They took a piece of my hip & fused my neck . I had mine implanted on 2 separate times in 2009 on L3-4, L4-5 and L5-S1. Unfortunately I started to have excruciating pain. but, my doctor refused surgery. To add to it, in 2014 I had to have a second lumbar surgery to remove the hardware. But since the surgeon who put the hardware in and didn't recommend they be removed after 2 years when the fusion was solid as the fad approval stated they were only to be used in patients who were having them removed and the pain didn't start until 10 years later, Michigan statute of limitations is only 6 years, I don't have a case. For those of you who had an orthopedic surgeon do your procedure and are still having problems, find a good neurosurgeon. Almost immediately after surgery I was septic with a rare bacteria called Serratia marcescens. Each one of these items of hardware is currently not doing what they are supposed to. now at 53 i have 8 broken screws and looking at a life threatening surgery and about 2 yrs of recovery. Including screws. Two of the screws on the bottom broke right in half. so I went from dr. to dr. to dr. noone would touch the hardware. (defect)Get this a bone plugs in the L5-S1 disk space. He informed me that they use screws now and indeed I walked out of the hospital the next day. Waaaay too much and want to know if there are exercises that are safe to do. I can hardly walk, and every time I cough, sneeze or move my legs, my back pops and cracks, and the pain is almost unbearable. What was done if you did? Please someone give me some advise. But all that being said -- I am very very thankful and grateful for my surgeon. Are we suppose to live the rest of our lives this way. I still have so much pain it literally fells like a knife in my low back. I was always independent and doing everything. We are lawyers who specialize in broken screw lawsuit cases against neurosurgeons and spinal fusion surgical doctors. I have 2 titanium rods and a stimulator implanted to help my legs to walk. Im in the same situation as many of you. so here I sit as I type this w two broken screws in my spine. Interventions for failed surgical procedures to the back can include: Depending on the seriousness of the injury and the original surgery, you may or may not be required to have additional surgical procedures. I am so so sorry that this has happened to all of us and it is TIME that someone do something if this is a manufacterer defect. In a spinal fusion procedure, hardware is typically used to stabilize the spine while the bone graft fuses the vertebrae together. Pain pills ony make it a little tolerable. I have medicare and I am permantly disabled thanks to all this. Keep being sent to phys. I wish some lawyers would do a class action lawsuit on this. Your medical bills will need to be reviewed, and this will take some time. There are many articles that can be found regarding conservative management of the spine and very few that advocate major fusion procedures. This operation is a delicate operation that needs special care to preserve the ambulatory function of the patient post-surgery. It's awful we trust doctors to help us only to cripple us. He ignored her and my low grade fever and told a nurse to clean me up and bandage me. They paid because I had hurt myself at work . Updated Sep 27, 2017 By Nicola V. Hawkinson,. and I cried and said I had no idea. By the way, two months after my flexible rods were implanted, I felt a snap in my back. Spinal Fusion. They will be leaving the broken part of the screw in my spine due to that its too risky to take it out. After reading all these comments, I don't feel so alone. May God Help Those that are Suffering from this. The big question I have at the moment is how can I get my hardware that is currently broken or all of the screws for that matter. I want to file a lawsuit but was told it has to be a class action lawsuit. In the even that you have had a lumbar fusion hardware, from Striker 2 titanium screws that broke, or had implant screws that fragmented in an unnecessary surgery you need to give us a call. All Rights Reserved. Dear Patrick,I'm very sorry to hear that a Surgeon also Ruined your Life with These No Good Defective Metal Screws,that also ruined my Life in1997.I suffer now 24/7 with what they call Severe Chronic Intractable Pain.The Surgeon Assured me that he would make me feel like a New Man once He Did a Anterior & Posterior Approach taking a piece of my left Hip off to put Between My L-5 Disc that was comp. DR. AA opened his surgery at the same site as Doctor RR the 2007 surgery at C4-T1 caused the removal of my Thyroid which effect is to medication for my thyroid meds for life. I am in NJ and im 39 years old, I had my first fusion on of the L5/S1 on April 7 2014. I have had 2 sets of screws put in my lower spine, 8 years apart. I kept feeling the Leg pain (speading to both sides as well) and it kept getting worse and worse. Accessed Aug. 15, 2022. I don't fault my surgeon, he did what he knows, I fault the manufacturer of the screws and I would like to see them suffer for my suffering. Im so upset about having to go through this again!! I now live in Utah, and the original surgeon is in Texas. I have gained weight. He took the rest of my stitches out and it was all infected it was packed and planned surgery the next day. I am so mortified with the medical field. By the time I had this surgery, I had already had L4-5 , L5-s1 partial laminectomy/discectomy 4/16/09 and then within 5 months L3-4/ L4-5 collapsed and I had to have fusion with pedicle screws and plate on 9/3/09. he said he saw them and that he didnt tell me cause it didnt make a difference if he left them or fixed them. T. I am a spine surgeon. One of the screws broke! This is to many people with the same problems something needs to be done, MY SPINE is my MOBILITY. he asked if I knew they were broke. My fusion was with 2 DePuy titanium rods, 20 pedicle screws and bone grafts. I thought it was from my hip. I didn't get out of bed for 4 days after that. Is there any chance of suing?/ Also, I got a chance to have my notes rea d to me. Thankfully, there are other options outside of your local pharmacy. it is a little known fact that the hospital only makes money, if they can get you out of the hospital before 2 days are up. Here in the last few months the pain has increased i cannot do anything without being in pain. A lot of surgeons put in implants that the surgeon owns called a Physician Owned Distributor (POD). The surgeon told me I had scaring and at my age (49) would not get better only worse. It has become a racket. I am in constant pain everyday now because I had to be cut in the front of my neck and also cut on the back of my neck from the base of my skull to my shoulder blades. I have ALL of my drs records. God help anyone who is or has gone through this. I felt great for a time, until December 2012, when I turned and looked at someone. we need justice for ourselves!! "address": { I am about to turn this around, not only for me, but for All of you and others. This time the surgeon told me that I need not worry about collars or a lengthy rehab. I saw another surgeon in 2018 who did not recommend surgery at that time and suggested I look elsewhere for a solution. One problems is that ever Physician that I attempt to set up an appointment with the declined me service stating a conflict of increase I looked a physician from over 100 miles away from Dr RR this is was I found is that birds of the faller all flack together they all belong to a medical group they guard them against how can you get will if bad doctors stick together and they support what Medtronic Sofamor in fact the or the part owners of this company. I expect that medicare and V A will now require a warranty on their patients if not something is surely wrong. An xray revealed I had broken one of the rods. I too will post back if I have any luck on my end. I too will post back if I have any luck on my end. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The type of anesthesia you receive depends on the type of procedure and the number of spinal bones involved. I was in shock. Some people do experience pain even after the surgery. https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/injuries-poisoning/fractures/vertebral-compression-fractures?query=compression%20fractures. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); "Nosotros somos una firma bilinge con un equipo dedicado de abogados, paralegales, y gerentes it was soaked from my padding and through. Int J Spine Surg. He said he could patch it to death and it would still leak. I have massive amounts of permanent nerve damage that's making my leg muscles atrophy. I am still recuperating from it. But thankful to still be here for my 2 children. 6th ed. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Every time they fix and stabilize one area of my spine with titanium the disc above or below what was fixed blows out on me and I currently have bone rubbing bone in my lumbar area! After I get the doctors to put in writing what was causing my issues I will be filing again and this time I will file in court if necessary. I have massive amounts of permanent nerve damage that's making my leg muscles atrophy. I am not certain but probably fall of 2012. and promise to me that she will be here the whole 3 months as my neurosurgeon said, that this is the time that i need her the most and that is her pleasure to be here for me.. She is the best mother im truly blessed. This isnt fair to us. I have a lawyer working on my disability case as I have DDD and softening bones but am wondering if I should have a lawyer look into the manufacturer of the screws and see if there around grounds for a l[Show More]I am 46 and have had 3 spinal surgeries and am scheduled for my 4th in late July. If it made me bionic I could take it. Thankyou for listining, Sam. I regret it everyday!! I had surgery on 03/01/11. Average Value How Much Do These Cases Settle For? AskMayoExpert. I submitted in 2013. So much crying. I had a spinal cord stimulator put in in Aug 2012 but before I had that my new surgeon did an xray and found the screws. I was shocked beyond words as this is supposed to be in his body for life. I'm on 7.5 mg of Methodone and 4 mg of Hydromorphone. I completely and wholeheartedly feel every single one of your pain. 5588 N Palm Ave, Fresno, CA 93704 My screws were made by Depuy. i have lost 7 inches in height. "author": { Rosen HN, et al. Now a year later (and second surgery to remove the hardware this Feb 2012)) I am seeking an attorney (and searching for other stories like mine because I know this is NOT RIGHT. Scoliosis Surgery: Broken Titanium Rods | Spine & Spinal - SteadyHealth To date, the devices have fallen under the FDAs controversial 510(k) approval process, which expedites approval of devices that are similar in form and function to existing, approved medical devices without the need for an in-depth review. I was about to have it removed at the beginning of yr and had a pulminary anbulizim. I had spinal reconstruction- L5 - T10 on 9/25/12 which was a 14 hr surgery. Most people are not able to resume all their usual activities for at least 6 months, and it may be 1 year or more before . After your spinal fusion, you might be sent home right away if your surgeon can do it as a minimally invasive. Almost immediately after surgery I was septic with a rare bacteria called Serratia marcescens. Orthop Clin North Am. Now my pain is constant and at times unbearable. Have had to spine surgeries about to have revision spine surgery done due to pseudoarthrosis ( failed spine surgery) the neurosurgeon did a real poor job on my spine surgeries been livig with intolerable pain taking pain meds but they really don't help dr said I had swollen joints loose joint loose hardware and compression of nerves and now because of the first doctors mistakes I have to get all t, Have had to spine surgeries about to have revision spine surgery done due to pseudoarthrosis ( failed spine surgery) the neurosurgeon did a real poor job on my spine surgeries been livig with intolerable pain taking pain meds but they really don't help dr said I had swollen joints loose joint loose hardware and compression of nerves and now because of the first doctors mistakes I have to get all the hardware removed from L5-S1 level and he is going to extend the fusion from L4-L5-S1 dont understand how one surgery turns into three surgeries the damage is done my new spine doctor said that my spine is currently a mess wow really worried about going through with this third surgery have lost the use of my left leg and now im concerned about losing the use of another leg or a arm or all four confused and in pain anyone have any suggestions all ears, Like several before me I have read almost everyone of these comments about broken rods and screws. Pedicle Screws for Spine Fusion | Spine-health A few yrs later I started have unbearable pain again and had too start. Finally a short while later I KNEW the right side was broken and pressing on my spinal cord because of the pain I felt and knowing my body the way I do. My surgeon tells me he has four o[Show More]I suffer from flat back syndrome . U[Show More]I Have had 4 surgeries. The surgery was a success and I was walking with minimal pain in 2 days. I Know all of you can understand where I am coming from. It was a difficult recovery period for him, nevertheless he recovered with some pain from time to time. I also have broken screws. I was always independent and doing everything. 34 years old, 3 kids, Fell off a cooling tower at work And Im afraid to sneeze or fart ALL THE TIME! Social security denied my claims likely because of my age and because in the judges own words, even though I had been diagnosed with disorders that could cause the amount of pain that I claimed to be in, she just didn't believe me. Something your surgeon won't share with you. Disabled people do not work like that. Then, your follow-up appointments will need to be scheduled. I had spinal fusion s1_ L4 on March 2012. Ask your surgeon which implants were used. I spent 2 mos. I Find the first doctor that did surgery in 2000 fusion of C5 and C6 and the first MIR showed that C5 and C6 showing the worse of my injured neck and it was hopeful that the less injured C3, C4, and C7, T1 and T2. I failed to mention I had cervical neck surgery with implant in May of 2009 and have been informed that surgery has failed as well. Most people who have vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty go home the same day. They will be leaving the broken part of the screw in my[Show More]I was wanting to know if all of you on here that have broken screws would get a hold of me on facebook. My pain management doctor wants me to have the neurostimulator implant. I WANTED to go back to WORK . About a yr after seeing the Dr he told me I had broken screw and rod in my back and to my knowledge titanium is unbreakable. My neurosurgeon moved off two months after my surgery and pawned me off on a pain managment dr. and it actually workedit healed from the inside out.