Anyone here still have leg pain after a laminectomy?

Question

I had a laminectomy L5/S1 (without fusion) on Jan 25, 2007. I still have the same pain in the same places I had prior to the surgery. I have researched all the usual sites and the answers are not at all encouraging. I expected to at least be able to get by with minor residual leg pain that eventually would get better with time. I still have to use narcotics daily to get any relief. I tried just using Extra Strength Tylenol but that didn't touch the pain. I used Lyrica for a few days but it made me feel weird. I really am looking for others who have had a laminectomy to give me some encouragement and maybe share their experience with me. Will this awful leg pain ever go away so I don't have to plan my life around it??? Just for the record my leg pain started on St. Patrick's Day 2006. I tried all the conservative treatments before I finally had to give in to the surgery. I am currently doing PT which doesn't seem to help. I would love to hear that I will get better with time.

Answer 1

DEE- IS THE DR FULLY AWARE that you are having all this pain? has the term RSD been thrown out to you? THIS MAY BE TOO SOON, and you could possibly just have a lot of inflammation!, BUT i suffered for so long (20 yrs--im 43) with the same thing and it bothers me to know that they still cant get this damn surgery right! I HAVE NOT HEARD ABOUT MANY SUCCESSSFUL LAMINECTOMIES.

I want to tell you what i did to help ease the pain until they FINALLY DID SOMETHING THAT HAS WORKED WONDERFULLY.

PT - regular physical therapy - hurts like hell! it suck it sucks , and dammit it hurts, but you may benefit from POOL THERAPY, YOU DO SOME WATER WALKING, AND ALL THE SAME EXERCISES IN THE WATER!! but you can overdo, so LOOK OUT! JUST DONT DO AS MANY REPS, or with the same intensity. Then after you have done that- grab some 'fun noodles' or inner tubes, kickboards and just float.. float as long as you can float!! and do not use water weights! this will tall all the pressure off your pack and give your legs a chance to relax.

SPINAL COLUMN STIMULATOR have you ever heard about that? It is often called a 'pain pacemaker'
I can tell you that i was in so much pain and on sooo many meds, and now i am on 2 meds . This could definitely be the answer. also as you read you will find that - first a trial then implant.."if you feel it worked" I say- just go ahead and have the surgery- cuz IT CAN BE REVERSED!
I have had this since August of 2005 and feel blessed because of the relief!!

FAIRNESS I WILL SUPPLY THE LINKS FOR THE 3 COMPANIES THAT I KNOW ABOUT FOR SPINAL COLUMN STIMULATORS- OK

ADVANCED BIONICS
http://www.controlyourpain.com/
BE SURE AND ORDER A PATIENT INFO KIT

MEDTRONICS (even Jerry Lewis has this one!!!!)
http://www.medtronic.com/neuro/ttp/

ANS MEDICAL
http://ans-medical.com



With SCS therapy, minute electrical impulses mask pain signals as they travel along the spinal cord to the brain. Instead of perceiving pain, the brain perceives what many people describe as a smooth tingling sensation called paresthesia. There are external and implanted SCS system parts. The small Implantable Pulse Generator (IPG) and leads are surgically implanted. The external parts include the remote control, cordless charger, and charging station.

Answer 2

Pain After Laminectomy

Answer 3

What does your surgeon say? I'm an RN and I worked in a recovery room for 2 years. I had a patient wake up from laminectomy surgery, and even though he was immediately post op with a fresh incision he told me, "Oh, that feels so much better". He stated that the pain in his legs was gone. He also told me that he had had a previous surgery for the same thing, but it didn't help. I feel bad telling you that, but you might need to have a second opinion. I read recently about an artificial disc replacement device that has proven much more effective than laminectomy alone.

The most important thing is you have to do something. You shouldn't still be having to take strong pain medication. That's a good indication that the surgery didn't do what it was supposed to do. Bless you and I hope you get better soon.

Answer 4

Hi Dee. I have had srgery twice, first time at 20 L3/4, L4/5 and L5/S1 and then again at 30 (im not 31) at L4/5 because of calcification and I coughed the disc out the other side too.
It is not uncommon to still experience pain post surgery, I have found it usually takes about 12 months to get back to normal (don't panic...the pain will diminsh way before that). Work with your physio, perhaps keep a diary of how the pain is each day that you can take to them, this will better assist them in their treatment and exercise plan for you. It is not that long since your surgery and I had the same thoughts about my physio, but these thing take time unfortuantely. Keep with the exercise and perhaps take up swimming also if you have access to a pool or can go to a local one.
Something I have tried more recently to relieve pain and discomfort is prolotherapy, it is working really well for me and is perfectly safe. I have also had another doctor check it out for me. You can read about it at www.prolotherapy.com
Sometimes it seems like it doesn't get better, but it will, just remember it hasn't been that long since your surgery. I is not a minor operation that you have had and things do take time to settle back down and you need to work at it also.
Having experienced what you are talking about, I know things take time and a bit of work, but they do get better... I work a high pressure professional job, and can still do all the things I love like snow skiing and playing tennis despite surgery.
Good luck, keep smiling...you will get there, just give it some time.

As an addition to my previous...I agree with 'mystify', anyone who says that PT's aren't trained to relax the muscles, needs to perhaps try going to once in a while and not offer the exact same answer for everyone. As I have said previously I have experienced exactly what you are going through, and you will find your physio to be a great help if you give it time and if you dont like the one you see, try another....

Answer 5

Check here a very effective sciatica natural treatment http://cure-sciatica.info
Normally, I would not answer a question like this as my expertise is generally in medication but I had severe sciatica while I was pregnant with my 3rd child (after having had twins) and I had sciatica so bad that I was finding it difficult to walk. I tried massage therapy and physical therapy and could not take medication
I went to the chiropractor and the pain was instantly relieved. My hips and lower back were out of alignment because I had carried twins the year before. On occasion a Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) can also work but they usually only work on one joint at a time - the chiropractor will do your whole back which works faster. Anyone who does not believe in chiropractors will tell you they are quacks - don't listen.
I don't necessarily believe that chiropractors can cure things like diabetes but they can definitely relieve some types of back pain especially if a pinched nerve is involved which is usually the cause of sciatica.

Answer 6

Hi Dee. "Fail back surgery syndrome" is quite common. Generally, it suggests the surgery did not address the true cause of your pain. There are many causes of back and leg pain, and disc herniation (the basis for most laminectomies) is only one of many.

You said you tried all conservative treatments, so I am wondering how many different opinions you received from Chiropractors? Has anyone ruled out these causes of back pain and leg pain: 1) Piriformis Syndrome, 2) Sacroiliac Joint Syndrome, 3) Lumbar Facet Joint Syndrome, and 4) various Myofascial Pain Syndromes with referred pain to the leg. All of these are very common and rarely evaluated by medical doctors (because there is no drug or surgical treatment for them; and sadly, docs tend to not look for things they cannot treat). A good Doctor of Chiropractic will know how to differentiate these various conditions and properly treat them if present (you can have more than one!).

There are also many nutritional/environmental causes of back and leg pains (I guarantee your medical doc has NO KNOWLEDGE of these!). A common cause of untreatable neuromusculoskeletal pain is an allergic reaction to the food group known as Night Shades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, spices, tobacco, etc.). Another common and NEVER looked for cause is an adverse reaction to major dental work (e.g. a tooth extraction or root canal that develops into a low-grade, asymptomatic infection that releases toxins and/or bacteria into the body).

An excellent book to help you learn more about the environmental/nutritional possibilities has been written by Sherry Rogers, M.D. It is called "Pain Free in 6 Weeks". It is available at Amazon.com - I highly recommend it.

The information I have provided is based on my training, research and experience as a Chiropractor for over 25 years.

I hope you find this info. understandable and helpful. There are a lot of possibilities that probably have not been explored as the causes of your pain.

P.S. a world-renowned spinal surgeon stated the following at an international seminar on the spine: "your first surgery is your best chance, and your second surgery is your LAST chance". Be very careful about docs recommending more surgeries.

P.P.S. Jason's suggestion about the book by Simons and Travell ("Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual") is a good one. However, this text will provide abundant info. on many myofascial triggerpoint syndromes (not just the gluteus minimus) that can cause the type of pain you seem to be describing.

Answer 7

Here's the deal, and this may not be easy to hear:
If you have the exact same symptoms you had before the surgery, there is a chance that the cause of your symptoms was mis-diagnosed. SO, the remedy applied was not for the condition you have. Sorry.

Get with your PT, and make him/her understand that you have the EXACT same symptoms you had before. Ask them to think creatively, and to ask what other possible explanations (other than L5 radiuculopathy) are there for your pain.

One suggestion: check the Travell and Simons (Simmons?) Trigger Point Manual for gluteus minimus - this muscle on the outside of the pelvis/hip area can mimic sciatic symptoms, including pain down the lateral leg to the ankle.

If your PT is not of any help, it is no shame to go try another one. (I know this first-hand: I have seen patients that have left other people, and I've had patients leave me to try someone else. I have little to no ego about this = sometimes patients just need fresh eyes, a different approach.) Go to APTA.org, click on "find a PT", and seach your home area.

Good luck.

Answer 8

PT is not trained to relax the muscle only to make it move

possible help - Much pain is from muscles below is an example of what may help (based on headaches).
Begin with a couple swigs of molasses or a couple of bananas (natural muscle relaxers) daily - magnesium (which regulates many things in the body) and potassium (a needed building block for muscles).
Drink at least 1/2 gallons of water per day. Running a body low on water is like running a car low on oil is the analogy the head of neurology at UCDavis told my husband about 10 years ago.

Now to the cause - muscles - your back, neck shoulders and head have tender spots. They are knots in the fibers of the muscles called trigger points. It makes the muscles tight which makes them press on nerves and other things causing the pain.

The cure - start with a professional massage, (if this does not do it you probably need a chiropractor as well) you will also want to go back over any place you can get to 6-12 times per session up to 6 times per day rubbing (or lightly scratching on your head) every where that is tender until the knots go away. The place where the skull connects to the spine press up under the edge of the skull (to get to those muscles).

For more information read The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Davies. It teaches what to do and where the pain comes from.

Answer 9

Don't let anyone tell you that "PT is not trained to help relax the muscles only to move it"...what a crock!

There are many theraputic approaches and obviously you current regemine is not helping. Another thought is what did the doctor prescribe for your treatment? The therapist may currently be restricted from performing certain types of treatments if the surgeon restricted him or her to specific interventions. If, however, your surgeon stated "eval and treat "on your order and the therapist him/herself designed the treatment, perhaps another approach is warranted. It's just like the practice of medicine...there is always more than one approach.

Depending on your physical findings, your treatment might include: MDT, stabilization exercises, manual therapy, soft tissue mobilization, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, stretching, modalities, aquatic therapy, biofeedback, strain/counterstrain...the list is long...see comments made by Jason.

I will say, however, that it is still early in your recovery and swelling could still account for the presense of your symptoms. Be sure to discuss your concerns with your therapist and surgeon.

Answer 10

Fix Forward Head Posture Fast!