Question: Hi there. I am 25 years old about 170lbs and have had a spinal fushion in my L5S1 a little over three years ago. I was doing okay until about a year ago. I am constantly stiff, so stiff sometimes I can't get out of bed. I have tried physical therapy, gotten a rhizotomy (did nothing if anything messed me more up), have steriord injections every three months in both levels, see a chiropractor, get manual therapy twice a week, and nothing helps me. I use heat, ice, and have a personal tens unit.(this helps when it is positioned correctly but only works as a bandaid) I take over the counter meds and they don't make a difference. No one can help me or explain this. My orthopedic doctor wants to remove the hardware and extra bone spurs and old scar tissue but given my first surgery wasn't successful I am very nervous. I have arthritis after surgery and also have several bone spurs. I now have a sharp pain(thinking I pinched my sciatic nerve), almost like a bee sting, only on my left side near surgery site and it radiates to my butt and I can no longer run anymore. I am at a loss. I want to be active and work out but that makes my stiffness even work. i dont wear heels, I can stand stationary for longer than 5 minutes and cant sit in a seat without being in pain for about 10 minutes. Can't sit in couches, too soft, and most beds. I am in so much pain, I don't know how much longer I can live this way. No matter what I do, I am in pain and stiff. I feel like someone took my spine and condensed it to crush it (fushion) and now I'm scrunched and locked forever. I don't understand why this is happening to me.

Can you please give me any suggestions?

I have had an MRI about 6 months ago showing a lot of hypertrophy and the doctor thought there may be some impingment going on but he wasn;t 100% ... at the time I had the MRI I didnt have this biting pain I have now. However, even if that goes away, I will still have constant stiffness and aching 24/7, no sitting, driving for long periods, standing, etc.
My initially diagnosis was a fracture and spondylolysis...it wasn't constant pain like it is now. It was just stiffness and feeling my back had to be cracked, standing was very difficult. We have gotten xrays the the fusion is very solid, the doctor said it looks great which is why this is a little bit of a mystery.
In the xray i have attached, my doctor asked me to point where i am having the most pain and then he tapes paper clips to me and x rayed where I pointed. It appears my pain is surrounding the surgical site.

would removal of the screws help with stiffness??