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  • Malcolm
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    Post count: 5

    I had the above foramintomy done last October (2014) and had a blissful 50 minutes in the recovery room where ny hands felt back to normal again. However since that time (literally) the burning and aching sensations have recurred. They were milder at first but are now back at the level where I am woken up at least twice every night with burning hands. At its worst the ache gets all the way up to the shoulder joint with the wrists and mound iof the thumb genrally being the most painful. I am now on a full dose of tramadol and paracetomol witj upi up to 16 codeine 30mg tablets per day. Although the codeine intake I normally manage to restrcit to 10-12 max. When the pain first restarted codeine was not necessary but the pain mounted very quickly. The overall pain level is still an improvement to the position prior to the op where I was in @ 130mg of morphine daily.

    The MRRI post op shows (I am told) that the foramina are now incompressed but that there is compression of the spinal cord due to prolapsed discs. The neurosurgeon is proposing to replace both doscs with a medicrea granvia-c ceramic replacement, a relatively new disc replacement.

    The questions I have are:

    1. I cannot see any altrenative to tryiong this but does anyone have any other suggestions?

    2. The Granvia-C disc is so new I can’t find anything on this other than the company’s own sales brochure – does anyone know anything further including any review in the technical literature?

    Whle not neck pain as such (I have never had any neck pain) I have posted here as neck related. I have also had prtevioudsly both carpal tumnnels released to make sure that this was not the cause.

    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    There are new artificial disc replacements (50 minute reliefADRs) developed every day. Most of them are a typical sandwich of two metal endplates and a center bearing material typically made of plastic. The only different ADR is called the Bryan disc made by Medtronic that has some shock absorption designed into it. It seems that this Granvia-C disc has ceramic endplates instead of metal. In my opinion, this change of bearing surface should not make much difference in the function or longevity in this ADR.

    ADRs are not great for mainly neck pain but are more effective for nerve root pain. If you have stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) due to disc spur, you generally would not be helped with an ADR and would better be served by a fusion.

    You need a full work-up to determine what your pain generators are. The 50 minute relief you obtained right after waking up from surgery has probably noting to do with the surgery but more to do with the strong narcotic pain medications that you were given in the recovery room.

    Prolapsed discs can cause neck pain but spinal cord compression is generally painless. This condition causes myelopathy (see website) but not neck pain.

    You need a workup with might include discograms, selective nerve root blocks or facet blocks to more fully identify your pain generators.

    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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