[Saleh]

#8836

Dear Doc,

I’m the original initiator of this subject. Now after a year exactly from my Microdescectomy (L5 S1), i feel remarkable improvement, i’m back to sport running jumping almost as normal (But still hesitated to go further in exercising. my calf muscle numb is gone 90%.
I’m still having 15-20% of burn sensation never much hurt at back thigh & R Buttocks specially.

My concern,

1- shall i go exercising regularly? i’m playing handball which require fitness as Basketball.

2- such “remaining” pain, would it go by time and training?

Appreciate your guidance

Saleh.

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#8837

Thanks for getting back to the forum.

Mild residual symptoms are not unusual. After one year post-op, the symptoms can still improve but will most likely not fully disappear.

You should be able to go back to just about whatever you want to do. There is a 10% recurrence rate for disc herniation but there is not much you can do about that.

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.

[LuvGsds]

#9184

I had an L5 S1 laminectomy discectomy in 1993 and have had severe chronic pain since. They say I have developed severe scar tissue that has nerves encased in them. I was a paramedic and we were t-boned going on a call and flipped the ambulance.
I have probably had thousands of nerve blocks and other procedures which have only helped temporarily. I have now spent the best years of my life in excruciating pain and on pain medications such as methadone, dilaudid, and now morphine.
Is there any hope in the future to be pain free??

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#9185

If this is a case of chronic radiculopathy (see website for description), then you need to treat it as such. This means that you are probably a candidate for a spinal cord or a peripheral nerve stimulator. See that thread under “Treatments” then “Spinal and peripheral nerve stimulation”. Also look under the “Medication” section to review membrane stabilizers.

If this pain is much worse with standing and walking and significantly reduced with sitting or lying down, you may have lateral recess or foraminal stenosis. This could possibly be repaired surgically.

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.

[LuvGsds]

#9193

They did a trial of the internal stimulator back in 2007 and I couldn’t tolerate the feeling. I had a new MRI recently so I will look at exactly what it says but I believe it does say something about stenosis. Having so much problems from scar tissue from the first surgery makes it difficult to even consider another. They did a procedure that they said was “burning” the nerve and it helped relieve the nerve pain (not back pain) for about 4-6 months.

Thanks for the info.

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#9194

Stenosis is narrowing of a passageway in the spine. The three areas that stenosis can occur are the central canal, the lateral recess and the foramen. Compression in the central canal would not be able to cause your symptoms of one individual nerve root involvement.

Lateral recess stenosis is unlikely to cause your pain. The one possible cause could be foraminal stenosis. This disorder would cause leg pain with standing and walking and be relieved with bending forward, sitting or lying down. If this fits your symptoms, you could have foraminal stenosis. If the MRI notes stenosis at this nerve root and a selective nerve root block (see website for description) relieves your symptoms, you could be a candidate for surgery.

If the stimulator was ineffective, you still might be a candidate for stimulation. There are new techniques and very good surgeons who can possibly help.

The “nerve burning” was a rhizotomy of the small nerve that feeds the facet. Why it would yield nerve pain relief is unclear.

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.

[Author]

Posts