Cervical fusion went great, now my sciatic is acting up....ARRRRGGGHHHHH

**davemmevad** · 05-24-2010, 12:52 PM

Hi All,
I'm half venting, half looking for ideas/confirmation. I had C56 & C67 fused 2.5 months ago, and those symptoms are all gone, and I was doing great - I could walk again. Then I started getting pain on the other side. I though I'd just worn a muscle out, so back on the relaxents, but it kept getting worse, right along the sciatic nerver path, sometimes all the way to the foot. Now I can't stand up with out grabbing on to something and pausing a moment for it to go away, and the wife has said 'enough' (smart lady, she is). So I'm heading back to the MD today to have it checked out, because a month of Ibuprofen and Robaxin have really accomplished nothing except make me mark the passage of time in 6 hour increments.

is this at all normal?? or is the normal part that when your disks go bad in your neck they often go bad elsewhere too?

Thanks,
Dave

**kwmillie** · 05-24-2010, 05:50 PM

Hi Dave,
I had a Cervical fusion in March of this year also and it went wonderful, but I already had lumbar issues before the cervical started, so maybe there is corralation between the two. All I know is that someone told me that once your spine starts to go; watch out! because everything will go..... Not what I wanted to hear, but maybe there is some truth to it. I hope that yours is just something minor. Take care,

**KBear** · 05-24-2010, 08:10 PM

I'm not sure how the cervical incorporates with the lumbar, as far as problems go; but I have heard of many people having problems with both. Is it possible that maybe that pain had been there, but the other was so bad you didn't notice it? I had this happen, as initially my cervical was my pain area, not my lumbar, then that healed up and my lumbar took over. Hopefully it is something that conservative treatment can help.... crossing my fingers for you. Let us know how your appointment went.
Kathy

**davemmevad** · 05-25-2010, 05:59 PM

Thanks - I went to the MD and it was determined that it is Sciatica, but don't know if there is a skeletal cause yet. Put me on Neurotin which makes my eyes twitch but helps. Had X-Rays done so we can justify the MRI to check it out, and PT or a nerve block may be in the future. Man, being numb and using a cane was better. not really, but kinda. This mother HURTS...and dang it we have plans to go to Hawaii in August - don't want to mess that up.

I'm sure I'll know more over the next 2 weeks, but I want this fixed NOW. Okay, yesterday really, but Now will be perfectly acceptable.

L8r,
Dave

**kwmillie** · 05-25-2010, 08:17 PM

Sciatic pain is the worst! I feel for you..... Hopefully that will be all that's wrong and the nerve will start to calm down in the next few days. Good luck and I hope that you can take off to Hawaii! Aloha!

**KBear** · 05-25-2010, 10:53 PM

You may want to take the neurontin at night at first, that should help with some of the side effects (unless they are lasting 24/7). I usually get the worst effects within hours of taking a new script, if I am going to get them. This way you will be sleeping and not even notice and hopefully by the time you wake, it will have subsided.

**davemmevad** · 05-26-2010, 12:04 PM

Thanks KW - just a couple days would be good! Oh, and I'll be in Hawaii ... no matter what!

KBear - yes, good advice (and something I never think of til after the fact).
I'm 24/7 on this one, but fortunately, the second 12 hrs wasn't as bad as he first, so, I've just gotta decide which is worse/better.

I'm really really hoping I've just lit off my piriformis in a major way, so they can just inject the muscle and call it done. Not holding my breath, but it'd be nice.

**Katie** · 05-27-2010, 12:29 PM

I don't know if you have tried a chiropractor yet or not, but mine has really helped me with my sciatic pain. Because my back was so fragile, he agreed that he should not do any 'cracking', but when my sciatic pain kicked in, he found that it wasn't my spine that was causing the trouble, but the large muscle where the nerve passed through. It was being pinched.

He used an activator, a device that just quickly 'taps' the trouble spots to get the muscle to release its hold on the nerve, for lack of a better explanation. It has worked every time. A good massage therapist may be able to relieve the pain there too.

I hope this easier treatment can relieve the pain that is taking the fun out of life.

**KBear** · 05-27-2010, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by Katie

I don't know if you have tried a chiropractor yet or not, but mine has really helped me with my sciatic pain. Because my back was so fragile, he agreed that he should not do any 'cracking', but when my sciatic pain kicked in, he found that it wasn't my spine that was causing the trouble, but the large muscle where the nerve passed through. It was being pinched.

He used an activator, a device that just quickly 'taps' the trouble spots to get the muscle to release its hold on the nerve, for lack of a better explanation. It has worked every time. A good massage therapist may be able to relieve the pain there too.

I hope this easier treatment can relieve the pain that is taking the fun out of life.

After some horror with manual adjustments, that is the only way I would let a chiropractor touch me now. I love that little tool, seems to hurt way less.

**Greg** · 05-30-2010, 01:59 AM

Originally Posted by KBear

After some horror with manual adjustments, that is the only way I would let a chiropractor touch me now. I love that little tool, seems to hurt way less.

I went to chiropractors before but it seemed like as long as I went I would get some relief. If I stopped going then the relief stopped as well. Maybe its because if someone went there and there issue wasnt too far gone then they can get some help. But for me now it is too far gone and they just dont work anymore

Heres to hoping your issue is a minor one and can get relieved from conservative treatments