[Spinal Fusion / Lumbar] Random "burning" 10 months postop?

[nolonger_superman]

First off, good morning and happy thanksgiving everyone! I hope everyone has a safe holiday! With that said, I had a quick question. I have about 14ish hours of driving over the next few days. I woke up this morning and every 5 to 10 minutes I have a very brief (1-2 seconds) burning sensation near the bottom of my scar off to the left side. It is not painful. More annoying than anything. The closest I can come to describing is what you feel when medicine is pumped through an IV. This has not happened in the 10 months since my fusion (L4, L5, S1...discs are still in place). So far, anti-inflammatory meds are not making a difference. Just curious if this is normal or not. Obviously if it persists through the holidays I will contact a doctor next week. I am just slightly concerned due to all of the driving I have coming up. Thanks in advance!

[Kimberly]

Congratulations on being 10 months post-op! YAY! Hope you continue to heal and recover well.

I don't have any "real" information (no data or studies to link you to) but I also get a burning/pinching pain right over my two posterior incisions from time to time. I'm about 4 1/2 months out from a L4-S1 ALIF and often I get a very hot sensation or a "pinching" pain (like my skin and muscles are caught in a zipper). It comes on very quickly, feels quite superficial and localized and is quite painful but doesn't last long. If I change positions, walk around and massage the area it seems to resolve itself within a minute or two. It is definitely "new" post-op pain and is different from any pain I've had in my 12 years of back/leg pain. I really don't know, but I am leaning toward attributing it to the screws and hardware. I suppose there really isn't a good way to find out if it is the hardware that's bothering me except to remove it later on.

Hope your discomfort resolves itself and good luck with your drive.

Happy holidays!

Kimberly

[Pbchoclovr]

Like Kimberly, I'm now 5 months post op and I still get a burning sensation at the top of the back of my leg where it meets my bottom. This is different from pre surgery pain and seems to appear when I've over done it. Sometimes rest will make it go away. Other times, I need my PT to work her magic. My PT feels it's all muscular irritation, not sure if it's from the rods and screws on that side or just trying to do too much.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and managed the drive with as little discomfort as possible.

Linda