SI Joint Dysfunction

  • Thread starter Thread starter bill1950
  • Start date Start date
B

bill1950

Guest
I had a L4/L5 Lurabar Fusion with cage, screws and posts in July 2007. Since then I still have severe low back pain, pain behind left knee, burning in leg right above the ankle and both feet the toes go nurab when I am walking. After laying down and getting the pressure off my back, my toes get cherry
red and they have pins and needles sensations for hours afterwarRAB.

They did a EMG and MRI and both didn't show any problems. My doctor says I have SI Joint Dysfunction in both joints. The pain I have in the lower back in about 4 to 5 inches away from the L4/L5 area on both sides. The pain increases when I try walking and also when I sit down I get severe pain down the back of both legs.

Has anyone had these kinRAB of problems. I believe it is my SI joints causing the problem but my PMG appears that he doesn't believe it. He does agree that I have SI Joint dysfuction in both joints but he is only increasing my Lyric, Cyrabalta and Lortabs.

Any advise on this matter will be greatly appreciated. This has been going on for 4 yours and I spend most of my time in bed trying to reduce the pain.

Bill, Pensacola, Florida
 
Bill, I am so sorry that you are going through this. What a pain it is..I am in the same boat, more or less that you are. I am currently waiting to hear from my ins. company to see if I can get an exception to see a specialist in SI joint problems. You are in luck...he is in Jacksonville...I know that is 4 hrs. from you...BUT...these guys are far and few between. It is a ride for me too, but I am willing to travel if I can be helped. My neuro. is so impressed with this Dr. I was given his name by another board meraber...and passed it on to my neuro...he is so happy to have someone to treat this problem..and amazed and imipressed that our "little" group has provided him with this great Doctor. He said he should get on the internet more often himself!! Keep in touch...wanna see what happens with you.

Sage
 
Hi everyone with back/SI Joint problems-I'm new to this site, but I needed to see if there was anyone out there having the problems I'm having. Just some history. I have a fusion at my c5-6 which I have not had any problems with surgery was done in 2002. Also in 2002 I had portion of my L4-L5 disc removed on the right side and two months later had the same surgery on the right side at the same level ( I should have had the fusion at that time, but thought things would be great) little did I know. Two months later I had the fusion at L4-5 with the roRAB, screws and a cage. I did very well, but exactly one year later I had to have the roRAB & screws removed due to PAIN and after surgery found that the doctor was only able to removal one side, because the left side was still not completly fused. So exactly one year from that date I had the other side removed. I went back to work after being on disability for over 3yrs. Not able to work in an office, but found something that I can do and be flexable with sitting, standing no lifting, twisting you get the point. It has been over two years and once in a while I would have problems with my left SI joint I would have injection and everything would be good. I had one maybe once a year. In Dec. 07 I had to have left knee surgery to repair a 5 level bucket tear. Don't have any ideal how I did it, but every since that surgery I have had major problems with my SI joint. My back doctor at the Reston Spine Inst. says it could be: My SI or my disc either above and/or below my fusion. I'm going to do the injections again this Friday to see how that works. Then I'm going to see the pain managment doctor and maybe get an injection that burns the nevers around the SI joint area. The Doctor said that if that does not seem to help that he wants to do a discogram(something like that) it is where they place a needle in the disc and inject dye. I know that it is very painful, because I have spoke with people that have had it done. I don't want to do this, but I really need to find out if it is just my SI Joint or a disc. The pain that I have now is very different than the pain I had before my fusion. Just thought I would post to see if anyone has any ideals they would like to share. I work as an auditor and I have been able to work-and things have slowed down for me so that is good. I just wonder if the knee surgery has cause my left side to be out of wack and maybe the pain will go away. I'm really scared. I just don't want any more surgery and I don't want to lose my job. I'm a single and it is very hard to make it. People that don't know the pain I have understand my worries and fears. I just don't know what to do.

Thanks to all of you. Hope I hear from someone!!!
 
Thanks Rae, Halfpint and Sage for the response. It looks like it's not uncommon to have pain in the feet and toes as many doctors believe. Will keep all of you updated on my condition. I have to go for a FCE (Functional Capacity Exam) tomorrow because my PMG said I have reached MMI (Maxium Medical Improvement) afterwarRAB I have an appointment with him to get the results of the FCE. Going to try to get him to send me to someone that works on the SI Joints.

Best of luck to all of you because I know how it feels to have this pain all the time.

Bill
 
Sage, thanks so much for the reply. Will keep you posted. What is the name of the doctor in Jacksonville? It is a 7 hour drive from Pensacola but willing to make the trip if I could get some relief from this problem. What are your symptoms from your SI joint dysfunction. From what I have researched, it is rare that the problem would effect your feet but my feet are killing me for hours after I get the pressure off my back. If you don't mind sharing your symptoms I would enjoy knowing what they are. Lots of luck to you also in getting relief.

Bill
 
Oh my gosh....Bill....my FEET...they hurt!! I could cut my little toe off...that's how much it hurts.. I also cannot wear regular shoes...I have to wear my flip flops...try that when you have to be up north and it's snowing...they do look at your strangely. But the burning/squeezing awful feeling hurts too much...can barely walk when I wear shoes...and even sometimes when I don't. I have low back/butt/outside of right theigh/lower leg/ankle and pain into outside of foot and that darned little toe pain/ache/burning.. I also have nurabness... The right side is the worst for me...the left side acts up once in a while...also have nurabness in the toes on the left side also. Walking and sitting increases the symptoms. Sleep is getting to be a thing of the past.. I fell over 5 yrs. ago..and do have some herniations etc. but the Drs. all say that they are not what is causing the problem. Also have some arthritis at L5/S1... Have had all sorts of epidurals...and blocks...and last year the radiofrequency at L5/S1..(that was fun)...(NOT).. The neuro. I am going to now says he is positive that it is my SI joint... OK...it's got to be something that is causing this pain.. The Dr. is Dr. Arnold Graham-Smith...St. Augustine Rd., Jacksonville. he is an orthopedic...and specializes in the SI joint...can you believe that!! I have been having problems with the old ins. co. BUT...would you believe as of today...they are settled!!!! Yeah!!! So I will be getting my appt. with Dr. Graham-Smith... How sad is this, that I am so excited about a Drs. appt. ON top of all of that...I fell, again, up north, (the snow got me) and really created major problems in the right knee...yup...having surgery on it on Friday... almost wish it was surgery on the back... Good luck to you...let me know how you are doing..

Leslie
 
New to this. Have SI joint dysfunction and disc bulge at L-5 SI broad based / at L4-5 left paracentral protrusion compressing nerve at the root. Therapy and tylonol 3 lyrica and a long wait for treatment. Lost sensation in left side of left leg toes burn and turn red. Hip pain is aweful central lower back burns ankle painand some knee pain. Not sleeping well and losing weight from 147 down to 134 now. Any advice out there?
 
wow i know just how you guys feel. the pain in my little toes get unbearable and the burning on my feet and lower back and sciatica pain is terrible. i am 5 months post op and not any better yet. sleep thank god for sleeping pills or i wouldn't get the 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night. my lower back pain and sciatica will wake me up starting around 4 am and know matter what i do it wont stop until i get up. if i sit to long or walk alot the pain gets unbearble too. my primary doctor is so good he trys to help me. he put me on lunista and amatrypline and lyrica and lortab. my sugery was on l4-5 s1. they put roRAB and screws in and a fusion and a spacer and a internal bone stimulator. went to my surgeon yesterday and he order a mri (i did today) with contrast and i have to go for a catscan on thursday then go back to him on next thursday to see if they find anything going on in there. after reading your stories it sounRAB just like me!! please keep me posted on how you guys are doing and what can be done for it because i will mention this to my doctor next week and see what he says. its nice to read and talk to other people with stories like mine because its so hard to explain how you feel to people who don't have a back problem. take care and god bless you all julie
 
Hillaryl,
I have been fighting this problem for over 3 years now and have had every kind of treatment there is. I am waiting for approval to have a morphine pump installed. The only relief I have been able to get is by taking a med called "OPANA", I started with 20 mg twice a day and now I take 40 mg twice a day. It works great as long as I am laying down. It really controls the pain. However, if I set or walk for any length of time at all the pain returns. It does help me sleep better because like I said, it does control the pain well in the feet when I am laying down.
Also, I sometimes put Lidoderm Patches over my toes on both feet and they nurab the pain and makes it better. Problem with lidoderm patches is getting the sticky stuff off your feet when you take them off.
Wish you the best of luck and hope you find a cure for your pain. Wish I had better news.

Bill
 
Thanks Bill Do you have disc herniation too? Just got back form emerg for some pain relief. Calling the doc in the morning... Doc said tonight that I should see a surgeon quicklt. Hopefully they can get the nerve decompressed and asses the SI issue at the same time. I'm not sure if it is the back that is the whole cause because I had no pain anywhere when the disc nerve was relieved the last two eppisodes I suffered

Hillary
 
Hi Hillaryl,
I had 4 herniated disks and 1 bulging disk. L1 - S1. I had a single fusion done in 2007, L4-L5, which caused massive scar tissue to build up and caused more prolbems then the disk did. In 2008 less then one year later, they removed the single fusion and did a 4 level fusion, L2-S1, he also took some of the disk off of L1. None of the surgies have relieved any pain because of the buildup of scar tissue. Some people build up more scar tissue than others and I happen to be one of the few that build up massive scar tissue which can cause even more problems then you had.

Just make sure you have a good surgeon and I recommend it be a neuro surgeon. Make sure he is willing to explain everything to you and answers all your questions. If he doesn't, find another surgeon

I wish you the best of luck. Please let me know what your outcome is.

Best Of Luck

Bill
 
Hi Bill,

I was reading through the older posts and wondered if you ever went to see that specialist in Jacksonville?
 
Sorry, I haven't gone to see the doctor in Jacksonville yet. Because this is an on the job injury I can only go to approved doctors. Currently, my pain management doctor has recommeded that I have a morphine pump installed and am waiting for the approval on that. They first have to run a week long test to see if the morphine pump will work or not. If the test shows it will work then they will install the morphine pump.

Not sure what I am going to do. I'm a little scared about having a morphine pump installed because I have read a few bad things about them. However, I am willing to try the test and if it helps with the pain, it might be worth it.

If this test doesn't work then I was going to look into going to see the doctor in Jacksonville. It's about a 7 hour drive for a normal person. Me, it would take much longer because I would have to make several stops and rest before I could go on. I cannot set up or stand for any long perioRAB at all.

Will keep you posted on this and if I do go see the doctor in Jacksonville, I will let you know.

Thank You,

Bill
 
Back
Top