They may or may not be related. One thing that comes to mind is when you say walking up the stairs. Myself I was having the same issue then it progressed to not being able to get out of a chair. Some x-rays of my knee revealed it had popped the joint and was no longer in-line. I also have neck injuries and like you thought they must be related, but they are not. So if you haven't had your knees fully examined then maybe that would be worth it. If your going to the doctor for you neck, they won't just look at your knee as a side thing. You need to make a appointment for your knees, and have them looked at specifically. Once everything is ruled out with your knee's then maybe they could put some of it back if you have myelopathy. good luck and keep us posted.

I just stumbled across this post.

Sorry to hear that you are now having problems with your knees, shoulder and elbow.
I had hoped as I hadn't seen any posts from you for a long time, that you were fine again and back to your life.

I am still here, and having problems, especially with my neck now. My knees also trouble me, especially going up and down stairs.

I agree with Tamtam that it would be a good idea to make a doctor appointment specifically for your knees problems.

Welcome back!

My lumbar spine is ever so much better than before surgery. I would definately call it a success and am very glad that I had the fusion.

Now I am having symptoms all over my body, and they think that it is all being caused by my neck. As I have cord compression at C3/4 and C4/5 that can cause leg symptoms too when there is compression on the spinal cord. I also get tightening spasms around my chest which I think is being caused by my thoracic disc protrusions.

I got a copy of the registrar's letter to my GP today, after my appointment with him. He says that they are not planning to do surgery at the moment and will see me again in 6 months, but that if my GP thinks it is necessary, they will see me before that. I have to trust that they know what they are doing!

This registrar did say that he was recommending a 2 level anterior surgery and explained all the risks and chances of it working. He then said that there were also risks to not having surgery as my cord is being pinched and a jerk to the head could be serious. He then went out the room to talk to the consultant, and came back and said that they were going to wait 6 months and see me again then.

I think that there must be something that they are looking for that I don't have.

My physio spoke to someone and viewed my MRI scan and said he thinks the reason that they are waiting is because I have so much degeneration in my neck at all levels, and they are worried the fusion will cause this degeneration to speed up and I'll need further surgery in the future. (I have noticed that it is common for patients to need further levels done after ACDF surgery.) Also my recent MRI and the MRI done a year ago aren't very different, so I suppose they feel things aren't getting worse very quickly.

Did you manage to have some pain free time after your surgery before all these new problems?

Yes, I am back at work and felt I was doing well.
Now because I am needing to take time off for medical appointments, work have started being difficult and I am taking advice about what I am entitled to.

I could do without this added stress!

I do hope that you get some answers at your appointment on the 11th.

ok already, I got your message! Hahaha!

I am a teaching assistant.
I am in a union, but would rather not go down that path unless I have to.
I phoned the Human Rights Helpline today and found them very helpful. They have given me advice and if it doesn't work they have recommended that I contact my union and another organisation that will be able to help me.

Generally I am coping well with nearly all my duties. I have needed hospital appointments for nerve testing, mri scans, Pain Management and consultant appointments.

I have worked there 10 years and before my back problems, had a very good sickness record.

We have a new temporary head, and she is very unsympathetic.

I feel sorry for you. I talk to a lady on another website from England. She has the same sort of position as you. She was well too but now has autoimmune problems, plus a colostomy and wanted to take early retirement. I think she is only a year or so off the date. The Acting Head is giving her a dreadful time and won't allow it.

Apart from your time off for appointments, is there much in your job that you are unable to do?

I feel sorry for you. I talk to a lady on another website from England. She has the same sort of position as you. She was well too but now has autoimmune problems, plus a colostomy and wanted to take early retirement. I think she is only a year or so off the date. The Acting Head is giving her a dreadful time and won't allow it.

Apart from your time off for appointments, is there much in your job that you are unable to do?

I have good days and bad days. Generally I can do most things. The small chairs are a definate problem, so I have to try to make sure that I use my special chair. Trouble is it is often in the wrong place and I can't lift it up over the children and tables to move it. I find the best thing is to move frequently. If I stand for long I get back pain and numb or cramping toes and feet. Sitting for too long also is not good. When looking down for very long my neck starts to hurt. I need to keep my neck moving or in a neutral position. There are jobs that cause pain, especially when I am stooping over a table for any length of time. I am not allowed to supervise the playground as I need to be careful that I don't get knocked into, especially my head. I think this is beacause I already have compression on my spinal cord.

I believe that I am doing much better than before my lumbar fusion. My neck is a bit of a worry though!

Oh dear, I did it again.

I couldn't get in this time, I even got a message saying i wasn't allowed to read this page etc.,

You difficulties do sound like mine, probably leaning over a desk would be the worst, but the other one that even makes me feel nauseated with pain, is standing. As in a queue. I do remember on time when we were on holidays, I sat down on the pavement. Oh yes, the others had to get me up.

I am sure you are the one with the wonderful husband who looked after you and everything else.

My daughter and I are booked for a cruise in April, I am hoping to have my neck organised, a hernia sorted and my eyes wonderful. I have two cataracts and the best news is i won't need glasses afterwards. I know they have done that for years but I have a strong astigmatism and it is only about 12 months they have been able to correct that with a lens. Can't wait for that.

I can't even think what else you could do, in office work you are either bouching up and down all day, or sitting in the one position without moving.

I am so pleased you found me again.

I also, very nearly sat or lay down on the pavement while we were waiting for a bus on holiday once. By the time the bus came, I was in so much pain, but there weren't any seats left. I was starting to sit on a step on the bus when someone got up and gave me their seat. I was soooo greatful for that seat!

Yes, my husband is wonderful and was a fantastic carer after my surgery. He really made my recovery so much easier than it would have been. He even used to print off messages from here and bring them to the hospital for me to read.

Have a wonderful cruise Ann. Where are you cruising to?

I am hoping to continue working at the school, for the time being at least. I love working with the children. With a few adjustments made to help me I should be able to continue to be a useful member of staff.

It is lovely to catch up with you again.

The cruise is only 12 nights, and in Australian waters. My daughter and I are going from Sydney to Port Douglas. As i have breast cancer I understand I can't get travel insurance. While I am in Australian waters - not that anything is going to happen - my own insurance would cover me.

Deb works very hard and has two children, a boy who is doing the HSC Higher School Certificate at the moment, he is almost 18, and a 16 year old daughter who is doing the SC School certificate.

I am sure if the school Principal is smart, he or she should know they would be better off to accommodate you with whatever you need rather than lose you.

Howdy Ann,

Is there a chance you can have another opinion? Before I had my last surgery (see below), I had numerous opinions, the surgeon I decided to go with 'looked at me as a whole' and decided much of my leg issues where coming from my neck! Now that I am out of surgery, I am in agreement with finding now. I still have many of them, as I developed myelopathy due to my cord being banged back and forth with my last fusion failure (causing issues from the C5-8 nerves).

My lower legs and feet are most likely from my SEL (Spinal Epidural Lipomastosis - fat (similar to a tumor)at my L5/S1). My L1-L4 he feels now is a mix between my neck issues and my hernias in my upper lumbar. This all came about after aggressive testing in the EMG and Evoked Potentials, physical exams, Brain, cervical and lumbar MRI's to rule in/out other neurological issues. Still nothing is "etched in stone", but more likely than not, my neck is high for causing my leg weakness and some of the pain.

My knees have never specifically been an issue for me, mainly overall weakness (and too the front of my thighs), and related pain. He did say too in his exams that "some" of this is from the hernia's in my legs, but not all if that helps?? Oh, and some of the pain in my legs is now gone...

I hope you have answers soon. I know the "not knowing" is the biggest bi**h in this whole mess. Gentle *HUGZ*

Brenda

Hi Anne;

If you're having intense pain with your knees, especially going up and down stairs, or any kind of bending like when sitting down or standing up, it could possibly have something to do with the cartilage or ligaments, which would not be easily seen on x-rays. I agree with Tammy, that you need to make a separate appointment with your doctor about your knees. I too, have extensive issues with mine, have had both operated, in fact they removed the cartilage in my right knee when I was in my early 20s. In the meantime, ice helps with the pain, I also take ibuprofen to help. Many I have talked to have said that salmon or fish oil supplements and glucosamine also helps, if you do find out if it's the soft tissue that is the culprit in your case. Good luck!

I have been to Sydney and Port Douglas. My first snorkling experience was at the Great Barrier Reef which was fantastic. We loved Sydney and did a sea plane flight over the harbour from Rose Bay (I think that is the name of the place.) My sister lives on the Mornington Penninsula near Melbourne.

Her husband had a 2 level ACDF with coral used as bone graft, which I had never heard of before. What did you have for bone graft?

I hope that your spine issues will be controllable and that the world will look beautiful with your improved vision.

Have a wonderful cruise. april sound a long way away, but it will soon pass.

Hi Brenda, Thank you for replying. I have fluked an early appointment with my neuro surgeon on 11/11. Much better than they thought it would be, but because of a cancellation. I am poitive my aches and pains are from my neck and i am relyin on the n/s to confirm that.

I also get very strange painless headaches - and i did last time too, and they stopped with the surgery so I hope that happens again. Everything goes dark, and i do feel a bit confused, if I see a word eg., Luke, i slowly identify each letter, but I can't put them together, no can I make a word of it. That is frightening.

Hello Holly, I do take Glucosomine and have been doing so for about 15 years. Do you know with the pain in my back I could barely get in or our of a car and I am convinced it was the Glucosomine that helped that.

Jelly there is a place on the harbour called Rose
Bay, it is a 'posh' area. Do you know what 'posh' is? or is it one of our slang? We have quite a few odd sayings.

I would like to have a plane ride over the harbour myself. I have left Sydney by jet many times, and have been in a sea plane over Stradbroke island.

They aspirated bone from my hip to mix with some other thing to make my disc.

But what is an ACDF?

You have probably seen as much of Australia as I have. Except I think you may have done most of it by plane, i had done it by plane and car. But I have only seen the eastern side. Did you know here is roughly the same size as USA.

Yes, I am silly aren't I. I just hadn't thought of it written as initials, but everything is these days.

It is my name for it, Painless headache, I know you can have a painless migraine and i think that is what I am possibly having but caused by the pressure on the spinal cord. I can't think clearly, I can't even remember the name of things, I might call the fridge the washing machine etc., I will tell you what he says,

Thank you for your thoughts,

Jelly I call that out of focus with jagged edges and flashes, looking through broken glass. I have had all the tests like you to be sure it wasn’t anything sinister. I had this regularly, even once three days in a row!, and it totally cleared after I had the surgery. And now I have the problem again with my neck, and the headaches (?) are back, which confirms to me they are associated as I thought. I got myself really worried though about being away from home. One day I had a friend with me and she drove us home, and another time I was at the dentist. They were very worried and very kind. One drove me home and another brought my car back. I haven't spoken to anyone who had those before. I do feel quite unwell until it goes.

Have they told you that these migraines and the loss of reading are caused by your neck?

When I saw the stroke consultant he asked me about my headaches, and when I described them he did say that they were being caused by my neck. This visual disturbance doesn't usually accompany them though, and I had never had the loss of reading before.

I do know that the area of the brain that is involved in the ability to read is right near the area of the brain that is involved with sight. I have wondered if it could have been anything to do with my neck problems, especially as the worst areas are quite high in my neck (C3/4 and C4/5). Once when my physio was gently manipulating my neck my vision went strange. He did say that my optic nerve was close by.

I am very interested to know if he says the symptoms are related to your neck cord compression.

Hello Brenda, Well there is something new I have learned, I didn’t know they could do the cervical spine from the rear. I can always learn something.

It was interesting too that Jelly has had these painless headaches. My doctor told me a text book migraine is as I describe mine.

Hi Jelly, No, I haven’t been told yet that the head ‘aches’ are from my neck, I will check when I see the NS soon. But they did stop completely after I had the surgery in February last year. That is about 20 months ago and I suppose I had one about 6 weeks ago and also two weeks ago.

Only nine or ten days to wait.

Brenda you can be sure I will be back with my news after my appointment. It is a bit like going to the dentist for me. Not that it gets better but I keep thinking 'Maybe he will say there isn't anything wrong."

Hi Girls,

I have seen the neuro-surgeon, I went to him armed with my list as I always do. He listened very patiently to all my aches and pains and sore spots, then I was alomost to the end of the list and then I read out "even my right foot burns as though scalded but not even a rash."

He asked some more questions and wrote out a script for Lyrica. It has solved the problem and fixed all my sore spots. Amazing. He didn't say I have Fibromyalgia but that is what Lyrica is for!!!

Pity it is so expensive here.

Hope you are all doing well,

I have found out what my aches and pains are, it is Fibromyalgia. I have been taking Lyrica and all those symptoms have vanished.

Girls I have been in the wars. I went to hospital by ambulance with an acute bowel obstruction, i had surgery for that and three days later I was in agony and had surgery for peritonitis.

It was a long period of being very unwell but thankfully i am much better now.

You've been put through the ringer. I, too have fibromyalgia and the flares are tough, and it's difficult to know what's from fibro, arthritis, or whatever. I'm so glad Lyrica is working for you. I am taking Lyrica also, and it helps some.

Glad you're doing better!

KarenD