New here & have had back surgery

Laminectomy recovery not going so well so far.

Hi, I recently had a laminectomy (L4L5S1) 12 days ago and still have lots of sciatica pain in my left leg. I can walk more than a mile, and there is not much pain when I walk. However, when I stand for any amount of time, the pain in my leg returns. I have been doing everything that was expected of me post-op so I am getting to the point where I am wondering why the pain isn't any better. The nurses tell me that it takes the nerves a while to "settle down" after surgery. I do not see any improvement in the pain in my leg at all. It is as if I did not have the surgery. The pain seems to be in a different place in my leg, more on my lower calf. Before the surgery, I had pain radiating down from my lower back, through my hip, all the way down my leg to my toes and I had numbness as well. Now the pain seems to be more localized and there is not as much numbness. I can walk for quite a while without out feeling uncomfortable, so it is all a puzzle to me. Am I being impatient or do I need to see the doctor? I do not want to have another operation, I am 64 years old, and one is it for me! Does it really take 2 to 3 months before the nerve pain goes away, or did I have a "failed operation"? Thanks for any input.

Frankie I gave your post a heading...Susie

Hi Frankie,

Susie is right.  When I had my back surgeries, one of the aspects was decompression, to make room for the nerves that were being compressed.

Nerves take a very, very long time to heal.

I am 10 months out from my surgery, and I still have pain (a whole lot LESS mind you), but only recently did I start to get some remarkable and exciting changes in the nerve damaged areas.

It's a very long road.

Just because the surgery is over, the healing takes much longer to finish.

Hang in there.  You'll do fine!

M.

Hi Frankie,

Welcome . I had back surgery 4 months ago and I still sometimes get a little bit of the sciatica pain . 12 days out of back surgery is still to early to call it a failed surgery. You may still have a lot of inflammation in your back. That alone could cause enough pressure on your nerves . Have you seen video of the procedure ? They really go in there and move stuff around just to get to your spine . Give it 3 months and if you haven't seen ANY improvement by then maybe it wasn't successful. Nerves also can take up to 18 months to heal . I remember the first couple of weeks standing and sitting was the worst . Walking was the best activity that would ease my leg pain . Just give it some time . :)