Question
I recently had a anterior - posterior fusion L3 to S1 they removed 3 of my discs and said when they were operating that my spine was completely cracked in half. I have pinnacle screws,rods & cages with bone grafts and whatever els needed in this type of operation for fixing my spine. after the surgery I had fluid bulging in my spine it  looked like i had a golf ball under my skin. after 5 weeks the fluid seemed to be almost all gone. but now its 7 weeks after surgery and my back blew up with fluids and blood, a massive amount. At the same time my left calf is in terrible pain with a little swelling. It hurts severely when i walk or sit I need to keep it elevated not to be in such pain. I went to hospital were they did the surgery and doctors admitted me 3 days running tests catscan, X-rays, sonograms for clot in leg, blood tests etc. they did not do a MRI because they said all the steel in me gives false reading(I think that's a lie). They told me to rest and see if it goes away over time.  well its now 10 days latter and my calf is still killing me and my spine is still filled with a tun of fluid. please help me I do know what to do. Where do I go, what kind of Doctor do I go to, I need to find out what's wrong. This was my 3rd surgery Ihave had. This one was suppose to make me better.  I'm almost immune to pain meds and nothing gets me out of pain So please help, I'm so tired of living in pain. I want to be happy again and live a normal life.

Answer
Hi Ken

You have a dural tear leaking CSF fluid, common after surgeries like this. Get another neurosurgeon to look at the spine after CT scan. They where not deceptive with you regarding artifact interference with MRI. CT solves this, get one of those and the neuro will have something to go on. The calf pain is probably secondary to pressure on a nerve where the surgery was performed. This could be mechanical or fluid type pressure. The end result is pain either way. You a lumbar CT right away, get that and grab the films and go to another surgeon. Even an orthopedic surgeon that does spine would be OK. The farther away the better, all these guys are buddies and won't say anything bad about each other. So find someone that has no conflict of interest, call and ask if they know your surgeon. If the answer is yes, we golfed 18 holes last week together than that wouldn't be a good choice. I think you know what I'm getting at, you may have to go out of state to get an honest answer.

Don't blame the messenger Ken but you will never be the same as before. The best you can hope for is a pain free lifestyle but your range of motion and ability to be as active will never be what it was. I'm sorry but that's the truth. I sure hope surgery was the only option since 95% of spine surgery is unnecessary once flexion/distraction was discovered. What's done is done though, never advise anybody to get surgery unless they have seen a Chiropractor first that has F/D tables. These can even help you a great deal after surgery.

http://www.coxtechnic.com/homepage.asp



Flexion-Distraction Therapy - What is it?


Flexion-Distraction, (F/D) is a gentle, chiropractic treatment procedure utilized for back and neck pain. Flexion-Distraction is a safe alternative to back surgery for those 95% of patients whose conditions do not demand surgical intervention. The doctor is in control of the treatment movements at all times.

Flexion-Distraction is utilized for many conditions such as:

Failed Back surgical Syndromes
Disc Herniation/Ruptured Disc / Bulging Disc / Herniated Disc
Sciatica / Leg pain
"Whiplash" injuries
Stenosis
Arm Pain
Neck Pain
Failed course of Steroid Injections
Chemical Radiculitis
Spondylolisthesis
Headache
Transitional segment
Many more conditions?
How does Flexion-Distraction Work?

For Disc related conditions:

Increases the intervertebral disc height to remove annular tension on the annular fibers and nerve by making more room and improving circulation.
Allows the nucleus pulposus, the center of the disc, to assume its central position within the annular fibers and relieves irritation of the spinal nerve.
Restores vertebral joints to their physiological relationships of motion.
Improves posture and locomotion while relieving pain, improving body functions, and creating a state of well-being.
For Non-Disc related conditions:

Patients with other conditions causing back pain (facet syndrome, spondylolisthesis, sprain/strain, scoliosis, transitional vertebra, sacroiliac restrictions and misalignment, certain types of spinal stenosis), Flexion/Distraction provides all of the above benefits plus the ability to place the spinal joints into normal, painless movements so as to restore spinal motion without pain:

The posterior disc space increases in height.
F/D decreases disc protrusion and reduces stenosis.
Flexion stretches the ligamentum flavum to reduce stenosis.
Flexion opens the vertebral canal by 2 mm (16%) or 3.5 to 6mm more than extension.
Flexion increases metabolite transport into the disc.
Flexion opens the apophyseal joints and reduces posterior disc stress
The nucleus pulposus does not move on flexion. Intradiscal pressure drops under distraction to below 100mm Hg. On extension the nucleus or annulus is seen to protrude posterior into the vertebral canal.
Intervertebral foraminal openings enlarge giving patency to the nerve.

Reference: Cox JM, Feller JA, Cox-Cid JA: Topics in clinical Chiropractic 1996; 3(3):45-59

Thank you for your question Ken and good Luck!

Dr. Timothy Durnin
drs.chiroweb.com