Re: back pain after leg surgery

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/4/2004 2:19:32 AM Central Standard Time, margaret@... writes:

..... The operated right hip joint is doing great - feels normal! I can move it all ways and without pain. The "gremlins" have moved elsewhere: lower back, left hip and sciatic pains down that leg, both knees.... (gives me fears of further surgeries ahead... though I hope part of it is simply normal readjustment of the body.) I feel extremely stiff when I get out of bed or up from sitting position - have to hang on to support until I get my back straight.

______

Oh Margaret.....you've got the same thing I do, and this morning was particularly bad. Before I even begin to get out of bed, I make sure the back and legs go through their motions (that is, if I don't have to pee to badly!). Then I get to the edge of the bed and sit, and everything is fine til I try to stand up.....and find that the back won't reverse its curve to get upright unless I "walk up my knees with my hands". And until I have been up awhile, I can't bend to pick anything up with my left hand, as my back won't let me.

The best part of me right now seems to be my operated knee, which gives me no pain at all walking, but does "stiffen up" if left too long in one place at night. I am now taking NSAIDS for my back, not my knee.

But consider: Your body clears whatever meds you had yesterday, and is at its lowest coverage first thing in the morning. You've been lying stationary for many hours, not moving the arthritic joints during the night. You've probably changed your sleep positions to accomodate your recent surgery. And your poor back has been years trying to gradually accomodate an abnormal way of walking. In that time, everything that maintains your posture has adapted to the crooked way you held yourself, and right now, when you can walk more upright and normally, it basically "doesn't know where to be", and is trying to support you with muscles that aren't used to that position.

I also consider that for years it has hurt every time I stepped on my left leg, and that was where my attention focused. I simply ignored any back pains, which are center stage right now. I must say, though, that will 6 weeks of physical therapy and building up both abdominals and paraspinal musculature to strengthen and stabilize my back, it hasn't helped a whole lot. And a further problem now is that my MD wants me off my usual NSAIDS (Naproxin, at $30 a month), and onto Bextra (at $165 a month).

Still, it is incredibly discouraging to me to have finally gotten the knee done, only to find the rest of the body has fallen apart. I can only say that I'd sometimes like to murder the MD who told me it was "too soon" to get my knee done when I started having to restrict my walking and change my posture 5 years ago. In my opinion, all that accomplished was to cause all sorts of back problems, including boney spurring and imbalances that may never correct now. I mean.....the knee certainly wasn't going to do any better for waiting, and both my back and other leg were meanwhile taking a beating.

Has anyone else developed back problems since surgery......and, particularly, do you experience this difficulty straightening upon getting on your feet in the AM? I've never seen anything about it in the literature, but wonder if that isn't just because groups of post surgical patients don't ever get together to compare notes.

y

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/8/2004 7:07:45 PM Central Standard Time, newhip50@... writes:

I work with a pilates instructor now and most of the time I am pain free. But, when I am lazy, my back will scream at me and remind me that I am leaning again.I also recommend getting in a pool and stretching. Still, I admit I get angry when my back is hurting because I put up with six years of extreme pain before my THR and now I think that it should be over.

______

That's just how i feel. I'm doing Pilates too, and swimming. don't really need stretching, as nothing is particularly tight. But all that time that my knee hurt too much for me to walk right, I told myself that all I had to do was have the knee surgery, and things would be alright.....but they're not. Only the knee is right.

y

[Guest guest]

It has taken me about a year to re-align and strenthen muscles that

were affected by six years of favoring my good side, not the side

with the injured hip joint. I work with a pilates instructor now and

most of the time I am pain free. But, when I am lazy, my back will

scream at me and remind me that I am leaning again.

I also recommend getting in a pool and stretching. Still, I admit I

get angry when my back is hurting because I put up with six years of

extreme pain before my THR and now I think that it should be over.

I read the posts on this group so I can help others, but also to

remind myself that healing is a committment.

> In a message dated 9/4/2004 2:19:32 AM Central Standard Time,

> margaret@a... writes:

> .... The operated right hip joint is doing great - feels normal! I

can move

> it all ways and without pain. The " gremlins " have moved elsewhere:

lower back,

> left hip and sciatic pains down that leg, both knees.... (gives me

fears of

> further surgeries ahead... though I hope part of it is simply

normal

> readjustment of the body.) I feel extremely stiff when I get out

of bed or up from

> sitting position - have to hang on to support until I get my back

straight.

> ______

> Oh Margaret.....you've got the same thing I do, and this morning

was

> particularly bad. Before I even begin to get out of bed, I make

sure the back and

> legs go through their motions (that is, if I don't have to pee to

badly!). Then

> I get to the edge of the bed and sit, and everything is fine til I

try to

> stand up.....and find that the back won't reverse its curve to get

upright unless

> I " walk up my knees with my hands " . And until I have been up

awhile, I can't

> bend to pick anything up with my left hand, as my back won't let me.

>

> The best part of me right now seems to be my operated knee, which

gives me no

> pain at all walking, but does " stiffen up " if left too long in one

place at

> night. I am now taking NSAIDS for my back, not my knee.

>

> But consider: Your body clears whatever meds you had yesterday,

and is at

> its lowest coverage first thing in the morning. You've been lying

stationary

> for many hours, not moving the arthritic joints during the night.

You've

> probably changed your sleep positions to accomodate your recent

surgery. And your

> poor back has been years trying to gradually accomodate an abnormal

way of

> walking. In that time, everything that maintains your posture has

adapted to the

> crooked way you held yourself, and right now, when you can walk

more upright

> and normally, it basically " doesn't know where to be " , and is

trying to support

> you with muscles that aren't used to that position.

>

> I also consider that for years it has hurt every time I stepped on

my left

> leg, and that was where my attention focused. I simply ignored any

back pains,

> which are center stage right now. I must say, though, that will 6

weeks of

> physical therapy and building up both abdominals and paraspinal

musculature to

> strengthen and stabilize my back, it hasn't helped a whole lot.

And a further

> problem now is that my MD wants me off my usual NSAIDS (Naproxin,

at $30 a

> month), and onto Bextra (at $165 a month).

>

> Still, it is incredibly discouraging to me to have finally gotten

the knee

> done, only to find the rest of the body has fallen apart. I can

only say that

> I'd sometimes like to murder the MD who told me it was " too soon "

to get my

> knee done when I started having to restrict my walking and change

my posture 5

> years ago. In my opinion, all that accomplished was to cause all

sorts of back

> problems, including boney spurring and imbalances that may never

correct now.

> I mean.....the knee certainly wasn't going to do any better for

waiting, and

> both my back and other leg were meanwhile taking a beating.

>

> Has anyone else developed back problems since surgery......and,

particularly,

> do you experience this difficulty straightening upon getting on

your feet in

> the AM? I've never seen anything about it in the literature, but

wonder if

> that isn't just because groups of post surgical patients don't ever

get together

> to compare notes.

> y