I'm not sure how many folk from the old board are back here, so I don't know if there are people reading here with this issue...the old board had been quite helpful.

I had a laminectomy and fusion of L3,4,5 in February, because of a spinal synovial cyst. I still have pain.

I was definitely improving until around May, when I developed new pain in my butt, and then radiating down the front of my thigh. It gradually got worse. There's also a "gripping" sort of back pain, and a "catching" when I make a sudden movement.

I had a CT and MRI done which show that everything is healing according to plan. There is no fusion yet, but the bone is forming. Apparently, it's okay to not see fusion at this point. The instruments are all in place and holding me nicely.

My surgeon, seeing there's nothing surgical, is not terribly interested in what to do now. My neurologist says my symptoms are almost all L5, but there's nothing obvious going on there.

He put me on a medrol dosepak to see if that helped, and it did. I ended up on a second dosepak a week later, because my sinuses acted up and my sinus guy wanted me to take them again. (this is complicated--but my adrenals aren't working because of steroids).

I have found physical therapy not useful. I tried Pilates, but ended up with more pain. I found a Feldenkrais practitioner who has been very very helpful. She's helping me learn to move in ways which do not cause pain, and sees her work as re-patterning. It does work.

But I'm still in more pain than I'd want. I'd like to know what people's experience is with healing from this surgery. Is this within the range of expectable? What did you do to help?

That moving without pain has been unintentionally self learned by me. I know I look "funny" getting up from sitting, getting in and out of a car etc. I autmatically go into "very apprehensive" mode say getting in and out of my truck and especially someone else's car that is low to the ground. I use my arms and shoulders a bunch to help me up and down. I walk with purpose and direction all while thinking how the whole skeleton is moving. Never planned on any of this just a survival thing I guess.

So much good luck to you on recovery and improvement!
jb

[QUOTE=ejbpesca;3523]That moving without pain has been unintentionally self learned by me. I know I look "funny" getting up from sitting, getting in and out of a car etc. I autmatically go into "very apprehensive" mode say getting in and out of my truck and especially someone else's car that is low to the ground. I use my arms and shoulders a bunch to help me up and down. I walk with purpose and direction all while thinking how the whole skeleton is moving. Never planned on any of this just a survival thing I guess.

I guess this means the pain remained?

Liza, do you think you may have changed your gait, or the way you sit, stand, or walk, using muscles and parts of your body differently, that may cause pain in these areas? Also, it is my understanding, that nerve roots remember pain, and it can take quite a while for them to realize they are not compressed any more. Kind of like phantom pain, where an amputee feels pain in the lost limb.
I hope you feel better!
Carolyn

It feels like all the muscles of my back no longer attach where they were accustomed to attaching, and they just don't know what to do. So I might bend from the hips, but the back muscles get involved and cramp up. Or I twist a bit from the waist, and the hip muscles pull. But when I say pull, I mean Pull, suddenly, just pull.

And also, there's this pain down the front of the thigh to the knee. It went away with steroids, but is coming back.

Yes Liza, pain is evidently with me for life. I won't list off my spinal ailments but they add up to hurt everyday in some way or another. I am 54 and just don't think I'll ever be out of pain. I always have to be careful and limit activity to such short time spans. Kinda pathetic but I could have been (should have been) a quad...so I'll actually lucky.

Hi all and hope u can answer this question for does anyone think its normal to have severly swollen ankles and feet and semi my hands and terrible arthritic pain from this recent surgurey had it nov 10 06 please send me your opions and or if u have encountered this problem too thank harleymom