burning leg pain after lumbar spinal fusion

[aliciapo]

I had lumbar fusion with instrumentation (cage and 2 rods and screws) at the L4-5 level in May of 2009. Five months later  I am still suffering from burning pain in my quadriceps (upper front legs ) and weakness in both knees.  If I squat I cannot get up without help. I cannot sleep at night due to nerve pain in both legs.  I also have sharp back pain when I have to move my back from one position to another or use my back muscles to reposition myself.  Will this get better in time or is this permanent.  My surgeon did a CT scan and said everything looks o.k. with the fusion but there was a disk bulge above the fusion which wasn't there before. I am going out of my mind trying to figure out what is causing me so much pain.

Alicia

[Lymes gal]

Hi, I am DO NOT BELIEVE that no one is allergy to titianum or nickel.Do an indepedent blood test MELISA Lab is good, I had L4-5 Spinal fusion hardware now should come OUT.It took me finding a great neruo surgeon.I suffered since 2005,Oh Fusion looks good. NO NO NO it is the titnaum I am allergic too. It took YEARS effected my skin,nervous,legs,walking,headaches,Immune system problems,Sinus.I have an atuo immune problem Why.....Because of the hardware.PLEASE DO NOT LISTEN to doctors who say no way.YES WAY,I am proof and finally getting this crap OUT! of my Back,Read what these things can do,You are not alone...Just find the right Dr. they say it takes an hour for surgery either way don't all suffer as I did YOU know YOUR body.Good luck Now even root canels,dental work a women had lesions in brain they said MS...NO she found out it was the metalsDO a good blood test through a metals specailty lab ya all.
I had lyme, I supposed to have MS now I am wondering was it all after all these years from the lumber fusion hardware...I bet it is

[grand123]

I had a a fusion on l5 S1 little over a year ago in May of 2012. My recovery in the hospital was good except i still had pain in my left leg. Doctor told me it would go away with time. It never did just got worse. I started taking Gabapentin with hydrocodine. I had no relief for the gabapentine. I had a Ct done in december and the hardware was rubbing on the joints. I was excitted to hear they found something that wasnt right because I wasnt feeling much better after the surgery. In February 2013 I had my hardware removed. After surgery my left leg pain was still their was told again it would go away.I had high hopes that I was done with all this back and leg pain and be able to move on in life.Well it is September now and I have constant back pain and left and right now leg pain. My surgoen did another MRI and found nothing that would be causing this pain so he has sent me to a pain doc. Well so far I have had two epidural fluds and one other dont know what it was called but no change except for the first day it was given. I also take Lyrica one time at night with tramedol. I have constant low back pain, buring in both hips and pain half way doen right leg and left leg all the way down. Left leg feels like a weight and goes numb oftern exspecially my big toe and foot.  I am at a loss of what to do and wander is this all the better it gets for me and will it get worse with time because sure seems like it is going this way. I have been goijng to work but it is a challenge everyday.ZIf anyone had expeience the same problem I have I would like to hear from you I feel all alone because the people I have that  i talk to try to understand but hard for them because they dont know what it is like

[Risktaker53]

I too, had surgery July of 2016, at L5, with rods and hardware put in place. Its my second fusion. I had the first one in 1997 and never healed properly from that one, according to the surgeon from July 2018. The day after, my upper right leg began burning intensely. I had and STILL have it to this day (Jan 22, 2018, along with twitching, numbness, pulling. Its so sensitive when I shave my legs or if anyone touches it right. Its like a shock going up my leg. I use Aspercreme to help relieve the burning. The burning is frequent but doesn't burn as bad and as often as it used to. I think because when a tumor was discovered and removed from my pelvis in May of last year, the burning let up a bit. It was so large that it was pressing against everything. I can't even have MRIs because I have a cochlear implant on my left side of head. Also, my right leg goes completely numb from waist down to my toes sometimes, along with weakness in both legs, weakness in lower back and some pinched nerves at times. I too thought it would haven gotten better by now. They told me I had to have surgery to improve my issues but I feel much worst than I did before I had it done. Does anybody think, that this is not the fault of the surgeon, that this would have happened, regardless of who performed the surgery? I was contemplating on seeing a lawyer for damages but I don't know if there was any wrong doing in this case. I still see the same office so it makes it seem that if I didn't think they did right, I wouldn't still be going there. I have other issues that that I'm being treated for and hate going out of town for treatments. I happened to like and enjoy the practitioner that treats me there too so I really hate the thought of taking any steps against the surgeon. BUT, damn, I am suffering and should not be! Has anyone sought an attorney for any type of malpractice suit with these same problems?? I figured July 2108, would be 2 yrs and I think that is the deadline for taking legal action. Please help..Thank you for any input

[Risktaker53]

I meant July 2016 not July 2018

[opus88]

hi ali...sorry for all you're pain.
I am no doctor nor have I had surgery however I do have herniated disks at L4-S5 area, with this herniation I have nerve impingement....and this is what causes the nerve pain that runs down the thighs/hips/legs. nerve pain is a 'burning' type pain.
This impingement will not show on a CT scan only on an MRI.
From the herniated disks I also have leg muscle weakness.
In my opinion only this should have gotten better for you by now(5 months), perhaps a nerve was compressed during the surgery?
keep complaining to you're doctor and insist on an MRI...chances being by the time you get in for the test IF you're pain was going to improve it will have by that time.
good luck