Impaired gait as a result of AAA?
Posted , 5 users are following.
I recently had open repair for AAA measuring 6x8 cm. I am a healthy, active female age 45. I noticed, as my AAA was growing in size that my gait was impaired- weaker hip extension muscles, psoas, etc on the right side and chronic hamstring tightness on the left. I am hypothesizing that perhaps the enlarging AAA was causing nerve innervation issues and also possible circulation issues.
Curious if anyone has/had experienced issues from a mechanical perspective with mobility, specifically the gait cycle. Walking SUPER slow is fine but when I try to walk at normal gait, all bets are off and my gait is irregular, stumbling. Thank you
0 likes, 11 replies
shannon_46359 julia58042
Posted
Ok. Now that's interesting! I have an AAA (4.4 cm). In the past month or so, I have had tremendous pain (especially in the morning) EXACTLY where you describe. I've never had back pain act like this--and I have no memory of hurting my back. It just started one morning. I'll be very interested to hear if any others have experienced anything like this (it had not even occurred to me that there could be a relationship between these issues!).
julia58042 shannon_46359
Posted
shannon_46359 julia58042
Posted
Julia, I just found this article. And I need to correct my last reply: I have a Thoracic aneurysm(Ascending). Not abdominal. So I can't imagine they could be related.
http://www.jospt.org/doi/pdf/10.2519/jospt.2014.4935?code=jospt-site
gloria10315 julia58042
Posted
I have an ascending aorta aneurysm that's 4.8 centimeters and I haven't had surgery yet and I have the same problem as you described. I have scoliosis so I thought that was the problem. Are you any better since your surgery? If you don't want to say on here could you private message me?
julia58042 gloria10315
Posted
Its too early to tell. If the AAA was causing nerve innervation issues, that will take time for the nerve and/ or nerve root to become "awake" amd begin sending signals appropriately again to the muscles. It is typically NOT permanent. I am just 2 weeks post surgery so I have to ne optimistic. The aorta is near L3/4 which is the origin of most if not all of the nerves impacting gait
derek76 julia58042
Posted
shannon_46359 gloria10315
Posted
Hi Gloria, I also have an Ascending Aneurysm (4.4 cm). I'm having the same pain in my lower back and along the hips (on both sides). It's worse in then morning, seems to be related to moving around (carefully) and it gets better. But the first couple of hours are excruciating! It never occurred to me that it could be related to my TAA. Have you mentioned it to your doctor?
Shannon
julia58042 derek76
Posted
derek76 julia58042
Posted
It was an interesting post and I'm surprised how many others have back pain as it something that would not be expected until late on when the aneurysm was very big.
Mine is growing very slowly from 3.1 in 2004 to 4.0cm now.
May your recovery continue to go well
shannon_46359 derek76
Posted
derek76 shannon_46359
Posted
Shannon the back pain you have described is typical of what millions of others of us have as we get older. The pain those with an AAA that is about to burst is usually evidently an extreme pain of sudden onset rather than one over a long period.
https://patient.info/doctor/ruptured-aortic-aneurysm