BamaTanya Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Dd's surgery was nearly 4 years ago. Last year she frequently complained of back pain. We went back to the surgeon who called for new x-rays. The fusion seems to be just as he'd hoped. He called for physical therapy, which helped to improve it in the short-term. Now, months later, we're in the same place. The physical therapist actually sent us back to the surgeon for a pain/anti-inflammatory injection (just to the side of the top of the fusion/rods). It helped for a few days. Sigh. Now we're back working with the physical therapist. Dd has a few foam rolls for sleeping/sitting and a couple of resistance tubes with stability ball to practice muscle strengthening at home. Is this unusual? If you or a family member has had this surgery, was chronic pain an issue? tia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 :grouphug: I'm so sorry you dd is having back pain! My scoliosis surgery was a very long time ago. I've not had any particular problems over the years, but I make sure I keep my abdominal muscles strong and do back exercises regularly. I wish I had some suggestions or advice for you, but we'll pray that the doctor finds and takes care of the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shalom22 Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 My sister has had every surgery under the sun to try to get pain relief from her scoliosis. So far nothing has worked. She is surviving on pain killers. I hope that your dd has much better success than my sister. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Have you gotten a second or even third opinion? The surgeon may be excellent, but another doctor may see something he missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLBMom Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I didn't have scoliosis but rather a back injury and had a spinal fusion 3 Weeks ago. My surgeon told me that the only way to tell if the fusion "took" or in other words if the vertebrae grew together properly was to do an MRI. Maybe she needs further testing beyond a plain xray which doesn't tell you anything about the nerves or whats going on inside the spinal column. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I had spinal fusion surgery in 2001 and am in constant pain now. Here is a wikipedia article that explains how this phenomenon is fairly common: Failed Back Surgery Syndrome :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frugalmama Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Yep fairly common. It's a big part of why I elected not to have my back fused {they want to fuse it from skull to hips} right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I had a spinal fusing 16 years ago, but not due to scoliosis. I've gotten some back pain from time to time, but nothing chronic. I'm sorry to hear your dd is going through this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLBMom Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I had spinal fusion surgery in 2001 and am in constant pain now. Here is a wikipedia article that explains how this phenomenon is fairly common: Failed Back Surgery Syndrome :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Ok y'all are making me nervous. I didn't decide on this surgery overnight. In fact I fought it for over a year. It got to the point that I was suffering so much without it I figured I had to try.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I hope this isn't bad news. My mother's fusion was good for ten years. Since then it's been downhill and now she suffers from severe, chronic pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Ok y'all are making me nervous. I didn't decide on this surgery overnight. In fact I fought it for over a year. It got to the point that I was suffering so much without it I figured I had to try.... Sorry. I thought about it for years as well because I was deteriorating so much in what I was capable of doing. My kids were doing all the housework, cooking, etc. - it was very frustrating and I felt I was failing them. I finally decided to get the surgery and I felt better for a while, but the problem with spinal fusion is that after a while the discs above and below the fusion start to feel the pressure and cave in. Then the vertebra rub together causing inflammation and pain. I take lots of ibuprofen which I know is not good for my liver, but I don't know what else to do. If I lie down for a short time, the inflammation subsides and I'm okay for a few hours. I do have to pace myself and be very careful. I wish I had better news. It does work for some people. I'm sorry you having to deal with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I'm so sorry you all are dealing with this. I've lived with an almost 50* curve since puberty. I never got the surgery because my insurance sucked and all my drs kept leaving our HMO. My chiropractor keeps me functional. I don't know if that would help after surgery, though. I'd probably be afraid of going if i had had the surgery. I hope you find answers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Then the vertebra rub together causing inflammation and pain.. This is the reason I had to have my fusion. It wasn't a result of the fusion, but mine is also very low which may be why I don't have much pain. Usually I only have pain if I do too much heavy lifting or lots of bending and such with yard work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anissarobert Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 My dd had 12 vertebrae fused 5 years ago. She has had pain but usually only when she really overdoes it at ballet. She started ballet after her fusion and now she dances 6 days per week. Her pain is in her lower back below her fusion. She recently saw a chiropractor and he did some gentle adjusting of her lower back/hip area and it did seem to help her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest missunderstood Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 i am 25 years old an had my scoliosis surgery 8 years ago i am now always in pain from my neck down to my lower back there are nights i cant sleep from the pain i have tryed everything I'm even on pain meds to no help whats so ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Has she tried taking a break from her assigned exercises? My scoliosis surgery was years ago and I am only rarely in pain. It usually happens when I move the wrong way. For me, this includes too much vacuuming, raking, and heavy lifting, but it is easily mimiced by PT exercises that I have been assigned over the years such as leaning forward to pick up an exercise ball and then lifting it over my head. Finding the solution is tricky. I am sorry your daughter is in pain.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I've had two spinal fusions and one revision (for a total of three surgeries). I'm in pain a lot, but nowhere near the level I had before the surgeries. You know it's bad when you can qualify the type of pain (oh, I did too much vs. it's going to rain). I am an excellent meteorologist now. I know when it's going to rain long before the clouds roll in. I've just resigned myself to the fact that pain is a part of my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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