Thigh Pain after discectomy

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JR
Participant

November 17, 2020 at 11:25 am

Post count: 2

#33376

Hello, I had a question about pain Ive had ever since my discectomy surgery.

Some background to my situation, I had a torn meniscus in my left knee & a herniated disc L5/S1, which was giving me sciatica pain on my right side.

My primary doctor got a referral to a orthopedic clinic & ordered a MRI. MRI showed that I had a moderate herniation at L5/S1. At this time, the MRI session also showed that I had a meniscus tear in my left knee as I mentioned. The surgeons wanted to take care of the knee first. I got the surgery for my knee & then I had to wait 6 weeks later to have the surgery for my disc herniation. The knee healed up very quickly. But the 6 weeks waiting time for the discectomy was hard to handle.

The sciatica pain I had pre-surgery was so intense that I couldn’t go to work, stand up, walk, use the bathroom, etc. It was the worst pain I have ever had in my life. The pain was on my right side. Stabbing pain in the buttock, back of thigh & the outside part of my foot was numb. I only felt relief if I laid down. I could sleep fine. But sneezing & coughing would send zingers of pain.

I had the discectomy surgery on July 2 for the herniated disc at L5/S1. The first week was ok. I did get up & walk for the first time in 2 months. I took everything very very slow. No bending or anything. Log roll out of bed, etc. I had my wife tape my back up with strapping tape to keep me from doing any bad movements. This helped a lot.

But ever since the surgery the back of my thigh has had pain. Its not the same level as pre-surgery. In weeks 1-6, it would come about with no provocation. An aching pain in the back of my thigh that would eventually go away in about 30min or more. Really had no pain in my back at all. Just some zingers in my buttock ever now & then.

Since weeks 6, the pain in my thigh would come & go like before. But it will now happen if I sit down for any length of time. At week 6 after my surgery, I went back to work. I got an expensive ergonomic chair hoping that it would help with anything related to my situation.

I also get pain in my tailbone. Or at least it feels like it is my tailbone. I can squeeze the muscles around the tailbone and it will hurt as well. But lying down or walking around will help relieve it.

Its been 18 weeks now. I have the same pain in the back of my thigh & tailbone whenever I sit in a chair for more than 15 minutes. The pains will gradually go away if I lay down or walk around. As since surgery, I can walk with no problems. Just when I sit in a chair for any length of time.
A heating pad seems to help some.

I just called my surgeon today & asked about getting another MRI just to rule out another herniation. Again, I can walk, stand up, etc. Just sitting causes the pain in my thigh.
They informed me that they are in the process of getting the MRI approved.
I hate being so worrisome about all this.
I didnt know if I am being too overly dramatic about all this.

thanks for reading my story
jeff

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

November 17, 2020 at 7:40 pm

Post count: 8660

#33379

You had a disc herniation at L5-S1 that was surgically removed. You then note; “But ever since the surgery the back of my thigh has had pain. Its not the same level as pre-surgery. In weeks 1-6, it would come about with no provocation. An aching pain in the back of my thigh that would eventually go away in about 30min or more”

You then note; “Since weeks 6, the pain in my thigh would come & go like before. But it will now happen if I sit down for any length of time”

Finally:”its been 18 weeks now. I have the same pain in the back of my thigh & tailbone whenever I sit in a chair for more than 15 minutes. The pains will gradually go away if I lay down or walk around”. Nerve tension when sitting that gets better with standing or lying down is consistent with a recurrent disc herniation. A new MRI is a good idea.

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.

JR
Participant

November 17, 2020 at 9:17 pm

Post count: 2

#33380

Thank you sir for responding to my story.

I guess to be honest the thigh pain doesn’t happen every time I sit down.
Today it was manageable and not nearly noticeable as it has been the day before, I used a heating pad today & sat in a different chair.
When I do have hamstring pain it pretty much always at a certain location. I can almost draw a circle around it the size of a lime on the back of my thigh.

Actually Ive had tailbone pain pretty much every time Ive sat down since the surgery. Even on the edge of a bed. Usually I’ll get tailbone pain if Ive been sitting in my ergonomic chair for more than an hour.
Then like today, I sat in a different chair, I didnt really have any tailbone pain.

Ive been going to PT for about 5 weeks. Ive been really careful & reluctant to do all the exercises they have asked me to do. During a session at their facility I’m fine & can do everything they want me to do.
I mentioned to them about the hamstring & tailbone pain that I have sometimes. So they’ve started me on doing hamstring stretches. I can do a straight leg raise to about 75-80 degrees. Pre-surgery, I couldnt do beyond 10-15 degrees without severe pain.

I’m now worried. I sure don’t want to have to go thru another surgery.
I’m not an active person by any means (no hiking, jogging, biking, etc) so I have no idea how this even happened to me in the first place.
This whole situation has been the worst experience Ive ever had.

Thank you again for reading my story

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

November 18, 2020 at 7:19 am

Post count: 8660

#33381

Your new symptom review is more encouraging. Intermittent pain is less likely to be recurrent herniation and could be seroma (a collection of fluid that should absorb over time) or root inflammation which comes after the root is decompressed. Recurrent herniation is however still in the running. Maybe a short course of oral steroids could be helpful.

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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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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