Back Pain Community

Hello:

Did not vote on your poll, as I am not a physician, and do not feel qualified to answer. All of these words have been on my MRI report, but not sure of all of their meanings. Have had a "successful cervical surgery", but was left behind with spinal cord damage that they say can't be surgically corrected. My problems are in the upper area, not the lower. I am amazed the problems necks can cause. First I would tell you a pain management program may be a start if you are not doing that. Believe me, I wish I did not have to go, but unfortunately until something else comes along, it's all I got except my faith in a God that can and does heal. Remain confident he will heal my pain and certainly others. If nothing else, please accept this response as "one who feels your pains". Take care.

Hello.

I voted "I have no answer". Only YOU can decide whether to have more surgery after fully researching the pros and cons and discussing this with your doctor. Get several medical opinions, and do not rush into another surgery.

I have been managing moderate to severe chronic back pain for over 30 years. I never had surgery as I was always told there is no procedure to help me. Click on my user name to read my full story.

Find ways to manage your pain that work for you. Surgery is not the answer in many cases and should never be viewed as a "magic bullet". No such thing exists.

Praying you can find the answers and pain relief you need.

Blessings,

-Dave

Anon

In light of your various medical problems, your back and leg pain is most likley multifactorial in its etiology. As such, there may be no simple or single way to address the pain issues. It is unfortunate that your surgery did not provide improvement in your leg pain (sciatica). No pain surgery is guaranteed, even one as successful as spinal stenosis surgery. I assume that you have discussed the possible causes of failure with your surgeon and have determined that there is no simple solution. If not, I suggest you do discuss why your surgery "failed". It may be helpful to get a second opinion from a another surgeon to determine if the orginial problem was adequately addressed or to ensure that a "new" problem has not arisen. Having said the above, the general rule is that subsequent surgeries are less likely to be effective than original surgeries. This is particularly true in patients with a generalized pain disorder like Fibromyalgia. It would be prudent to be cautious with respect to further surgery.

With respect to your Fibromyalgia, this is not a surgically treatable problem so it is not surprising that these symptoms did not improve with spinal stenosis surgery. This is a systemic pain problem that is thought to be due to "over sensitive" pain nerve endings. The treatment is usually medical and multimodal often best administered in a comprehensive pain clinic.