[Piriformis Surgery] Bilateral Piriformis Release Sugery on 11/23

[CraigT]

Hello all,

I am still on the mend from my surgery a few weeks ago, my left side is feels OK but my right side has a large fist size numb area and still lots of pins an needles so I am a bit concerned. I see my Dr in NYC this week but wondering if anyone had prolonged numbness this far after surgery.

Craig

[Justin]

Hi Craig,

Welcome to the Spine Patient Society! I hope your recovery is going well and that your current discomfort lessens as days pass. In my humble opinion, your current numbness & pins/needles sounds like a normal post-operative complaint for piriformis release surgery, especially since you are only 3 weeks post-op.

Once again, welcome and please let us know what your surgeon in NYC has to say.

Hang in there.

[rob wilson]

I have numbness at 3 months post op. the numbness is a little annoying but my sciatica is almost 100% gone. That is the main thing. These other things you mention will just take time. Maybe even a year.

[CraigT]

That makes me feel a bit better.
I am a still a bit pessimistic though, this is my 3rd surgery and all to correct my bilateral hip pain, the sciatica pain didn't surface until after my second surgery when they cut my left femor in half and repositioned. My original hip pain is this deep bilateral burning sensation that is ongoing, time will tell but I need to be positive

[Cindylou]

I hope this surgery does the job for you Craig. I cannot think of too many worse things than coming out of a surgery, and it just not addressing your pain issue. And then here comes another surgery. I know the cycle too well. Hang in there Craig. I hope this is the one.

[Phylly]

Hi Craig,
I may be looking at the piriformis surgery too. What led you to your decision? How are you doing? How sore were you after surgery and were you able to you sit? Please keep posting. I hope your recovery is going well and your numb spot is going away.
Phylly

[KBear]

to the site. I don't have any answers on the numbness; but you are very early post op, so I wouldn't worry too much. Just be sure to mention it to your surgeon.

[CraigT]

Thank you all for the kind comments. I went to see the surgeon post op this week and he did say that the numbness and tingling are normal. He also said the longer I had this issue the longer it could take to heal, I had this issue for close to 10 years, I sure hope it doesn't take that long to get better.

Phylly, I can actually say that I can take the credit for the initial diagnosis, after 2 failed surgeries and countless other modalities I never gave up on my research. With sites like this and others I was able to get the MR Neurography and a nerve conduction study by the RIGHT doctors and both tests proved positive of PS. I am very positive that we found the smoking gun but unfortunately time will only tell. For now the pain has subsided, I don't need to take as much percoset and now I am weening off my other pain meds that I've been taking for over 3 years.

If you have any questions at all I would love to share more experiences!

Craig

[Justin]

Phylly, I can actually say that I can take the credit for the initial diagnosis, after 2 failed surgeries and countless other modalities I never gave up on my research. With sites like this and others I was able to get the MR Neurography and a nerve conduction study by the RIGHT doctors and both tests proved positive of PS. I am very positive that we found the smoking gun but unfortunately time will only tell. For now the pain has subsided, I don't need to take as much percoset and now I am weening off my other pain meds that I've been taking for over 3 years.

If you have any questions at all I would love to share more experiences!

Craig

Craig, a big thumbs up for never giving up on your research. I wish you well in the coming months. Thanks for sharing your experience with the community.

[Phylly]

Craig,
Thank you so much for your answer. I have not given up and am pretty sure after two successful Botox injections under EMG that this is the problem. My Dr. has done it before so I do have confidence in him, I just didn't know how long the immediate recovery was, like sitting. I have also had many back surgeries and still have residual sciatica and tailbone pain that comes back when the Botox wears off. It was not something I wanted to add to my list of surgeries but I too diagnosed this as a problem before i had multiple back surgeries. It is good to hear that you feel it was successful?
I am working hard on reducing my pain meds from the last surgery but it has been difficult with this going on. I guess I need to take one step at a time. I really appreciate our input.
Phylly