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  • rosemanl
    Member
    Post count: 1

    Dr. Corenman,

    I’m a 46yo female with a previous L4-L5 fusion 3 1/2 years agod due to grade 2 sponylothesis. I had about 2 1/2 years of excellent pain relief w/ fusion. For about a year now I’ve had bad nerve pain in feet, thighs and buttocks. Motor weakness keeps progressing. I have alot of limitations with walking, stairs, and pain. But it doesn’t seem like my my MRI and CT scan match my symptoms. The doctors don’t see anything to maybe this (L3 & L4 nerve compresion due to bone spurs). I would think at the point I’ve reached w/ symptoms it should be completely obovious. Trying to make sense it. Is it possilbe for someone to have bad symptoms but the tests don’t show it?

    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    Your initial surgery results for what I assume was a degenerative spondylolisthesis was good as should be expected most of the time. Now, some years later you have developed painful buttocks symptoms radiating down to the feet. You also note motor weakness. You state that the MRI and CT scans don’t demonstrate what is causing your symptoms.

    Some questions. Are your pain symptoms equal in both legs or is one leg much worse than the other? Where is your weakness? Did a formal physical examination demonstrate any specific muscle weakness? For example, was there weakness of your quadriceps muscles (front of the thigh muscles) that made your stair climbing ability poor? Is your pain worse with standing and walking or with sitting? Have your bowel and bladder habits changed? Is your balance worse? Do you have problems with your hand coordination now?

    What did your studies reveal? Did you have standing X-rays including flexion and extension views?

    There are many unanswered questions that when answered can possibly point to the correct diagnosis.

    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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