Re: HIP PAIN, ROD REMOVAL and MORE

[Guest guest]

I thought I would write and tell my story of hardware removal in the event

my experience might be useful to anyone. I had all my hardware removed in

February of this year - I was fused from T10-S1. Rods, screws, wires,

everything came out except one small piece of wire that was imbedded too deeply

to dig

out. For the year prior to this, I had had terrible spasms in my lower

back, piriformis, and thighs, and constant bursitis in my hip. These symptoms

were a little scary, as I'd never had lower back pain prior to this, although I

had had piriformis spasms prior to my fusion surgery in 1999. During this

year of horrible spasms and bursitis, I consulted a pain clinic, and they did

an steroid injection into my piriformis muscle. I suffered the rebound

effect that can happen after this type of injection, but then it worked for a

while. Soon enough though, the spasms were back. We considered doing a Botox

injection into the piriformis, but my insurance would not approve it,

considering it experimental. However, the physiatrist at the pain clinic

suggested

exploring taking the hardware out. At just about the one year mark of this

pain, I went to my surgeon and told him my symptoms. He took x-rays, and

confirmed that my fusion was solid and the hardware was all in place - nothing

was

loose. I told him everything I had done to try and control these spasms;

drugs, stretching exercises for the piriformis, injections, but nothing was

working. The spasms and bursitis were definitely getting worse too. He

explained that although you cannot actually be allergic to the hardware, a very

small percentage of people develop a hyper-sensitivity to the hardware. He

agreed that with my background of inflammatory problems, I might be in this

small

percentage. (Of course, his explanation was longer and more involved than

this) I told him that I was very concerned because no matter what type of

treatment I sought, nothing was working. It seemed as if only the symptoms

were

being treated, not the cause. My surgeon agreed with that. At that point, I

brought up taking the hardware out. My surgeon explained everything that

would be involved, and my mind was made up; it felt right to me. I told him I

wanted to do it, and we set the date. And although my surgeon knew I was

having an inflammatory response to the hardware, he was not prepared for what he

found! (he had seen sticky inflammation before, but never in that area) I

had three out of four wires that went around my lamina that had never

calcified. Instead he found them imbedded in this sticky inflammation. In

order to

get the hardware out from this sticky inflammation, my dura tore in several

spots. But there was no other way to get it out. So I spent the next five

days flat on my back in the step down unit from Intensive Care, having my

cerebro-spinal fluid drained, while the tears healed.

However, it was all worth it, because for me, taking out the hardware

worked. I never had those horrible spasms in my lower back, thighs, and

piriformis

again! It's been challenging getting my muscles to " re-educate " themselves.

At 53 years old, I'm no spring chicken, and that hardware had been in there

since 1999. So I'm working with a physical therapist to re-educate my

muscles. I am very thankful that my surgeon listened to my complaints so

carefully, and after I brought up taking the hardware out, was open to

formulating a

plan based on my history and complaints. For me, taking out the hardware

accomplished my goal of getting rid of the worsening spasms and bursitis - it

treated the cause of the problem, not just the symptoms!

I suppose I should also mention that I had my iliac bolts removed in 2003,

after sixteen months of excruciating pain. My bolts had come loose and were

moving, and the x-rays confirmed the movement. By the time I had the removal

surgery (which was quite fast and easy - I went home the next day) I was only

able to walk doing this hop and jump movement! I am thin and small boned,

and those bolts really did a number on my body!

Another interesting thing - I have all my hardware; the iliac bolts, and the

rods, etc. Of course, the rods came out in sections, not a whole piece, but

it's all very interesting. And heavier than you think!

Carol from a suburb of Chicago

[Guest guest]

Carol,

That is quite a yucky story....but I am glad you told it...wow! It is

amazing what a little intuition and a doctor who will listen to you

can do. It is wonderful to hear that you are doing so well now that

they have pulled all the offending hardware out. Curious, when they

removed the illiac screws a few years back did they note inflamation

at that time or in that hardware?

Take Care, Cam

[Guest guest]

Hi Cam,

Yes, my surgeon confirmed that when he took the iliac bolts out, the surrounding tissue was red and inflamed. In fact, I suspect that was what started my system to react to the rest of the hardware with that inflammatory response. I cannot explain the failure of the wires wrapped around the lamina to calcify, nor do I know if that was connected to the inflammatory problem. But remember, my iliac bolts were moving a lot - by the time they were removed, I could barely walk. I don't think that is what most people are currently describing in their posts - this was no "bee sting" pain - this was very severe pain. I believe a series of exercises a physical therapist had given me caused the bolts to loosen. I think there are exercises involving the gluteus that people who have iliac bolts should avoid. This is just my personal observation, though.

Carol

[Guest guest]

Carol,

Can you describe the exercise you think caused this?

>

> Hi Cam,

>

> Yes, my surgeon confirmed that when he took the iliac bolts out,

the

> surrounding tissue was red and inflamed. In fact, I suspect that

was what started

> my system to react to the rest of the hardware with that

inflammatory resp

> onse. I cannot explain the failure of the wires wrapped around

the lamina to

> calcify, nor do I know if that was connected to the inflammatory

problem. But

> remember, my iliac bolts were moving a lot - by the time they

were removed, I

> could barely walk. I don't think that is what most people are

currently

> describing in their posts - this was no " bee sting " pain - this

was very severe

> pain. I believe a series of exercises a physical therapist had

given me

> caused the bolts to loosen. I think there are exercises

involving the gluteus

> that people who have iliac bolts should avoid. This is just my

personal

> observation, though.

> Carol

>

[Guest guest]

,

There were a few that I think contributed - one, a quad stretch where you lie on your stomach, knees bent, grabbing your ankle and pulling your leg toward the back. Another, a piriformis stretch, where you lie on your back placing one ankle over the other knee, and bring that leg forward. Good stretches, both of them, but I don't think they were appropriate for me. I also have osteopenia, which may have contributed to the loosening of the bolts. All I know is, after a few weeks of doing these exercises and the therapist doing them on me, I developed terrible pain that never resolved. Toward the end, I could actually feel the movement of the bolts, especially the one on the right side which was the worst side.

Carol

[Guest guest]

---THAT sounds so scary to me..how long after surgery did you sart

PT? I guess the old saying " if it hurts, don't do it(which is how I

find myself living these days!!) " is a good rule to follow!!!!!

,PA

In , carolkurt@... wrote:

>

> ,

>

> There were a few that I think contributed - one, a quad stretch

where you

> lie on your stomach, knees bent, grabbing your ankle and pulling

your leg toward

> the back. Another, a piriformis stretch, where you lie on your

back

> placing one ankle over the other knee, and bring that leg forward.

Good stretches,

> both of them, but I don't think they were appropriate for me. I

also have

> osteopenia, which may have contributed to the loosening of the

bolts. All I

> know is, after a few weeks of doing these exercises and the

therapist doing

> them on me, I developed terrible pain that never resolved. Toward

the end, I

> could actually feel the movement of the bolts, especially the one

on the right

> side which was the worst side.

> Carol

>

[Guest guest]

> >

> > ,

> >

> > There were a few that I think contributed - one, a quad stretch

> where you

> > lie on your stomach, knees bent, grabbing your ankle and pulling

> your leg toward

> > the back. Another, a piriformis stretch, where you lie on your

> back

> > placing one ankle over the other knee, and bring that leg

forward.

> Good stretches,

> > both of them, but I don't think they were appropriate for me. I

> also have

> > osteopenia, which may have contributed to the loosening of the

> bolts. All I

> > know is, after a few weeks of doing these exercises and the

> therapist doing

> > them on me, I developed terrible pain that never resolved.

Toward

> the end, I

> > could actually feel the movement of the bolts, especially the

one

> on the right

> > side which was the worst side.

> > Carol

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Carol,

The first one i don't do but the second one I do, very gently. I

take my xrays in for PT on Wed. I'll ask about the riskiness of that

exercise.

>

> ,

>

> There were a few that I think contributed - one, a quad stretch

where you

> lie on your stomach, knees bent, grabbing your ankle and pulling

your leg toward

> the back. Another, a piriformis stretch, where you lie on your

back

> placing one ankle over the other knee, and bring that leg

forward. Good stretches,

> both of them, but I don't think they were appropriate for me. I

also have

> osteopenia, which may have contributed to the loosening of the

bolts. All I

> know is, after a few weeks of doing these exercises and the

therapist doing

> them on me, I developed terrible pain that never resolved.

Toward the end, I

> could actually feel the movement of the bolts, especially the one

on the right

> side which was the worst side.

> Carol

>