Posted , 5 users are following.
I had an L5-S1 fusion 4 months ago. Had terrible muscle spasms afterward. I went thru physical therapy in a pool. Im back to work and doing very well except for one thing. i can't roll over in bed or get out of bed without gritting my teeth in pain. Has anyone else experienced this? Does it get better? Thank you.
0 likes, 3 replies
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leonard87499 janet90745
Posted
i had L3/L4 fusion 4 weeks ago. i am careful when turning over in bed, and turn with shoulders/hips at same angle.
i am sure you'be been given muscle relaxants by your doctor.
Seafarer123 janet90745
Posted
I had an L5/S1 laminectomy and discectomy almost 8 years ago and I STILL struggle with pain when turning over in bed. Granted I have since developed an arthritis in that area that plagues me but difficulty rolling over in bed has been a constant frustration, no matter how good I might feel during the day.
My personal thought as to why this happens is that your back tends to stiffen when you spend too much continuous time in any one position, whether it be sitting, standing or laying down. And for those of us who don't naturally twist and turn during our sleep, as we lay in one continuous position for hours while sleeping we unavoidably stiffen up, so that when you wake up in the morning (or during the middle of the night), you feel a pain when twisting your spine that you might not feel during the day when you are moving and have loosened/warmed up the muscles in your lumbar area.
The two recommendations I would have would be (a) sleep on your side, in a semi-fetal position, with a stabilizing pillow between your thighs. This is the most stable position for your spine and might help minimize the stiffening that could come from other sleep positions that can be more spine-stressful; and (b) ask your doctor for some kind of extra pain (or muscle relaxing) med that you can take at bedtime. One thing that works for me is the extended-release version of Tramadol (also known as Ultram). Most people are only prescribed the immediate-release (50 mg) Tramadol which doesn't last long enough to cover your sleep time. If you go to bed at 11 pm it will wear off by the time you might want to wake up at, say, 7 am. The extended release version (Tramadol ER), which comes in 100, 200 or 300 mg tablet sizes, stays in your bloodstream for 24 hours and covers you better overnight, especially if you take it each night at bedtime.
Good luck!
caroline2071 janet90745
Posted
have you tried gel ice packs? ( once you have this opp it can put pressure on you faucet joints) i find them really good but 4 months is still very early and recovery from this opp is very slow, also the previous comment about the pillow and lying on your side are great but if your not taking pain killers then i would avoid them at all cost! tramadol is highly addictive (it takes only 3 weeks to become dependent/addictive) and the nhs are cutting back on meds massively and docs are still giving them put but are now being told to stop them and for a lot of patients its without warning, there are great alternatives to meds believe me i have been on them all.
tumeric golden paste by dave english...this is amazing stuff also keep up with the pool, good luck and take care😊