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Nerve damage resulting from lumbar laminectomy

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steve19128
steve19128

Two years ago I had a laminectomy in the L4/L5 area to relieve severe pain in my right quad, apparently caused by stenosis.  (I'm 68 now but was an avid road cyclist in the years just before this.   And I posted this in the Spinal Problems forum but haven't gotten any responses, so now I'm here!))  The operation eliminated the presenting pain in my quad, but I woke up with nerve damage below that area, specifically the calf down through my entire foot.  My assumption is that a nerve was severed during the surgery.  The feeling is not what I think of a "regular" pain (thankfully) but is more like standing up on a leg that was crossed under your body for too long while sitting on a floor.  So while I can drive, my leg feels as though it's got a fiberglass cast on it---not the best feeling while behind the wheel.   I really haven't seen any improvement in the feeling over the past two years; not with extensive phytical therapy and a lengthy course of Gabapentin (2400 mg/ day for a number of months).   Has anyone else experienced anything similar from their spinal surgery, or found anything that's been useful in relieving such a condition?  Thanks in advance for any help.

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  • steve19128
    steve19128

    Posted

    Thanks to all of you who have shared your experiences and advice with me, and by extension, others on this forum!  Sorry not to reply to each one of you directly, but I hope at least some of you will see this, since it's an indirect reply.

    First, I have to appreciate how easy I have it compared to most of you.  Having read through what a number of you have gone through I feel like I barely even ought to be posting on this forum.  Even at its worst (which is when I'm walking), I'd have to say my pain is below 5 on the 10 scale.  What I felt in my quad before my surgery (and that pain just showed up one morning 2 years ago, without any history of back or leg pain) was a constant pain, one I'd now call "regular pain", as opposed to what I'm now experiencing as "nerve pain";  the two are different in my own experience.  

    The mystery to me is that I can understand how, with stenosis that I didn't know I had, suddenly impinge a nerve in my spine which would cause the intense "regular" pain in my quad.  But it's harder to understand what would happen during a spinal operation that would create a different kind of pain in a different part of my leg.  I was informed in a recent visit to my physiatrist at UPenn that it's not uncommon for people who undergo spinal surgery to come out with back pain that they didn't have before the surgery (and he wasn't talking about the pain from getting a new rod or cage along your spine)---well, I'm happy not to have any back pain!  

    I stopped taking gabapentin, which I'd started taking two years ago, after a year+ at a 2400mg/day dose, because I was concerned that it was causing weight gain (and of course it's easier to walk carrying less weight than more!) and that it wasn't really doing anything to relieve the numbness I feel in that leg.  I'm glad that gabapentin has helped a number of you, but I'm wondering if it has helped others with the kind of numbness I'm experiencing.

    And my sympathy especially to those of you who are experiencing the level of pain that can't really be helped by lower-level drugs.   I just hope you have strong medical support with your pain-relief regimen with anything that might be addictive, since we all know what can happen to patients when a doctor-prescribed drug program is brought to an end:  oxycontin and heroin in way too many cases, sometimes with tragic results.  Hang in there!

  • Ephy3
    Ephy3 steve19128

    Posted

    I just had a two-level fusion from the L3 to the L5 (5 weeks postop) and started getting the same symptoms that you are describing. The symptoms are typical for L5/S1 compression-one level below where we were treated. I have been relaying my symptoms to my surgeon. I am certain that they are not normal despite the fact that my nurse practitioner says that it could be the result of swelling.
  • ivan35545
    ivan35545 steve19128

    Posted

    Steve i was in a lot of pain around my hips but an mri showed the problem was spinal stenosis i had a laminectomy 18 months ago which only added to my lower back pain and has left me very unsteady on my legs which feel as if they are about to give up on me. The surgeon nicked a nerve sac during the operation and while it was patched i am still in lots of pain. I have had surgery for colorectal cancer and have a permanent colostomy which is affected by most pain killers. I'm 72 and still trying to run a business. I was hoping for positive feed back because I Don't know where to turn . I am diabetic and fear the onslaught of neuropathy. Sadly the pain and unsteadiness is increasing. Kind regards, Ivan Gordon

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