waited so long was I wanted to know the final result before I posted my review. Unfortunately in that time Dr. Corenman has retired. Nevertheless, I want to post this review of Dr. Corenman and his staff at the Steadman Clinic in their excellent treatment of my L5 pars interarticularis.

I fractured my pars at age 42 back in 2014 when rolling on the gym floor, and was denied treatment by the Canadian healthcare system, probably due to my age. First my GP told me there was no surgical option for a pars defect, which was quite incorrect! I tried to live with it, but the symptoms worsened (periodic random spine slippage and weeks of resultant pain after just bending over to tie my shoe, so I eventually learned to mostly squat and hardly bend). When I finally consulted with Canadian spine surgeons, I was told they believed my pars defect had been congenital (since birth). This was absurd, considering I had done extreme martial arts (including jiu jitsu) for years prior, as well as 5 years of reinforcing steel full time in my 20s, probably the hardest job on the back you can find. No pars defect like mine would possibly have allowed this--ergo it was impossible that I had had the defect since birth. I did however have an asymptomatic congenital spina bifida occulta that made me more susceptible to a pars fracture. In 2014 in one instant, I went from having the strongest back people I knew said they'd ever seen, to being unable to safely bend over and tie my shoe without a non-negligible risk of my spine slipping randomly (which would lead to weeks of pain after each occurrence). This was due to the unilateral L5 pars defect, otherwise known as spondylolysis. It was when lying in pain on the floor 4 years later after maybe the 6th spine slippage event post injury, that I had had enough, and resolved to have surgery. If Canada's "universal health care" said no, I would make lemonade from lemons, and find the very best surgeon in the world at pars repairs. That was Dr. Donald Corenman. Dr. Corenman back in 2018 ran a website https://neckandback.com/ that dedicated many pages to the science of every aspect of pars repairs, from eligibility (good discs on MRI), to best surgical techniques (minimal open compared to minimally invasive), best imaging to use (i.e., O-Arm with Stealth imaging vs. older fluoroscopy), the ideal amount of BMP to use and why not use too much or too little, and much more, all to do with pars repairs, pages upon pages of his site just on the pars, with scientific references and his own extensive expert opinion. As a health research statistician, I was very impressed with this. It was in stark contrast to the websites of other spine surgeons which barely gave the pars a word or two, focusing almost exclusively on fusions. I had found the best surgeon in the world for pars repairs, and so after Dr. Corenman personally screened my MRI to ensure my discs were healthy, I booked the surgery.

Being 46 years old at the time of surgery in 2018, with a 4-year-old pars fracture from 2014 combined with a congenital SBO meant my pars fragment was somewhat atrophied, but it was "very solid", said Dr. Corenman in the operative report. Nevertheless, it was challenging with two things to fix, the pars and SBO, and OR time was around 4 hours. Recovery over the following months was guided by a very clear "Spine binder" from the Steadman Clinic with strict rules of "no BLT" (no bending, lifting or twisting), and illustrated physiotherapy guidelines. They even warned patients to avoid fish oil supplements, which could excessively dampen inflammation and hence slow bone healing. They answered many questions I had during months of recovery, with responses coming from the very supportive Lori Fugate (then director of Dr. Corenman's practice), and Ehrich Bean (then physician's assistant at the practice), as well as a couple calls with Dr. Corenman himself after two of the CT scans. Ehrich Bean offered great advice for taking the spine binder conservatively due to the nature of pars repairs vs. fusions. The final post-op CT scan I had was a couple weeks ago at 34 months post-op, and Dr. Corenman had retired, but I got a very positive and informative call from Eric Strauch (current PA at the Steadman Clinic under Dr. Corenman's replacement there, and who had also worked with Dr. Corenman previously). The staff at the Steadman Clinic were extremely supportive all the way through the process. I should mention, the local Canadian spine surgeon did offer me very good post-operative support including antibiotics as needed to deal with a mild surface incision-site infection early on, booking numerous x-rays when I felt something was amiss, as well as booking all four of my post-op CT scans. I am very grateful for that support also.

My final result shows plenty of solid bone across the pars and a healed SBO, with my vertebral body now a solid bone ring instead of being broken at two places as it was pre-op. Does my spine hold up in the real world? You bet! I have recently dug and moved several yards of dirt and sand and gravel by myself (shovel and wheelbarrow!) to fix our water main, pulled roots from the yard, moved several "portable" (these are HUGE) air conditioners up several flights of stairs my myself, and lifted weights. I now run 2 miles (3.2 KM) several times weekly with a hard 100 meter dash in the middle. I bend deeply before each run I go on, with no spine slippage. My spine feels amazing. I can bend over to do exercise, or real word tasks, with no risk of spine slippage.

My sincere thanks to God, Dr. Donald Corenman, Lori Fugate, Ehrich Bean, Eric Strauch, and the Steadman Clinic, as well as the Canadian spine surgeon who offered me excellent post-operative care back in Canada. You have all given me a new lease on life.

Sincerely,
Eric S

Robert S

May 11, 2021

by Robert S on Donald Corenman, MD, DC

Back Fusion Surgery

I had my entire lumbar spine fused in November of 2018. I had scoliosis , with pinched nerves that were so painful I could hardly walk - and standing for more than a few minutes was impossible. Even sitting was painful.
The fusion surgery produced immediate relief! And the recovery was much easier than I expected.
To this day I can do all the activities I love from hiking, to standing in a stream fly fishing to riding my bike long distances - or just walking down the street with my wife.
Kudos to Dr. Corenman and his staff, (including the two Erics) for taking such good care of me!

Leslie R

Jul 9, 2020

by Leslie R on Donald Corenman, MD, DC

TLIF

I had my TLIF surgery on 6/24/2020 by Dr. Corenman, I can not say enough good things about the Dr or his staff. I was always treated with respect and explained everything throughly, that made it easy for everyone to understand. I highly recommend Dr. Corenman and the Steadman Clinic.

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