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Had Foraminotomy Surgery Done. Having Leg Pain. Is This Caused Due To Thecal Sac Compression?
Question: I was involved in a MVA in '02. It resulted in me having to have a L3,4,5 fusion. About 3 years ago I had a Foraminotomy to help with leg pain. The surgery ended up in an infection. I have had severe leg pain since. The doc said the infection was superficial. My question is, if there is thecal sac compression will it cause leg pain. Every time I have a ct myleogram I have severe leg pain when they inject the contrast. There is also a problem with the contrast flowing. I also had a L345 lamienectomies past oct for spinal stenosis.
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Post accident you had L3-5 fusion and subsequently foraminotomy to relieve leg pain. Leg pain is a neurological symptom and whenever you have leg pain it indicates nerve root problem.
Pre-op, there is always pressure on the nerves which we try to decompress to make some room for the nerves. However post-op, the situation changes. Nerve root problem could be due to persistent pressure on the nerves or fibrosis during the healing which limit normal 2-3 mm of excursion of the nerve root which should happen while moving legs.
you said you get the leg pain during myelo injection which indicates nerve root stick to the surrounding structures and limiting its movement. I would suggest to upload the post op MRI and CT myelo pic if possible and the report to understand about your problem. If possible post gadolinium contrast MRI will be useful.
Please get back with above information. Thanks.
Post accident you had L3-5 fusion and subsequently foraminotomy to relieve leg pain. Leg pain is a neurological symptom and whenever you have leg pain it indicates nerve root problem.
Pre-op, there is always pressure on the nerves which we try to decompress to make some room for the nerves. However post-op, the situation changes. Nerve root problem could be due to persistent pressure on the nerves or fibrosis during the healing which limit normal 2-3 mm of excursion of the nerve root which should happen while moving legs.
you said you get the leg pain during myelo injection which indicates nerve root stick to the surrounding structures and limiting its movement. I would suggest to upload the post op MRI and CT myelo pic if possible and the report to understand about your problem. If possible post gadolinium contrast MRI will be useful.
Please get back with above information. Thanks.
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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