Leg Fatigue - Pain Management Message Board

scotty12 · 11-05-2004, 08:32 PM

i have lumbar hern. fron L3 thru S1 and a spondy at L5-S1.

ive yet to have fusion surgery,that is the only surgery ive been offered because of the instability.ive managed to control the back pain well enough with pain meds and anti infl. but lately the leg weakness is agonizing.they ache constantly,especially my thighs and calves.

im not sure if there are any meds to help because its not really leg pain but more of a constant achiness.ive mentioned it to my pain dr but it just these past weeks or so that its gotten very bad.

if i go to work i manage but i have to get off my feet by the time i get home.i have nothing left for my family.ive been going for pt again but exersizing my legs just makes it worse.

has anybody felt like this?the heaviness and aches in the thighs and calves?what helped?
....decomression surgery is not an option w/o 2 level fusion.
scott

Streetcar · 11-08-2004, 02:21 PM

Hey Scott,

What pain meds are you on? I've heard of people taking LA Morphine having restless leg syndrome type side effects. I've got RLS and some of my symptoms are aching and burning in my calves and thighs that is helped by keeping my legs moving (tough to get any sleep that way) or by taking Mirapex 1Mg at bedtime. That's why I was asking.

scotty12 · 11-08-2004, 02:39 PM

ken,
aching calfes and thighs,very hard to sleep.thats it.no morphine,just oxycodone and elavil.ambien helped me sleep for a while but ive stopped since 20mg would not keep me asleep for more than 4 hrs.

i find the deep aching in my legs much harder to deal with than the back pain,but meds do help with the back,not the legs.

im wondering if any meds would help the legs.ive heard neurontin and topomax help w/nerve pain,if thats what it is.

scott

Streetcar · 11-08-2004, 04:08 PM

Scott,

I'm taking Mirapex 1Mg nightly for my legs. Been using it for 11 months and haven't had a single problem with my legs once we got the dosage right. Started at 1/4Mg nightly and titrated til it was effective. My neuro tells me that it is the most common med used to treat RLS. I had RLS for years before I got up hte nerve to talk to my dr about it. Didn't know how to explain it so that it even began to make sense and I figured that the dr would only think me crazier than I really am. Turns out that it is a fairly common 5 - 10% of the adult pop. has it but very few report it due to the same reasons that I didn't. Go fiure! Wouldn't hurt to inquire?