Broken titanium rod on spine

siillyy2000

Kpolley said:

I had my second fusion at L4-5 in 2005 and found out yesterday that the rods are broken in have on both sides. Not sure what they are gonna do yet. Does anyone know if there were faulty rods back then?

Yes there was a recall on the Polaris spinal kit. Talk to your surgeon and find out your serial number. Mine broke and I had revision surgery. These rods are made of two corrosive metals similar to the hip replacement ones. They also had faulty screws which has caused the spine to become unstable therefore increasing the risk of rod failure. There are many law suits pending on this. Call a lawyer. Because it's been proved its a manufacturer defect all you need is your dates of surgery and your serial number

siillyy2000

terror8396 said:

if people think they have broken rods, then there is probably another issue like installed incorrectly. titanium is the strongest metal and it is used by space, planes, and even the spy plane used in the 80's. me thinks that there is breakage not with the metal but in the areas where the screws are placed, a bone paste is added to the screws and it takes a year or so for the bone to harden. i was told that i could not lift over 5 lbs or do any heavy work at all for a year and also i had to wear a brace. i think some people do not adhere to these rules or wear their brace as ordered and if one does not do this then the screws can come undone or break. it is not the fault of the metal. one can not get stronger metal than titanium and as i wrote before if you research it, there is less than a 1% chance of them breaking. so those who write me and say i don't know what i am talking about should research titanium and surgery. they would not use it in the blackbird spy plane and the shuttle if it would not hold up to stress. my father in law is a stress analysis engineer and he says it is a very reliable metal.




The rods are not made of one metal. Each kit is a combination of titanium and mostly aluminum. Look it up. There was a recall on a batch of these kits because of a manufacturer defect. It's already been proven, the company admitted it and the doctors were informed after the fact. Unfortunately many of those kids to had already been used when the recall went into effect. So no it's not always the patients fault. I did everything I was supposed too to and they broke. I don't smoke, wore my brace twenty four hours a day, with a half hour break for showers. No lifting, bending of stretching. In the brace for six months, full recovery one year. And my surgeon cleared as fully fused at my one year mark. Three years later they broke while I was plugging in my iPod. So yeah not always a patients fault.
jon

siillyy2000

There were recalls on certain Polaris rods and screws. Mine broke after three years and that's how I found out about the recall. I've had revision surgery and it's a nightmare. Chronic pain, unable to walk. I hired a lawyer and I'm currently working with them. See your doctor find the serial number of your robs and check the recall list. I'm

Hope1028

Hi
I am 47 years old. I had spinal fusion in 2010 (T3 to S1). I found out in 2014 that one of my rods broke in the lumbar spine. I have a lot of pain. I am no longer able to work due to my pain. My neurosurgeon says the rod is secure for now. I'm not sure what to do. I also have spinal stenosis in my thoracic spine that causes me even more pain. My neurosurgeon gave me two surgical options regarding the stenosis: go in and fix the stenosis ( "clean it up") or fix the stenosis and go a little higher with my fusion to take stress off my T2 and above. I am not sure about having more surgery. I had spinal surgery in 1984 (scoliosis w/ Harrington rods removed in 1986) revision surgery 2010   Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Liz

siillyy2000 said:

charzy said:

Anonymous said:

Hi,
I had spinal surgery 3 years ago. Two titanium rods and 12 screws. I have been experience pain now for 6 months and just had it checked. I was told that a nut was off and the rod had broken and allowed the disk to deteriorate. Has anyone ever had a broken rod that has caused problems.
I was told that the rod may have broken because of movement.
Seems wrong for that to happen.

Contact a lawyer. There was a recall on the Polaris spinal kits. Mine broke for the same reason. Most lawyers to these cases on a " if you win " they get paid. That is how most of them work. Mine only gets paid if I win my case. Yours is not the only product failure. It was proved to be a manufacturer defect. Get the serial number from your doctor and check the recall list with them.
Help.

I recently went to the Dr.[EDIT] to be exact! I have had 6 Back Surgeries and have 4 Titanium Rods in My Spine two 22 inch, one 20 inch
one 16 inch 30 two inch screws and 10 brackets and two 3 inch extenders.My Pain has been off The Hook!! Tests show that I Have a Loose Screw
. My Titanium Rods have Broke 4 Times. It is Shoddy Workmanship by the Company, The Manufacturer who made these! I am sick of it Something
needs done and now I have to go under the knife a 7th time I am not Happy and I'm scared to Death!! I need Help in Finding an Attorney. that handles
pro bono cases! read my story I wasn't doing anything this last time but putting make-up on! the time before that I was Reaching for something and My Rods Blew at my waist. Just doesn't seem right!! I wish They could just take it all out! but that isn't going to happen! but this screw could cause sepsis and i could possibly have to have everything taken out so I guess I'm going under the Knife for the 7th time! I wish You the Best of Luck!!
GBY, Char

**********************************************************
The member you are responding to  is longer a member, I have edited your post to remove the doctor's name
Liz, Spine-health Moderator

Hope1028

Spinal Stenosis
Hope1028 said:
Hi
I am 47 years old. I had spinal fusion in 2010 (T3 to S1). I found out in 2014 that one of my rods broke in the lumbar spine. I have a lot of pain. I am no longer able to work due to my pain. My neurosurgeon says the rod is secure for now. I'm not sure what to do. I also have spinal stenosis in my thoracic spine that causes me even more pain. My neurosurgeon gave me two surgical options regarding the stenosis: go in and fix the stenosis ( "clean it up") or fix the stenosis and go a little higher with my fusion to take stress off my T2 and above. I am not sure about having more surgery. I had spinal surgery in 1984 (scoliosis w/ Harrington rods removed in 1986) revision surgery 2010   Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Laurita

After 3 years of supposedly recovering from a T3-sacrum fusion surgery, I noticed I was leaning forward with greatly increasing pain. I had to repeatedly beg the surgeon to analyse the problem; I practically crawled into his office the last time. Turns out I had a broken rod (which was seen in a dynamic x-ray). This is when he finally admitted that I had failed fusion at L4/L5. So the cause of my rod breaking was failed fusion. Good luck and write back if you'd like.

dilauro

Please remember , much of this discussion  happened several years ago and the members are no longer with Spine-Health.  It would be better to start a new discussion for this topic

braaadepiitte

Hi, I live in Canada and had a spinal fusion
in 1995. I was a lot older than you at the time (33 years old). I was
fine for many years, but a couple of years ago I had felt something
jutting out of my back and went for an X ray. Two screws had broken in
the titanium rods and it took me well over a year to see a specialist.
My surgeon has since retired. I was told they can take out a good
portion of the rods, but would leave the broken part of the screw that
is in my spine there as they would have to make a bigger hole in the
spine to get the screw out that would weaken the area. I'm fine with
that. I was supposed to have surgery in December, 2013, but it was
cancelled and I am waiting for a re-schedule, most likely in February,
2014. I am having extreme pain if I move a certain way. I think the
hardware is touching some nerves. If you haven't done anything yet, I
will keep you posted after my surgery. By the way, they didn't say they
would do any exploratory surgery. They did a CT scan and told me
exactly what they intend to do.

harborhome

AnonymousUser said:

I really don't know what to say,i do know this though its not your fault by all means.I do know that i would be checking the liability of those rods, There not breakable, thats what they told me because that was my main concern so they told me they were made out of a non-breakable metal Titanuim .I would be seeking a lawyer not against your doctor by all means he was told what we were told.Something don't add up here because if you were to take the sciencetific route here ,the area ,divided ,by the size,then times it by position,it equals faulty manufacturer. Plus your spine would be looking like a train wreck .I have 6 bolts 3 plates and 2 rods in at L-4,L-5,S-1, I hate them badly they cause me nothing but pain and agony,they hurt when the weather gets cold the way my posture is .I actualy feel them one pushes through the skin,i get deep bone pain,every disc above and below has to pay for it in the long run,there all crushing and baring the weight now PS Please Seek a lawyer for the warranty rights remember its not the doc its the maker. Thanks hope i was helpful.

AnonymousUser said:

Hi,
I had spinal surgery 3 years ago. Two titanium rods and 12 screws. I have been experience pain now for 6 months and just had it checked. I was told that a nut was off and the rod had broken and allowed the disk to deteriorate. Has anyone ever had a broken rod that has caused problems.
I was told that the rod may have broken because of movement.
Seems wrong for that to happen.
Help.

I was bent over at a 62 degree angle and in continuous pain as an outgrowth of a L-4/L-5 disc replacement in 2007. When I found a surgeon who could help me (I consulted with 12 and no two had the same opinion), I had a spinal fusion from T-10 down (12 levels) in March 2012. Recovery was OK but it took awhile, maybe a year or so, before I didn't feel uncomfortable as a direct result of all the hardware inside of me. Then, in August, 2015, 3 -1/2 years later, one of the two main titanium rods running down my spine snapped as I was twisting a bit to put a dish in the dishwasher. I heard it snap and tests showed it to be a clean break across the rod. So I had to endure another major surgery, this time from T-9 down. They braced the broken rod on both sides with cobalt/chrome devices. Now, five months later in March, 2016, I am getting discouraged because I feel the new hardware in me all the time. I do wear an industrial strength brace most of the time. Otherwise, I feel like I'm going to melt down like the witch in the "Wizard of Oz." This has been a long journey for me and I am fearful that whatever is inside of me now could break as well at some point down the road. So I'm as careful as I can be which is limiting at best. Scary.