Back Pain Community

Hi Joy,

I feel bad for you - the pain sounds horrible.

I am going to throw this out there because it happened to me - I had to have 2 tarsal tunnel surgeries many years ago, because of the surgery all my nerves in my right foot were damaged.

I had many blocks to treat it and still no pain relief - so my Dr suggested UV light treatment. Oh my, the pain was so intense I could hardly walk for days. I was told that the nerves were being reactivated. The light does go to the nerves and begins to repair them. I had months of UV light therapy. Over time the pain from the lights got less and less. My nerves are about 75% but the pain in my ankle is gone.

Perhaps with you, you might have to go at this extremely slow - small areas at a time, maybe only once a week. It could be that you haven't had this kind of treatment for 5 yrs and now the light therapy stirred things up. (Just my guess, not a Dr or nurse) and don't pretend to be one.

For my back I get hot packs and massage, they do not use UV light - but then I go to physical therapy for my back treatments.

I will pray that you get some relief soon, Deb

thanks Deb - that makes since - damn been fighting this nerve damage in both legs since 5/06 when my disc blew causing parts of the L5 disc to press on left side and a small one pressing on the right side.

how long after your initial surgery did you have the tarsal tunnel surgeries?

The Chiro is guessing that there is a lot of soft tissue damage, scar tissue around the nerve at the plate (L5-S1) that yea I could have surgery to remove that but would only make more scar tissue around the nerves/plate.

at least we have hubby's niece her hubby and daughter here so if I do need help she is here and the 2nd day was day I had her help with all stuff I do during the day for Tim's dad (which is her gpa).

plus we had snow storm thursday (over a foot of snow) and a major snow storm coming sunday nite/monday morning and we're supposed to see over 18 inches - guess we're gonna be buried in! LOL

Thanks~~

My tarsal tunnel surgeries were 6 months apart. The 2nd one is the one that damaged all the nerves - they cut my whole heel off in half to get to a 4" tumor that was inbedded into the base of the ankle bone. They needed to get to it from the bottom.

Recovery from that surgery was 6mos. I was in different casts the whole time.

2 mos after that 2nd surgery I needed to have a knee replacement on the same leg. That is when the RSD set in for good.

And if you have more surgery to remove the scar tissue you are back where you are right now. and then more scar tissue. a horrible circle.

Hey Joy, how are you doing? Has some of the pain calmed down? Praying for you, Deb

Hi Debs - yes it has calmed down - by last night I was hurting again only because my niece and I decided to get the car brushed off of snow and around the wheels. I started to use the broom but she took over. I did move some snow with my foot and started feeling sore and hurting when we got back from store.

I imagine my pains will be flaring up again soon as we are gonna get hit with Winter Storm Rocky!! LOL The last storm we had on Thursday was called Winter Storm Q!!! I really didn't know they named the winter storms like they do hurricanes!! LOL

Will keep ya posted on how I'm doing!!

Hi Joy how are you doing today? When do you go back to the chiro for more treatments?

Hey Debs - well, LOL, I was supposed to go in today, but the clinic was closed last Thursday & Friday due to the snow storm and I didn't get a reminder call.

I'm usually good with appts but just completely forgot til I saw your post. OOOOPPPPPSSSSS!!!

I'm doing ok - we are in another Winter Storm Warning this afternoon and tomorrow so we're supposed to get 18 inches of snow - on top of the 1 1/2 foot we got last Thursay - ugh this and my pains are just too much -

Will check in later~~

Dear bj1208, Tried for many days and many times to respond to your question. Having some tech problems, I am incapable of figuring out the issue, so have been stuck here on mute. You do so much to help others, I wanted to try to offer some ideas to the situation.

You have an enormous amount of knowledge and may know every bit of this, and more.

1.SI joint was not designed to take much movement. There are 3 large nerves through the joint space. Due to your anterior fusion and the hardware you have, the solid vertebra (of course, no longer moving) transfer the movement to the joint (SI). Thus, the awful pain, you and I have at our SI joint.

2. The nerve root is the size of your baby finger. Sometimes, referred pain may be coming from the nerve root.

3.I also live in a colder climate. The winters 3-6 months are usually the worst time of the year for me. The cerebral spinal fluid, reacts to the fall in the barometric pressure. The pressure on the CSF, causes pressure (by this I mean PAIN) on the post op scar tissue, nerves trapped in the scar tissue and nerve damage from your injury.

4.When a nerve is damaged, or cut in surgery, the nerve ending does not heal in a linear pattern. Picture the nerve as a "braided wire". Like the multiple copper wires twisted together and encased in whatever that outer coating is! Clearly, I know absolutely nothing about electrical wire. Anyway, if the wire is cut, the ends fray. This is the way your nerve reacts to being cut, the post op scar tissue forms and will trap the tiny nerve endings. Scar tissue is inelastic, forms at various rates and degrees depending on your genetic make up and occurs when our soft tissue is exposed to air.

You probably know every bit of this and more. Was thinking of you and wanted you to know you have been in my thoughts. Hope things are getting better.

Take Care,
AprilRose9

Hi AprilRose9

Oh yes I can relate to every single item you have mentioned.

It's funny cause all of the patients at the pain clinic I go to have all told the doc's and the PA's that winter is the worst as the barometric pressure, HUMIDITY, dew points - you name it oh and of course COLD temps are like a train wreck on our spine pains!!!

I live in MO and we have 20 inches of snow on the ground right now from the effects of 2 snow storms in one weeks time!! ugh!!

so yep I know exactly what you are talking about. Summer is also a bad pain period time as we have high humidity and hot temps that that also causes high pain levels but not as much as the winter time. either way this goes straight to my plate causing so much severe pains -

Anyway - just thought I'd write ya back

I've tracked it (started to) and it seems it's more of the barometric changes rather than the temperature. After all, our core temo doesn't chnage just because it's cold outside.

Tim

Hi Joy,

How are you doing with the snow and your pain? Did you get back to the Chiropractor? I am from WI and the snow and rain have been the pits - not as much snow as many other states but I for one am sick of it. Deb

Hey Debs -

well pain levels have been high - We live in a large town south of KCMO and we rec'd about 25 inches of snow within 1 weeks time. so this has been a lot of fun~~

No I didn't make it to my other appts. I have my pain appt on the 6th and have 10 minutes to talk to the chiro about he treatments he was doing as I was and am still having those horrible pains - not all time but they do pop up and hurt like hell.

anyway will talk to u later~~

Hi Sweetie,
I guess you saw your Doc yesterday. Is there anything new? I hate to see you and the others in chronic pain. I certainly understand.

The problem is I don't know what is causing the most pain. I went twice a week to a pelvic floor specialist for the last month. I suffered so much I have stopped the thereapy. Therapist said there are several things going on with me. SI dysfuntion wow you are right ladies----it does hurt like ****. I also have a sacrum which does not move at all. (It is suppose to move slightly, but necessary for comfortable sitting). I also have pudental neuralgia, as well as pain in the piriformus muscle itself. She said the muscle she is able to feel feels like it is dead. What? she said it was like when your hand goes to sleep and you feel it with the other hand and it feels dead! It is kinda like that...The muscle needs to be stretched so the blood can flow into the muscles. I also have DDD, so all of it together, I don't think I will ever get better enough to sit for more than minutes. I can work on stetching the muscle myself. I also have an SI belt which I have had for a long time, but since I ordered it on the internet I was unsure where to wear it. She was able to answer my questions for me, and we parted ways.

My wish for you all is help for pain free life.

Hi sweetie -

yes I did see my PA and told her it's time to discuss the pain pump implant. then I had a meeting with the chiro and described the pains I am starting to have especially after the last treatment. which is really weird since it's an infrared heat therapy. he did try to stretch some muscles around the piriformus muscle and sciatic nerves in hips but each time I screamed in pain so he stopped that.

from what I described of the pain he said it sounded more like a muscle inflammation and not so much as nerves. but he agreed that the therapy treatments are taking me in reverse and not forward at all. so we are stopping those.

I do need to have current MRI's of lower and mid back and also X-ray's with flex and extension done so they can see if there is any change in the L4 disc as it's floating over the L5 area and causing a crunching sound and feeling (really hurts).

so I will call my PA and have her send over the request for that and I guess I will also do my mammogram since I am due for that too -

ugh so that's where I am at. starting back at ground zero!!