Still In pain 16 Months after Coflex Implants

Tagged: Coflex, Nerve pain, PAIN, Spasms, Stinging

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

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Congaman71
Participant

May 6, 2019 at 8:52 am

Post count: 2

#30423

Thank You for having this forum. I’m desperate to get some answers that could tell me if the problems I’m having are related to my Colfex surgery or something else.

On December 28th, 2017 I had nerve decompression on L2-L3, L3-L4 and L4-L5 and Coflex implants placed between L2-L3 and L3-L4. The original plan was to also place one between L4-L5, but the surgeon said the bone was too thin and would have shattered. This was done to relieve severe nerve pain down my legs and alleviate constant back pain.

I was told after the surgery the recovery and turnaround time was 3-4 months and I would be good as new. However, I’ve never fully recovered from the surgery. Every time I would go into therapy it would hurt so bad that I couldn’t do all the exercises and the pain, tightness and muscle spasms in my back would be so bad I would have to wait a week before I could go back and try again. Every time I try to be active (cleaning house, cutting grass, going hiking, etc.), my back gets so tight I can barely move and there is significant pain to deal with. The surgeon told me, “Your X-Rays are normal and everything has healed up the way it’s supposed to. There’s nothing else I can do for you”. I continued following up with him until a few weeks ago. After that visit I decided I need help from someone else.

Also, there has been an new development over the last 3 months. It started with just a mild tingling/stinging sensation around the surgery area that would come and go whenever I would perform an activity that activated my back muscles. At first I thought is was because I had been less active and the tingling/stinging sensation was my skin getting used to sweating again. Unfortunately, the pain and discomfort from this has increased dramatically in frequency and intensity. I can walk the dogs and when I do something that activates the muscles in my back it leads to a sensation that can only be described as being bitten by a thousand ants all over my upper body. I have taken my shirt off multiple times and asked my finance to make sure there were no insects on me. Usually it is when I sweep/mop or bend over to try and pick something up just try to generally be active. It literally drives me crazy. Also, the affected area can vary from as small as the surgery site up to my shoulder blades, to as large as my entire torso (front and back). It isn’t just limited to being up and moving though. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with the sensation of being bitten all over my upper body.

I’m truly desperate for any help you might could give me.
Thank You for Your Help
Matt C.

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

May 6, 2019 at 11:11 am

Post count: 8660

#30425

I just wrote a lecture regarding implants with Coflex as part of the lecture. I am not a fan of the Coflex device as it causes the two adjacent vertebra to be forced into kyphosis (bent forward) and with two adjacent levels, causes severe kyphosis which can overload the degenerative discs present. This kyphosis or “forced bent forward position” increases the need to “bend backwards” above this level which causes muscle overload pain above. The pain is generally described as a burning fatigue type pain with standing or sitting upright but I would guess could also be described as “ant bites”.

I would hope that your leg pain has been handled by the decompressions performed prior to the application of the Coflex device but I have seen plenty of cases that the decompression was incomplete and the Coflex device was wrongly thought to create enough flexion to allow nerve pain relief through flexion.

I am going to assume that you need to have these devices removed and a formal decompression completed. I cannot comment on any fusion needed as there is not enough information for me to comment.

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.

Congaman71
Participant

May 6, 2019 at 11:30 am

Post count: 2

#30428

Thank You for getting back to me so soon. It did for the most part take care of all my leg pain. I have experienced the sharp, burning pain going from the middle of my back out to the sides, but the “biting ants” feeling goes up my back and wraps around my torso. This has given me information to move forward. Would there happen to be link to your lecture regarding Coflex implants? I would like to read it if possible.

Thanks again,
Matt C.

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

May 6, 2019 at 2:44 pm

Post count: 8660

#30429

That talk is incorporated into my new “Lumbar spine A-Z” lecture series that will be associated with my new educational website “StudySpine.Com”. That website is not up yet but it should be up within 4 weeks.

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.

Stephenley
Participant

February 3, 2022 at 6:10 pm

Post count: 4

#34813

Hi

Did you end up having the Coflex removed?
If so did it improve your situation?
Asking as I’m in a lot of pain and considering having mine removed.

Thank you
Stephen
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Donald Corenman, MD, DC

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81 reviews

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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