Lumbar Synovial Cyst Causing My Back Pain?
Nov 19, 2013
I have sever back pain and haven't been able to work since August. I am unable to stand, sit or walk for long periods of time. It hurts to sneeze, cough, bend or pick anything up. The pain is constant, stabbing at times and it feels like I have a rock in my spine. They have done facet and epidural injections. I take an anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxer and Norco (3 times a day). They tried to put me on Neurontin but it made me too sick. I have had every test done imaginable and basically what I have is degenerative disk disease with mild broad-base bulge. Bilateral facet arthropathy and ligamentum flavum hypertrophy. Indentation of the thecal sac in L4-L5. L5-S1 bilateral arthropathy. L3-L4 bilateral ligamentum flavum hypertrophy and a left nerve sleeve cyst (synovial cyst).
My surgeon wants to do a foraminotomy because I have radiculopathy on L4-L5 and then do a spinal cord stimulator for the pain. He isn't worried about the cyst...said it isn't the reason for my sever back pain. From what I have been reading, all of my symptoms sound like its the cyst causing at least some of the pain. Am I wrong to second guess his opinion? I just don't want to have these surgeries done and then later down the road turn around and have to have the cyst removed.
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I had a laminectomy with removal of a synovial cyst exactly 17 days now and feel wonderful. Last weeks follow up visit actually was an eye opener because i found out I was doing too much, like bending for example, and I am really suppose to take it easy so the scar tissue can form a strong bond.
My cyst was large and sitting on the nerve root. As soon as it was removed the compressed nerve popped right back up, all good news.
I am wondering how soon before i can start doing other things besides resting and walking. I understand the golf is not happening for at least another 6 weeks and that's ok, but can I swim or when can i ride a bike?
I have basically no pain aside from a little muscle spasms.
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I'm scheduled for surgery next month to remove a synovial cyst in my lower spine. The pain is present only when standing and walking for long periods, but debilitating when it occurs. I've read so much on this site, I thought I would get some of your views.
My neurosurgeon plans to do a laminectomy to reach the cyst which he says is quite large. We debated about whether a fusion is necessary to prevent the cyst from recurring. There is a difference of opinion among surgeons. Two that I've had review my X-rays say I have some degeneration in the disk and should have a fusion. A third says to take the risk and avoid the fusion. Eventually my surgeon convinced me I should have this done in order to return to an active life vs sitting on the couch. He does minimally invasive surgery and does not use a cage or pedicle (sp?) screws as he believes they put too much stress on other disks. Instead he showed me a very simple clamp he has used successfully. Has anyone heard of this - alternative?
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i am having a posterior lumbar 4-5 laminectomy with synovial cyst removal on August 27,2015. I have a 5 day trip to Germany planned 6 &1/2 weeks later.
I now know the recovery to be longer than the one week I had thought. I know it is at least 6 weeks, after my pre surgery intake with the wonderful nurse I have. Does anyone have feedback about a 8 hour plane ride to Europe with only 6 weeks recovery time? Thanks
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I am ten days post cyst surgery, no fusion, just cyst removal. I have some numbness still in my foot. Is that normal?
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I was diagnosed as having a synovial cyst by a neuropsychiatrist. I had a procedure where he went in and drained the cyst along with that I had a steroid injection. Apparently he did not get much out of the cyst. The pathology report came back negative on what he did manage to get out.
On day two post procedure the pain starting coming back. Each day the pain level increased to where I am now a level 8 and sometime 9 and can barely stand the pain. My lower right back just above the buttock feels like there is pressure and is very achy. The deep achy pain goes into my right buttock and wraps around the lower groin area. The achy pain goes down my right leg and into my foot. It is a pulsating deep ache and I can hardly stand it. It also feels numb at times and I get pins and needle tingling. When I get up from laying down or sometimes sitting (when I can sit) I get this sharp excruciating pain in my right groin that doubles me over. I have to stay still in the doubled over position to let it subside before I can straighten up and walk. Sometimes the groin pain just hits me out of nowhere when I am standing.
On my follow up visit with my physiatrist he recommended I have a consult with a neuro spine surgeon. My appointment with the surgeon is in a couple of days. I feel very fortunate to get into see this surgeon who is very hard to get in to see. He is rated as "one of the best" in a very large healthcare system where I work.
I am taking 1500mg of gabapentin along with 6 ibuprofen a day. I am also taking hydrocodone. I fight the pain and only take on the average one pain pill a day because I don't like the groggy feeling.
My question is, has anyone else with a synovial cyst had all of these symptoms? Is the groin pain related to the compression on the nerve from the cyst. I appreciate any feedback and would love to hear from someone who has had these symptoms.
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Nine months ago I hurt my back with an improper lift. Unlike several other back sprains, this one won't go away. Low back pain, and bilateral sciatica. Mostly dull pain, but shooting pain down legs when I bend backwards, or step into a hole that jars my back. Doctors have to play by the insurance company rules, so they treat with meds, then Phys Therapy, then guessing, and before you know it you have been hurting for 9 months. So I had an MRI that revealed a herniated disc with central canal stenosis and 2 other bulging discs.
How does one choose the method of treatment, or the type of medical pro. If you go to a surgeon, he wants to cut, to a chiro, he wants to crack and twist, you get the point. I'm being stoic about the pain, because I am concerned about side effects and drug dependency, but it's time to get this fixed and get on with my life. I would like to think that the body is equipped to heal itself. But, maybe not.
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I'm 18 and i was diagnosed with scoliosis at a young age. I wore a brace to correct the curvature for about 2-3 years. The brace would put pressure on my hips and after some time I would have pain in my lower back, down my buttocks, down the back of
the leg and into the toes. It's sharp and searing and sometimes there's tingling and numbness. Could this be sciatica caused by the brace? Is it possible that it pinched the nerves and caused permanent damage? All I know is that it is extremely painful and hard to get to go away..
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I am a 41 year old girl with Chiari Malformation and Back Pain and I have Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (not really related to my question issue here). For quite awhile I have had back pain (upper/cervical) and lower. I tried to tell the doctors but they always told me it was nothing. Then it got severe one day. I don't know how to explain it but it felt like something happened in my lower back area. The pain was in my back and leg (left side) and it was not in my butt at all. Some days the pain in my leg felt like a stake was being driven in it. Otherwise most of the time it was just plain pain (don't know how to explain it - it was 2 types of pain). Well I finally called my doctor and I had an appt and he got me a couple of MRI's and said that I had a herniated disc and that a chunk broke off of it (he gave me copies of my reports as well)and the chunk was lying elsewhere. Well to make a long story short, he sent me to an Ortho Neuro who ended up doing a surgery...he was like you can do PT (which would mean I still had to live with it), Live with it or surgery. I didn't want to live with it. Well, it took awhile but after so many months/weeks I ended up having PT after the surgery.
Well during PT my pain went from being bad to worse! I cried during PT and after my sessions. I had a couple of weeks here and there I had it put off because of my neuro appts out of state, but it was not long periods of time. Anyway, my PT told me I needed to stop my PT sessions and contact my doctor because they could tell that I was having a ton of pain and I was not getting better - only worse. I did let my ortho know and waiting on my appt I let them know that on some days the pain would spread (it was kind of like radiating) to my right side. Apparently they assumed I meant it was on the right side. During my appt after my MRI, he kept saying the right side - that my results showed nothing about the right side and he left it go at that. I kept trying to say it was on the left but spread to the right (radiated on some days). He did not listen to me. I let him know that my leg was weak and I kept falling. Still didn't listen. My appt was directly after my MRI so he read it and didn't have the radiologist results. I was so devastated as I had no idea what was going on. I decided to obtain my results and after I did I had an appt coincidently with my regular doctor and I told him about my appt and showed him my results. He seemed concerned and told me that I needed to contact the ortho and ask them to explain my results and go over them with me. He said I had a right to have them explained to me. He didn't because he was not the one who ordered them and it is not his area anyway.
I did again and they said that the results got misfiled/lost in a folder somewhere. They called me back a week later and set an appt up. I explained to them again that it was my left and it had just radiated to my right. It has always been my left said. I explained I was falling and my leg is now like a noodle and it is scaring me. I am so afraid I will not be able to walk one day. I am afraid to go anywhere by myself due to the risk of falling, as I have fallen stepping out of the car and just walking about a few feet or so. My leg just gives out on me. The pain is excruciating as well. Well I went to my appt and they cancelled it on me and I am scheduled this week. As usual I am sure they will say there is nothing on there (as they have before - every doctor is different it seems telling me what could be). Well, one thing my regular doctor was concerned about was other than my disc is herniated again, is that it has something on there he does not know what it is supposed to be is that it says: enhancement noted in the left erector spinae musculature. That is the concern. Anyone ever see this before or know what it could be?
The last thing is that again my disc is herniated and compressing the sciatic nerve. The rest is not concerning as it is normal they said: Enhancement in the surgical bed as well as along the left side of the thecal sac and encasing left S1 and S2 Nerve Roots. Although it has been 9 or 10 months since my surgery on my lumbar area, they said that is normal to have.
I am really worried about the pain and the falling - the fact that my leg is like a noodle and only getting worse. I am so off balance and more. I have a ton of symptoms but they say the other stuff is neurological and related to my P.O.T.S. I have been more nauseated and throwing up more than ever (although it is not causing me to lose weight, because I don't walk as much because of the problem with walking and the pain from exercise (as found out in PT). I assume the nausea and vomiting is from the extreme pain. I am so tired of being ignored by the doctors. I don't think my regular doctor would tell me I need to go back to the ortho if he didn't think something was wrong too. I feel like crap and I just want to feel better. I may never get better from the P.O.T.S. or the Chiari/Cervical pain, but there is hope that someone can fix my back problems. My walking is important to me because I love to take walks with my family and I love walking in the snow, etc. I want to be able to do more things. I can't go see the specialist (for my neuro stuff) until I get this taken care of, as they are out of state.
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I am a 65 year old female soon to have a L4/L5 Laminectomy with resection of Synovial Cyst (L4/L5) I need more information about the surgery, and what to expect as far as recovery time, etc.
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In January 2013 I started having left leg pains and started taking ibuprofens or store brand pain killers. Over the last 3 months the pain has become chronic, numbness in my big toe and foot, tingling, and pain in my buttock. This is only happening in my left leg. To make a LONG story short. The MRI showed a cyst pressing against my spine causing the pain. Initially my chiropractor thought is was a disc issue causing my sciatic nerve issues. My neurologist suggested a laminectomy Surgery however his concern was if I need fusion. I had an x-ray done that indicated there is some slipping. The neurologist gave me his best guestimation of how long that area of my back would last without the fusion. If he could have given me a high % that the fusion is necessary I would be at peace with it. Decisions, decisions. I was told the recovery is about 4 -6 weeks and longer with the fusion Do you have any knowledge on either procedure?
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Hello,
I'm new on this board. On October 1st 2015 I had decompression surgery (L2-L4), a laminectomy and removal of a synovial cyst that was very high up on the spine (L2)- it was compressing the cauda equina in a bad way. Since then I have had a lot of nerve pain in my groin (both sides), hamstrings, plus sciatica down my right leg from the hip to the toes (according to the neurosurgeon, this is a 'small hernia' due to stenosis and a trapped nerve on S1/L5/L4 that he will operate on when the pain gets too much for me). Not sure if the sciatica is related to the cauda equina syndrome, but imo the cause of both is spinal stenosis. The nerve pain got less throughout the months (except for the sciatica) but the last weeks it's returning again more, on both sides. I had an MRI done two months ago for the sciatic pain and the doctor saw 'something' on the L2 facet joint that could be a new synovial cyst, or else it's scar tissue, he wasn't sure. My gut feeling is that the cyst is growing back and pressing on the cauda equina again- or could it be that i'm still recovering from the first surgery (now 6 months ago)? I sure hope it's the latter, as it was a big operation and the surgeon said that fusion may be next, as the facet joints move too much and in this way the liquid will keep forming new cysts. Ugh. Mid August I will have a new MRI to see whether the synovial cyst is back or not.
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Impression: Moderate L4/5 disc bulge and a left medial synovial cyst. Significantly compressing the left thecal sac and contributing to moderate central canal and left greater than right lateral stenosis.
I have had progressively worsening low back pain and upper leg and butt pain.
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what is causing my ovarian cyst pain if it hasn't ruptured? I am having severe pains that come and go. They can last up to 20 minutes and i cant move. It is so frequent at least twice a day. But the doctor just keeps watching to see what it is doing. I cant stand the pain. What could the reason my cyst hurts so much?
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I have been taking Lansoprazole since April of 2014. I have just developed upper back pain and pain in my sternum area. I also just started taking Potassium supplementation for low potassium. One of these, I believe is causing my back pain.
Anyone else out there suffering from upper (and lower) back pain and pain in the sternum area? Did it stop when you discontinued the Lansoprazole?
Thank you for any help!
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About 2 week's ago I took 2 perc within a night and the next day I got sick, I thought from the pills, but than I was nauseous and have been for the most part ever since. My left side mid to lower back started hurting approx a week ago and it's gotten much worse last night and now I'm having pain in my upper right abdomen as if the pain moved. I'm on muscle relaxers for my back already but it's not affecting/helping my new pain though and the new pain doesn't feel the same. I was just curious if anyone had any idea what it might be, some say kidneys but does that pain or can it move from my back to my abdomen?
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for nerve pain in lower back/hip and leg. MRI in a few days. Known herniated lumbar discs, nerve pain new for past 6 weeks.
I cannot take morphine or derivatives due to it making me feel like I can't breathe so the anti epilepsy drugs are next try.
Dr gave me 300mg capsules but having taken one today I have asked to be given 100mg capsules and I will increase very very slowly. The side effects with one 300mg capsule was spectacular and I could not cope with this again let alone increasing the dose but can only hope that starting very low and only increasing very slowly I can tolerate
My question is, is it possible that just one 300mg tablet taken for the first time give pain relief as I am sure it did with me. Now its wearing off the pain is worse. My Dr said that it takes up to 2 weeks for pain relief.
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My son had an LP done in Sept. He walked into the hospital fine and ever since then has been in extreme pain and has limited mobility. They can't find anything medically wrong with him.
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Can someone tell me from their experience what the usual differences are between pain feeling when you have lumbar disc issues & pain feeling when you have lumbar facet pain?
Are there any significant markers at all? I have looked on web in detail and i just keep finding contrasting information.
Have lumbar problems but no one seems to be able to work out if pain is from disc issues or facets.
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I had large cyst that was attached to my left fallopian tube and the surgeon removed the left fallopian tube with the large cyst that was 18 cm and 2L of fluid. And I took an MRI scan that was recommended by my gynecologist and the result came back as another cyst that is growing on the ovary. I was pretty shocked though. I thought it can only come once. I am going to see my gynecologist on Thursday. But Is it possible for a cyst to grow or come back in/on the same ovary?
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Hope you are all recovering now. I had PS a few years ago i had to sit in the hospital for four days but the ps went down. Jan this year it was back but this time i have been left with a cyst. It's getting more painful everyday. As i sit down all day for my job that doesn't help.
I am going to have the op not sure which one yet i'm waiting for my appointment.
Reading what you have all said i'm an scared and hoped that it didn't take that long to heal as i have a holiday booked for June.
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