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Philadelphia, PA
A 26-year-old male asked:

I had a spinal fusion l5-s1. i now have dull aching pain in my back that i think is from the screw heads. what are my options?

2 doctor answers3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Jason Torrente
Family Medicine 24 years experience
Follow up: You should follow up with your spinal surgeon. He/she may be able to determine upon examination if your symptoms are due to the hardware or something else.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Mark Weston
Orthopedic Spine Surgery 33 years experience
Find pain generator: The classic studies in medicine where done by dr mark asher in kansas they showed no difference in outcome with removal of hardwareyour option are to prove the screw is the pain genertor theory with fluroscopic guided local injection if you get excellent relief the screws can be removed if your fusion appears solid and was not done for deformity.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Last updated Apr 10, 2018

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