Uniontown, PA
A 41-year-old female asked:
I had back surgery back in december. a lumbar decompression due to spinal stenosis at l4-l5 level. i also have a bulging disc at the same level that they did a microdisectomy on. i continue to have severe burning pain down my right leg all the way to my
4 doctor answers • 14 doctors weighed in
Dr. James Marxanswered
Pain Management 50 years experience
Need Reevaluation: .. All the way to .. Is important. Have you told your surgeon? Was there immediate relief that didn't last? Have you seen a pain specialist-concerns are continued nerve root involvement, sympathetically mediated pain and even myofascial pain if the pain is not all the way down your leg. There are meds which can help tremendously with this kind of pain like snri's and anti-epileptic drugs.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Thomas Dowlinganswered
Orthopedic Spine Surgery 42 years experience
Need further workup: May be due to continued nerve entrapment in terms of residual spinal stenosis, a recurrent disc herniation, scar tissue development about the nerve or neuropathic pain related to the nerve not fully recovering from the prior compression &/or related to its manipulation during your surgery or a combination of these. A MRI with contrast is best diagnostic test for this & possibly an emg/ncv test.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Chan Hwanganswered
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 29 years experience
Postlaminectomy pain: This presence of ongoing pain after what should have been curative surgery is not uncommon. The key is proper diagnosis. Sometimes there is no further measure that would "fix" the problem, e.g., scar tissue irritating the L5 nerve root, rsd, etc. There will still be ways to treat using lifestyle and medications. So find a doctor specializing in musculoskeletal disorders who can diagnose and treat.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Michael Gofeldanswered
Pain Management 34 years experience
Neuropathic pain : Assuming your surgery was performed technically correct, the condition is called postlaminectomy syndrome. Typically a trial of medications (eg Gabapentin and nortriptyline) is warranted. If no pain relief is achieved the spinal cord stimulation should be considered.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Jan 24, 2019
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