QuestionI have a question I hope that you can help with. I injured my lumbar spine while picking up a wire spool weighing roughly 120lbs. I lifted it, then went to turn an kind of twisted my back. Instant pain down left leg as well as lower back. I had mris an cts done. Then I had suregury on L4-L5, L5-S1 last march. After doing therapy for a cpl weeks. I started noticing my left arm would go numb when I layed on my right side with my head on a pillow. For about the past maybe 6 months my arm has also started going numb while walking. I'm pretty much wondering, could this be related to the lumbar injury that was never a problem until after surgery. The main reason I'm asking if it could be related, is prior to surgery I was healthy an no pain anywhere. Since the surgery I've had problems with the above an also pain in my hips. I was told 6 months ago at my 6 month ct that T10 was not in good condition, but the surgeon never address it. An I have asked about the numbness an pain in mid back an he just over looks it. As well as anything. It was determined it was a failed back surgery an he has pretty much washed his hands of me. Sorry for the long winded question, but I did want to provide as much info as possible.
Thank you in advance
John
AnswerHi, John,
Your lift and twist injury set up a pattern of muscular contraction along your spine, which would cause pain and compress discs.
Arm numbness would come from tight neck muscles squeezing the nerve trunk to your arm.
The pain down your left leg sounds like a reaction to the lift and twist injury in which your sacrum (central pelvic bone in back) got twisted. Please see this entry and read it for a fit to your own symptoms. | http://lawrencegoldsomatics.blogspot.com/2011/04/understanding-sacro-iliac-joint
Surgeries often trigger muscular contractions around the site of injury, so it's not surprising to me for symptoms to have appeared after surgery. Surgeries are injuries that must heal. Please see this entry: http://somatics.com/recovery_from_injury.htm
