Severe cramp

[dfur7785]

Hi All

I had surgery just over a year ago for a slipped disc which has helped my back pain a little but since having the surgery I suffer with severe cramp in my toes and calf on the left side, also I still have numbness under my left foot and down the calf of my right leg, has anyone else suffered with this I wonder as it is disturbing my sleep and doing simple things like putting my shoes and socks on causes my toes to cramp terribly I can't even wriggle my toes without the awful pain.

Any help or advice would be useful or should I go back to my specialist? Or is this something I have to live with, I also suffer with rheumatoid arthritis which I take enbryl injections for.

Many thanks

Debbie

[johnsmith]

Speak to a chiropractor. He will know if they are related to back operation. Surgeon may have been negligent. So you need second opinion for possible legal action. Chiropractor also may know who is specialist to see.

[dfur7785 in reply to johnsmith]

Thanks johnsmith I am actually seeing a Chiropractor today for advice, I will let you know, I have contacted the surgeon too but have not yet had a reply.

[Emma2017]

Hi, did the symptoms start immediately after the surgery or was there an initial period of relief?

I had surgery for a herniated disc which herniated again a year later. I had some relief after the surgery but the symptoms slowly came back till it herniated again. After the 2nd operation all seemed well until about 2 weeks later it went completely berserk in my leg. A new mri showed that the disc had herniated again and I had a 3rd operation.

All operations were performed perfectly but I was just unlucky.

Rather than thinking your surgeon was negligent you could contact him instead and tell him the problem and he may well suggest another mri.

[dfur7785 in reply to Emma2017]

Hi Emma

I have been in touch today to see if I can see the surgeon but have to be referred back from my GP so that's what I'm going to do, I have had some slight numbness since the op but it has slowly gotten worse again especially the cramp, i cannot even put my shoes on without it happening.

Hopefully no more surgery though

[Emma2017 in reply to dfur7785]

I'd say only a referral back to your surgeon and an MRI will be able to tell what might be going on.

[PFKAAde]

Hi dfur7785

I also have RA and have had multiple herniated discs along with various other spine complaints.

The surgeries I had in 2015 (laminectomies) were ‘successful’ in so far as they removed the pressure on my spinal cord, however after the second one I have never fully recovered full movement and sensation in my feet and legs.

My toes are also affected, which means that I can’t straighten them and they give me constant (relatively minor but enough to be horrible) pain. This hasn’t improved much in 3 years since the surgery. You can buy various soft silicon toe protectors which give some limited relief. Check amazon.

I also have problems with dorsiflextion (meaning I can’t lift my foot properly aka drop-foot), mainly in my left leg.

I also suffer from cramp quite a lot in various places, but all are places that have been affected by the spine issues. I tend to get cramp in my calves, hamstrings and hip flexors. A lot of it for me (I think) is that due to the unequal operation of the various opposing muscle groups and the way that my body compensates for the lack of strength in certain muscles by overusing other muscle groups, this tends to lead to problems. My hip flexors for example are working extra to keep me upright and due to the way that my gait and posture have been affected lots of other muscles are doing things they weren’t ‘supposed’ to.

I also go to see a physical therapist regularly and find that when I have been regularly attending the gym the cramp is a lot worse.

I have tried all of the usual approaches like supplementing magnesium, potassium, zinc and drinking tonic water (with quinine). Not sure how well these work, but the tonic water goes well with gin. 😉 I also make sure that I am drinking lots and lots of water. And then I drink some more. Again, I think it helps to some extent.

Possibly the most useful thing has been learning (and doing!) stretches of various muscle groups, as one muscle being ‘tight’ can affect the opposite muscle and can also cramp itself. Stretching most definitely helps with this. As does trigger point release using a foam roller or a tennis ball. The tennis ball is very useful!

My PT taught me to recognise pain that is caused by muscle tightness or cramping and once you find the ‘spot’ that is tender you can use a foam roller or tennis ball and apply pressure to the sore bit. It does hurt a bit (if you’re doing it right), and in fact you have to find the most sensitive area and hold the pressure on that area for a minute or two, and then it should start to ease off. This really, really works. Sports massage is kind of like this on steroids. I allowed my PT to massage my hamstrings once and nearly jumped out the window. It did help though.

You can use the tennis ball on your feet also, sit down and with bare feet (or socks) roll the ball around under your foot applying some pressure but not so that it really hurts. With practise you can learn how much pressure to apply and for how long. Don’t apply pressure to your joints though, just muscle (and the bottom of your feet). If you look on YouTube you will find many videos of ‘stretches for back pain’ or ‘trigger point release’ to give you somewhere to look if you want more information.

As for whether the surgery was a success or not, my own opinion is that you can’t tell based solely of the outcome with regards movement, pain etc. Even a perfect surgery can’t fix nerves that have already been damaged. My first surgery was incredible. I woke up one morning and literally couldn’t stand up. Had surgery and within a week was back on my feet as though it hadn’t happened. Then I woke up one day and another disc had done the same thing. This one has never recovered fully (as described above), but I in no way blame the surgeon for that. How much things will recover is simply unknown before (or even after) the surgery. I was told I could expect ‘50%’ improvement. I’m not even sure what that means, 50% of ‘normal’? 50% better than I was? Regardless I think it was just a number the surgeon plucked out of the air when I asked how much I would recover. I took it to mean - some but probably not all.

I would say by any measure I have improved by more than 50%, so in that way I can’t complain. My surgeon also told me that when I first presented he had thought I would end up in a wheelchair, so I’m incredibly thankful that I didn’t.

I am now 3 years post surgery and still find that things are getting better. My balance is shockingly bad still, but it is still improving and I can tell by how easy stairs are or certain exercises in the gym that I can do better now than 12 months ago.

So don’t give up, consider physical therapy of some sort (I swear by it now, and will recommend it to anyone with back problems) and give it time. Serious back problems can have a very long recovery, which is frustrating but means that there is still hope, even years later.

Sorry for the essay, I hope some of it is useful.

🙏🏻