Trapped nerve pain.
Posted , 6 users are following.
Eight weeks ago I had back surgery to release a trapped nerve, to date there has been no improvement for the pain, and surgeon has told me that he is sorry but it seems to have failed and there is nothing else he can offer.
The pain is across the RH side of my back and down my right leg, I can only walk 1/4 of a mile and then it is unbearable.
Would a Tens machine be of any help and perhaps allow me to walk say 5 to 6 miles so I can rejoin my walking group again, something that I really miss.
If it would help what type should I go for?
Thanks for any replies.
1 like, 11 replies
gary44503 Dolgoch
Posted
I never used a tens. I used a Quell devise, turmeric,omega 3,B complex and my diet. It's working for me. The pain has lessened and I can live again. Research QUELL for yourself. Be well, Gary
john30536 Dolgoch
Posted
Dolgoch john30536
Posted
Don't know if this helps, part of the specialists letters sent before the OP:
His lumbar MRI scan shows scattered aging changes throughout his lumbar spine. He does have evidence of a degenerative scoliosis with the apex in the mid lumbar area convex to the right and there is a fractional curve below with the concavity facing the right side. The degree of scoliosis is not marked but is sufficient to produce foraminal-narrowing at both the L4/5 and L5/S 1 levels on the right side. However the foraminal narrowing at L4/5 produces L4 root entrapment and he does not seem to have any relevant L4 symptoms. He also has a Grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis at the L4/5 level --a-nlinotifirpfisiiigIST there is a-Firare-farlaTeral recess stenosis which clearly would produce the L5 nerve root symptom. At the L5IS 1 level he also appears to have a small disc protrusion which encroaches to the traversing S1 nerve root and he has a mild degree of lateral recess stenosis at L5/S1 as well so that it would be difficult to tell whether the current leg pain is also contributed to from the L5/S 1 level.
As he is primarily a claudicant I reassured him that he does not have any serious pathology responsible for the symptom and there is always an option for him to persevere with conservative care. In the long run injection treatment would have no value and I do not think that a facet injection would produce any positive effect for nerve root symptom as it is designed primarily to relieve facet joint pain which in his case does not seem to have had a positive effect. Assuming that his lower extremity symptom is primarily related to the lateral recess stenosis at the L4/5 and L5/S 1 level, the main surgical option would be to decompress the lateral recess and being an anteroposterior decompression it would be relatively straight forward. However, doing so would not be able to address the foraminal narrowing and there is a possibility that he can develop subsequent L4 root symptom and if that becomes a problem surgical treatment would be rather more difficult as it would involve at least a total facetectomy and in situ fusion of the relevant level and the cranial caudal narrowing of the foramen may even be best addressed by an interbody fusion, which clearly is an even bigger undertaking.
Thanks for any advice.
gary44503 Dolgoch
Posted
My answer stupid!, I had central pontine mylinosis a rare and deadly condition that he has probably never heard of. I spent a year in the hospital with severe never damage a long with being able to move at all.I am speaking from the heart on what has worked for me. Thanks why a said look into it for yourself! Don't listen to anyone especially a physician that probably received there degree from a Cracker Jack box.No one cares about yourself more then yourself. I wish you the best, someone that's actually been though it. Gary
Dolgoch gary44503
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Hi Gary,
I don't think John was calling your answer stupid but I think he was referring to my surgeon, and his non advice.
gary44503 Dolgoch
Posted
I'm sorry, that-makes sense since I have been told over again by doctors that there's nothing they can do for me I started many of these discussions a years ago so I could talk to other people that were suffering
john30536 Dolgoch
Posted
You might try a nerve root sleeve injection and an epidural steroid injection which I thought I sent but have not seen.
If either works to any degree, you will have a good idea of what to do next.
BTW, I grew up very poor and worked really hard to become a physician, being educated and training in some of the very top programs and am proud of my accomplishments.
Dolgoch john30536
Posted
Feb 2016 - Fluoroscopic guided nerve root block injection.
April 2017 - Bilateral lumber facet joint injection at L4/5 and 5S1, mixture of anaesthetic and steroid.
Neither made the slightest difference to the pain.
john30536 Dolgoch
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I really can’t ask where this was done but there are lots of people doing this who have no training and little experience
get yourself to a university center to someone with extensive experience and hopefully you will have a different outcome
Dolgoch john30536
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All done via a NHS hospital and it's pain clinic, one would assume they know what their doing but???
Guest Dolgoch
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Hi Dolgoch,
I'm Lucy from Indonesia. Sorry to hear your problem, it says no patient can recover 100%, even after surgery with a 75% success rate — 50:50 failure risk (cause paralysis). I have a problem with my leg (sciatic nerve pain L5-S1 lateral recess stenosis) for more than 7 year but I think it's heal now.
A friend ask me to join a meditation class: Mindfulness Meditation — Happiness mind and that do help a lot, I feel my body more lighter. I can do my activities like normally and no more back/leg pain. Btw, the whole story can be read on Medium.
Hope it help.