Question
In 2001 I started seeing Doctors about my neck and left hip pain. After 4 long years of pain a Doctor finally ordered a cervical MRI and I was diagnosed with stenosis at C4-C5,C5-C6 and a bone spur. I was finally given medicine to relieve my pain and told I would have to have surgery when the pain got too severe. Last January after a long 4 hour drive my pain hit the ceiling and my whole left side started to tingle. I felt like I had been beaten on my left side. I called to schedule surgery. I had cadaver bone put in place of discs and a metal (?) plate put in. I am not better after surgery. I have chronic pain that becomes agonizing if I do much of anything. The left side of my body tingle always tingle and my right hand and foot. I am unable to work. My doctors have not explained to me what is going on. My neurosurgeon just seemed upset that the surgery didn't work and did not mention doing anything else for me.

Also, I was diagnosed with tension headaches back in 1980 because of the constant pain at the base of my skull and was put on antidepressants. Coould this have been the beginning of spinal stenosis? Please explain my chronic severe pain and weakness on my left side.

Answer
Hi Laura,

Why this comes as a revelation of disappointment to your neurosurgeon is beyond me. In my entire career I would be lucky to count on one hand favorable clinical outcomes from neck or low back surgery. These procedures routinely create more problems then they solve. Your headaches could have been secondary to the stenosis, it is impossible to know for sure. Without knowing if it was a herniated disc, spurs or central canal narrowing, I can't tell you if surgery was even necessary. Less than 10% of the time it is, so I doubt it. Be that as it may, post op patients have few options left since traction and physiotherapeutic modalities are contraindicated in failed fusion outcomes with titanium metal implants.

If you read most of the spinal surgery questions, you will soon realize you are not alone.

To answer the direct question; yes, it could have been a result of spinal stenosis. The chronic severe pain and weakness on the left side is probably secondary to scar tissue proliferation causing nerve root compression; MRI study should confirm this.

I wish I had an answer to your pain but I am sure you have exhausted most options, at least you have an honest answer to your question, that's all I can do.:(

Dr. Timothy Durnin
drs.chiroweb.com