Back Surgery????????

Question

I need a little advice.... I had back sugery in Oct to remove a bulging disk that was putting pressure on my sciatic{sp} nerve. well to make a long story short , soon after I started haveing the same pain as before, {sever pain in right buttock and down leg and we will not even discuss the back pain} so i went back to my doctor and he did another MRI and said that the scar tissue had grown around the nerve and that was what was causeing all the pain, put me on meds and said the only other option was surgery. So now I have been on these meds for about 6 months now and the pain is just getting worse. So I have made a appointment with him to discuss the surgery to remove the scar tissue. What I would like to know is if there is anyone else who has been thru this and if so what do i have to look forward too? How dangerous is this surgery and what if they snip my nerve will that cause perm damage? My sister had a car accident a few years ago and just stretched her nerve and now she is crippled and in a wheel chair. Should I take the chance or just keep taking the pain meds and hope it gets better. I don't see how it can get better until it is removed but I am haveing to take pain meds about 4 times a day to even be able to set up or get up to cook dinner or dishes or anything. I am SCARED and don't know what to do

Answer 1

I would probably get a second opinion before you decide for sure what to do. Even though the scar tissue would be removed in the surgery it would grow back, and usually the more surgeries that you have done the more that keeps growing back. I've had 4 spine surgeries (to implant a Spinal Cord Stimulator which ended up being complected because they found that I'm a Keloid scarrer) and I have a large amount of scar tissue in my spine and you can even feel the "lumps" of scar tissue that has formed. My doctors have told me that there isn't much they can do because any time that the scar tissue is removed it grows back, and often times more tissue accompanies it. If you were to have the nerve severed anything that the nerve controls would be gone and there can be many problems with having this done. The nerve wouldn't grow back either. I have found that swimming and other activities have helped break up the scar tissue which causes much of the pressure and discomfort on my spine, and I know that there are other treatments out there besides surgery to remove scar tissue. Here are some websites that may be helpful in deciding what to do. http://www.plasticsurgery.org/patients_consumers/procedures/ScarRevision.cfm
http://www.burnsurvivorsttw.org/hyper.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scar

Answer 2

A chiropractor is qualified to tell you if he can help you...and well qualified to tell you if surgery would be a wise choice for your condition, since a chiropractor specializes in the spine and the physiology of the spine. Even though they don't perform surgery, they understand the physiology of the whole process.

But in this case...if you have a spinal fusion with any type of hardware, a chiropractor wouldn't be able to adjust this area. And the fact that scar tissue is what is causing the problem you are having now, there isn't really anything a chiropractor could do to help you, other than help you prevent the problem in the rest of your spine.

This is tough...because chances are if they surgically remove the scar tissue, it may likely grow back. The formation of scar tissue is the bodies way of strengthening a weakness in the body.

I do wish you well and hope that you feel better soon.

Answer 3

I don't think a chiropractor is qualified to determine if you need surgery or not. This is a very delicate issue and the Doctor has your X-rays and MRI's etc. He's the one that knows your case.
To many people run to a chiropractor right away and prolong their suffering. Most chiropractors will take X-Rays and then send you to your doctor anyway and, you already know you need your doctor.

I have had back surgery due to severe degenerative arthritis. In fact twelve times. I have twelve cadaver bones and twelve of my own bones in my spine, along with 32 screws and wire.

The nerves are damaged beyond repair, I've waited for over four years but, they've only gotten worse.
You can stay on a medical drug program but, I wouldn't, I'm 68 years old, it's about to late for me now but, if I were young, I would want to be as healed as possible.
A drug program puts you in a different lifestyle, you can't drive, everyone looks at you funny and treats you like an imbecile.
Have surgery if it's necessary and take the chance.

Answer 4

By doing the surgery to remove scar therapy, the doctor will be creating more scar tissue!

I would suggest seeing a physical therapist trained in the McKenzie method (www.mckenziemdt.org). You will be able to put in your zip code and find your closest therapist.

Your problem is called an adhered nerve root (ANR). It can respond fairly well to therapy but involved gently stretching the nerve and restoring the disc to its normal position/structure. This will take some time. Chiropractic adjustments may well just irritate the whole area, inflamming the scar tissue and making it 100 times worse.

If the nerve is severed, you will loose all function associated with that nerve - it will not grow back. You could face paralysis or loss of sensation from that nerve.

You may want another opinion from a pain management doctor. Sometimes, injections in the area will help to decrease the scar tissue or inflammation in the area.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Get a second opinion! I was in a car accident and now have back injuries and long lasting effects of whiplash.

The thing about back injuries is, they never go away. Surgery may or may not help you and can make you worse. It is critical that you research your condition and get a second opinion. This is your life!

I feel your pain and wish you the best. Good luck.

P.S. Be careful seeing a chiropractor, my back was adjusted and it made it worse! When I had my accident I sustained injuries to my lower and middle back (plus the whiplash), but had no pain in my spine. After getting my back adjusted, I was almost completely paralysed for 3 days and I have had severe pain in my spine since. That goes nicely with all the other pain,lol

Answer 6

Talk to a Chiropractor. We deal with pain shooting down the legs all the time. The Chiropractor will tell you if the surgery is worth it or not. Find a Chiropractor the deals with alignment if the spine (not all of them do). A good web site is:
www.idealspine.com
I had the same type of pain in my arm, scared me also. My Chiropractor fixed me in 5 visits. Go in with a very open mind-do not expect a quick fix.
Good Luck

Answer 7

I would get a second opinion. Even for something as minor as that, the way I look at it, any time you have to cut into something should be a last resort. I don't know much about carpal tunnel, but depending on what you do that caused it, maybe see if there's physical therapy or something you can do to strengthen those muscles or something.

Answer 8

I'd consult your doc before you try a chiropractor.

If he takes the scar tissue off - will it grow right back? If they snip the nerve, there will probably be permanent damage.

I have probs with sciatic - and other nerves. I know how you feel.

Talk with your doc about these questions.