Sciatica After Spinal FusionI had a very successful L4-L5 fusion surgery in 2004 and only had one 6 month sciatica incident (because of lifting something heavy too quickly) that went away with time and PT. But otherwise, I had no back pain or leg pain and felt excellent. I'm an extra healthy 40 year old that looks 28 and I run, bike, swim, hike, etc..Last year, I was incorrectly fitted for a bike with a wrong bike as well as measurements (Switzerland bike tour I did) and I ended up overextending my body as well as rode on extremely bumpy terrain with a race bike! I felt no pain until weeks later when I felt the knifing all the way to the toe feeling to the point I could not wear heals anymore. A year and a half later now the pain has subsided maybe 60% but still present. I have gone to PT, do regular running (warms up muscles and makes me feel better at the time), acupuncture (helps decrease), and waiting to get a steroid shot. My MRI report comparable to before the accident states that there are no significant interval changes and no definite disc herniation. Surgery level limits evaluation now via MRI. There is straightening of the normal lordotic curvature, and correlate clinically for muscle spasm. Please advise as to how I can heal completely? It's been 1.5 years of this. I felt excellent post surgery until this happened. - KoHi Ko, Unfortunately, this is a common effect of spinal fusion. I am sure you already know that fusion place exponentially increased stress on neighboring vertebral levels and hastens degeneration nearby. I know of very few patients who did not suffer a relapse of progressive symptoms after a few years post fusion. Unfortunately, this often occurs several times after multiple procedures. I wish I had a better answer for you, but your excellent attitude and lifestyle are obviously helping you to cope quite well. Keep up the good work! Best, Sensei Adam Rostocki What I did during my bike trip, I believe, was quite abnormal since I shook my body excessively on a very thin bike tire so I believe relapse is out of this odd incident. I have biked races on my normal bike with no problems before and although here and there I could feel my back tension very slightly after I ran the half marathons, for example, or stood for very long periods of time, otherwise I truly had no problems or pain. I was always told I'm that 1% that stands out post-op taking my very good lifelong conditioning. You mentioned you had a lack of oxygen in your sciatica and that healed your pain. Do you not recommend any treatment for me? I know I can heal because I am very in-tune with my body mechanics and I feel I can undo what I did. Thanks. Ko Hi Ko, You can certainly try knowledge therapy. There is no cost and no risk, so there is truly nothing at all to lose. Best, S.A.R.
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