Week 8 Rehab Report

OK, don't freak out. My current battle with back pain is not a new development in my recovery. If you go back to last fall in this very blog, you will see my reports of back pain; it was the back pain that landed me in rehab before the surgery. I had a rip-roaring case of sciatica that improved with rehab, but never got fully resolved. We decided that until my gait was normal, there was no chance of fixing it. So I worked on overall strength, pain control, and waited for surgery.

While on the heavy meds for the first 5-6 weeks post-op, I forgot about the back pain. The drugs did a great job of masking problems and I was able to focus on my recovery process. IT WAS GREAT!!! About 3 weeks ago I transitioned off the Oxycontin (my choice, my plan, nobody made me do it) and then I started phasing out the Percocets (once again, my plan). Well, over the past week the pain has come back, first gradually, then with a vengeance. So much so that I'm having problems functioning and sleeping. Today I went running to my primary care doctor for help.

She listened to me rant about the unfairness of it all, and then said, "Maybe you need to be a little more patient." ME? Patient??? OK, maybe a little impatient. She then explained that most people opt to be on some form of pain control for up to 6 months following knee surgery, because the "alignment problems" can take as much as the whole first year to resolve.

My doctor went on to explain that we could pursue 3 different types of treatment. I could go back on a low dose pain drug, continue working out hard and improving my overall fitness, and then work on transitioning off the drug in a few more months. She wasn't worried about my forming a dependency. The second option was to see an anesthesiologist for an injection of pain meds right into the spine. This requires an MRI and carries some risk. The third is surgery. We discussed the fact that some large percentage (like 40%) of spinal surgeries do not succeed in removing the pain and in some cases cause even more damage.

So, with prescription for 10 mg. of Oxycontin in my hand, I returned to work. I have scheduled a follow up appointment with her, to determine if I am improving. And if I've learned to be more patient.