Question
I have been having chronic pain in my left leg only. It started a 4-5 years ago and then went away. Recently, I under went an operation for which a spinal anesthesia was administered. After the operation, the same pain is back. It started from the buttock and has now moved down. I feel it most when I am sitting. The intensity is much less when standing, walking or sleeping. I am 60 years old. Please advice what should be done.

Answer
Hi Amit,

If the symptoms started immediately after an epidural, then arachnoiditis must be ruled out. This is a condition where the meninges are disrupted and cause chronic pressure on the spinal cord as a result of the injection. This is unlikely since it is rare. More likely is a disc protrusion or herniation, a MRI will find that and it is readily treated with conservative measures. Depending on the surgery, it also can be scar tissue proliferation causing pressure on one of the sensory nerves, your physician should be able to find out the cause.

Good Luck!

Dr. Timothy Durnin
drs.chiroweb.com