Coblation neucleoplasty...post op sciatica.

A

Anta

New member
New here be nice !!

I had a procedure a month before christmas just gone, L5/S1 6 passes of the wand from each side.
post op was fine, immediate relief (and I mean, IMMEDIATE!!) from the weakness and pain I had in bending, sitting, walking, limping, etc.

Just after New year I returned to work in anger and have found since that after sitting in the car for around 45 mins or sitting at my desk (I am an IT worker) for a similar amount of time I get really really strong pain in the hamstring and buttock of my right leg.
I initially thought I had pulled my hamstring as it's a similar feeling. I have had pulled and torn hamstrings previously and know the constant pain they give, there isn't much else you can do but to grin and bare it...
But as this comes and goes I spoke to my consultant and he said it was Sciatica.

Really what I wanted to ask was, is this what the future holRAB for me?
will it be a longterm/lifelong ailment that I have to put up with ?
what can I do to escape the pain ?
are there any stretches I can do to alleviate the pain ? I have literally just started to attend Pilates class and the relief gained during class was immediate but as it was my first class with so much going on I can't remeraber any of the things we were shown..

I know it's still early days but I used to be a very active young man and I can feel myself slipping into the guise of an less mobile grumpy old man.

any advice will be gratefully recieved.

thanks.

Ant.
 
Hello anta and welcome to the forum. I think you should not have returned to work so quickly. Did your consultant not have any suggestions? Can you tell us about the disc that was worked on? Was it contained? What kind of symptoms did you have prior to the procedure?

I don't want to frighten you, but after a procedure such as this, it isn't unheard of for the disc to cause further problems, and since you went back to work so quickly, it's possible that this disc is now creating more trouble.

Since things work differently in England, can you request that a new MRI be done to see if there are negative changes in your spine? This would really be the best way to see what might be going on. It is possible that you just need to rest more, but I would advise you to investigate the cause of your pain and to hold off on exercise other than walking until you do. Is it possible for you to move around at work and not sit for long perioRAB?

Perhaps someone else will come along who is more knowledgeable about the procedure you had done and can shed more light for you.

I hope you will stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.

Carol
 
hey Carol,

thanks for your reply.

to be fair I was thinking that maybe it was a little too early as well. I spoke with my consultant on Friday of last week and he said that he thought that the Sciatica was transient and most probably temporary and that if the problems are no better within a couple of weeks that I should contact him again.
He said post op that I should be more active and confirmed that I could be attending a qualified trainer led pilates classes.
the most part of my recovery was to start gaining mobility the regime I was under was such that;
1-3 days post op - no longer than 10 mins (in total in the whole day) walking, sitting or standing. obviously no bending, stretching, twisting or picking up anything including pets.
3-7 days post op - no longer than 1 hour (in total in the whole day) walking, standing or sitting again.
7-14 days start sitting and standing, no longer than 1 hour. but add upto 1 hour walking per day.
14-28 days walking walking and moving more freely. similar time slots. returning to light duties, no lifting of heavy objects still though.

Before the procedure the disc was contained, it did however have quite a large protrusion (bulge) in the exact centre of the spinal column. The MRI preop showing the horizontal slice showed the disc in the shape of a weeble or an egg. the pains I had were similar to those discussed in other coblation nucleoplasty threaRAB in these forums, ranging from weakness in back, the worst ever pain I have experienced in the form of a shooting pain (full body electric shock) when twisting spine, mild to mid pain when bending, difficulty in sitting up in bed for instance I had to push myself up from a lying position.

As I said post op, I have none of these. Serious! none.
I feel so good (when not experiencing the sciatica) that I can contemplate going back to playing football again! Don't worry I won't! lol.

I would add that the Sciatica isn't fulltime, it comes and goes. however it comes more when I am sitting in the same position, Ie driving during the commute to work. I will ask whether I can work from home as that may be an option. It is relieved very much when I carry out some pilates stretches or attend classes.

I will contact my health insurance to see if I can get another MRI. The problem is that as the procedure isn't fully endorsed by the the NHS I had to pay for it myself. They did confirm that should it not be successful that they would cover the spinal fusion which was the alternative solution, so I will definately follow this up.
 
no sciatica prior to op.

also to be fair it wasn't immediatly post op either, it was maybe a month and a half after being back at work for a week or two.
 
I'm afraid you will not know what's going on unless you have some imaging. With a regular discectomy, something like 5-15% reherniate within a short period of time, (like around a month). I don't know all that much about what you had done, other than what I've read about it. It would make sense to me that if you don't give the holes the catheter makes time to heal over completely, there might be a risk of some of the disc leaking out during the early days of healing.

The result of this could be nerve irritation or even compression if some disc material were to break off and lodge up against the spinal nerve. The symptoms you are experiencing are typical for a L5-S1 spinal root problem --those dermatomes run down the back and outside back of the leg. It is not uncommon for people to think they have pulled a hamstring when, in fact,they have a bulging or herniated disc between L5 and S1...my husband included.

It could be that the nerves were just irritated as your surgeon suggested, and this will all clear up in a period of time. All surgeons initially suggest this. However, it is also possible for the disc to reherniate, so if you don't get relief after a reasonable period of time, get an MRI and see what's going on.

Good luck. Hope it's just a ticked off nerve!
 
I am hoping it is just a ticked off nerve as well, thanks for your posting tetonteri66 although maybe not good news. In my mind its better to know than not. So if it still persists I will pursue another MRI.

In the meantime I shall be working for home at least a couple of days a week ! to save me from the commute.
 
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