This may go on for a while, I need some advice. 20 years ago I hurt my back for the first time. In 1989 I had my first Laminectomy, a couple more since. June 2006 I had a cervical fusion done from c4 to c7. In April 2008 I had a Lumbar fusion done from L3 to S1. Nothing but problems since and 4 or 5 additional MRI's. BTW both Cervical and Lumbar were done by the same Neuro Surgeon. Today I went for a second opinion since the pain management (Epidurals, Cordals, Facet Injections, Percocet, Oxy and most recently Nucynta) havn't helped. The Orthopedic surgeon that I saw today did something that my Neuro hasn't done in years, he took some good old fashioned x-rays first and when he came into the examining room to speak to my wife and I, he said I was a mess and proceeded to show us a broken pedicle screw in my neck with a piece of the screw floating about 3 inches away from the plate, and to add insult to injury my lower back x-ray showed another broken screw there and he says that I now need a CT scan and another mylogram (my third over the years, and I was sick to my stomach after each of the others) because he doesn't think the fusion in my back took. Anyway, I can handle one of the 16 screws in my back and neck having a problem, but 2 of them broken at the same time and no one noticing after my complaining for the last couple of years seems like a very bad coincidence, and I don't believe in coincidence. What the heck is going on here, is it me or is it the Doctors or the parts manufacturers etc. I know this seems to just go on, but I need to vent. ANY ADVICE WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

Hello and Welcome to NT FrankV!

There are many here who have gone through similar experiences and they should be along soon to share with you.

I hope you'll make some new friends and get some advice for dealing with your chronic pain. Take care and feel better soon.

Welcome to the forum, Frank.

They are going to take the broken screws out, right? That ws my first thought.

I don't know that, if it were me, I could blame that NS. I would be furious that the hardware did not hold up though. I could see if it failed after 15-20 years, but 2? No way.

My Dh had broken his leg and had several screws and plate in 1980. when he finally got all this removed, two screws were found to be broken. Gave him some grief, but you can guess, in his ankle, not as scary as in your spine. The doc said this can happen, bones move and stress the screws, some will snap.

In a limb often you could see them right through the skin (we couldn't, and this like I said was the ankle). In the spine, I doubt you'd see that, ever. If docs know this could happen, you'd think they would x ray and keep an eye on it. Especially with the pain you kept telling them about.


If I took issue with anything the doc did or did not do, it would be that.


I was told I HAD to have ACDF at C 4-5 in 2004. NS made it sound like I was risking life and limb, just driving home from the consult. I read up and decided against it. I have pain and issues, but from what I read, i'm in no worse shape than if I'd done it - and maybe I'm better off.

Really no advice. Just hope for a decent outcome for you. Maybe get a couple opinions, both NS and OS, and make a point of demanding x rays every 6 mos or so.

Good luck.

Welcome. Wow. Im glad you found a doc to identify what is going on.
I hope they will find a good solution to this.