Hello SPS! Non-Union of Lumbar Spine Fusion

[GoCubsGo!]

Good Morning! I just recently stumbled across this site and I have to say after all the issues I have had it gives me hope that I was not the only one going through tough times. So to start I want to thank you all that have posted and I hope to gain some strength from you all.

I will be quick here. In 1991, I was hit in the small of my back during a football practice while in high school. I paralized for about 2 minutes, which felt like hours, but I was able to get up. I finished practice and the season. My mom took me to 3 doctors and each one just told me I had a bone bruise of the spine and I should sleep with a piece of plywood under my bed and that would help.

Fast forward to 2004. I bent down when loading the washing machine and when I stood up I experinced a pain like nonother. I went to a pain specialist doctor who for the next 7 years would inject cortisone between L-5 and S-1 when I started to walk like Frankenstein. It would help for a few months. Then in December of 2010 I was washing my ankles in the shower and when I stood back up there was the pain so I got what was going to be my last injection because it did not help and the numbness in my toes was constant. Now it was off to a doctor that was a specialist in matters of the spine.

Another MRI was done as well as countless Xrays(Some nights I glow). He recommended surgery which was a bummer becuase I had lost 70lbs and that was supposed to help. So on 6/2/11 I had the fusion surgery which brought relief for about 8 weeks. So around 2 months post-surgery the numbness in toes and pain at the site and down the legs started to come back. At the 6 month check up the doctor ordered a CT Scan (glowing again). It showed that my body dissolved the cadaver bone and it had not fused. More surgery was the outcome of the CT Scan but I am now trying a bone stimulator for around a month and I have not noticed a change yet. I go back on 2/22/12 to more than likely set another surgery date.

Sorry I meant to be quick but I hope that you all understand. If anyone has any info on the bone stimulator and if it worked for I would appreciate it. The next surgery they will take a piece of my hip and my time off work would be longer and I about tapped out my time during the last surgery so I will be recovering without a paycheck.

[laid up doc]

yikes, no fun.... what type of fusion did you have? meaning - did they go in through the front or back? what kind of stabilization did they use? did they also use BMP (bone morphogenic protein) with the cadaver bone?

as far as bone stimulators - i have know of 1 lady on another forum who used it on a cervical fusion revision. not sure how it's different when lumbar...

[GoCubsGo!]

They went in through the back and the doctor used screws and rods for stabilization. Sorry I was never given the fancy names for my procedure. If he did i was so nervous and did not process them at the time. The doctor never mentioned anything about BMP being used. I think since I am 36 and relatively healthy that he did not foresee my body rejecting the cadaver bone like it did.

I wish that i would have found this site sooner so i could ask the doctor this stuff. I trusted the doctor and talked to many people about him and it was all extremely positive. For the record, I still trust him and won't have any issues having the second surgery but next time they are going to take a piece of my hip so I don't know how much of a game changer that is.

I am 32 days in using the bone stimulator and I have to say that i am mixed on if it is working because I have some good moments where it doesn't hurt as bad as others and i can feel my toes. In general though I would still say my surgery site feels very swollen to the point were the pain shoots down my legs and I get no relief or sleep.

I should add too that i don't smoke or anything like that and i have DDD and whatever it is called when the vertebrae is cracked and healed incorrectly. I remember the doctor saying the name but i forget now. Just more background info.

[Justin]

Hi GoCubsGo,

Welcome to the Spine Patient Society!

I'm sorry that you are dealing with spine issues at a relatively young age. Thanks for adding information regarding smoking as I was going to ask you questions relating to lifestyle. During your recovery from your fusion in June, did you give yourself time to recover before engaging in low-level bending (tying your shoes), extreme twisting, high impact activities? Just curious as the mind is usually "ready to go" post-op before one's fusion "takes." This can be detrimental and lead to unfavorable results.

BTW, did you use any NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc. post-op? Once again, just curious as NSAIDs in high doses can potentially inhibit bone remodeling post-operatively.

I've spoken with a good number of Spine Patients that have had great success with bone stimulators online as well as in the clinic.

Keep us posted on your progress with the bone stimulator.

[GoCubsGo!]

Thanks for the great site Justin. I have worn a brace everyday since leaving the hospital so that has helped keep me from twisting or over doing it. I am getting very tired of wearing the brace and the doctor told me to keep wearing it for added support since the surgery failed to take. My wife and kids have been wonderful in picking stuff up for me or just helping me in general (i.e. tying my shoes and picking up the paper) so I owe them a ton when I finally get better. For weeks post op my wife assisted me with showers so i did not have to bend at all. I am very fortunate.

As for meds, I have only taken hydrocodone or tylenol with codine since the surgery. I only take the hydrocodone at night before bed just to take the edge off. I find that it's usefulness has weakend as my pain seems to have increased. I have tried to not take it and I didn't sleep at all because the pain was just too bad. I hate being tied to it mostly because of the stigma but it usually helps me to get to sleep.