Health
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  • From: aclerk
  •   To: All
  • 1 of 2
  • 2/26/08

My son had surgery on his back last year. They removed 2 discs and placed a steel rod down his spine.

The doctor said his bone are crumbling.  Now we found out that the rod they placed in his bike may need redone. His hip bones where its help together are becoming thin and they are worried, that it may cause my son not to walk. He is in pain, no matter what the doctors try, it doesn't seem to help. His hands now shake uncontrollably and 2 discs in his neck have bulged and causing problems. Hes in pain constantly.

How do we help him. He is 31. His outlook on a normal life is slipping away.

  • From: _ABCNewsMedUnit_
  •   To: aclerk
  • 2 of 2
  • 3/5/08

*****FROM ABC NEWS MEDICAL UNIT*****

 

Hi aclerk and thank you for your question. Here is an answer from Michael J. DePalma, M.D., Medical Director, Virginia Commonwealth University Spine Center:


You have been suffering from chronic low back pain and eventually underwent an anterior inner body fusion w/ posterior hardware and pedicle screws. My first question would be, was a diagnostic provocative discogram and CT performed pre-operatively to identify the painful discs?

Secondly, why did the fusion fail (assuming that is what is going on by the patient's parent's report of crumbling bone)? Are you a heavy smoker, diabetic, do you have a primary bone disorder such as osteoprosis interfering w/ the fusion healing. Has there a precipitating trauma? I'm not sure what to make of the hip comment, unless you're breaking down/degenerating at a level adjacent to his fusion and now has stenosis and nerve root impairment.

Lastly, the neck pain may be completely independent from the low back. Bulging discs are ubiquitous as we age and are present in many asymptomatic individuals.

Hope this helps. It's always difficult to rely solely on patient or patient's family's rendition w/o laying eyes and hands on the patient.

But those are my initial thoughts.

 

NOTE: Top medical experts on pain treatment answer more questions like these on our OnCall+ Pain website: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/TreatingPain/.

 

*****FROM ABC NEWS MEDICAL UNIT*****
 
 
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