Leg & Feet Pain After Back Surgery

If you are scheduled to undergo back surgery, your doctor will discuss potential complications of the procedure with you. They include risk of infections, problems with anesthesia and issues that can cause leg and feet pain after the surgery.

Back Surgery

• Back surgery is performed to repair various problems with the back, which might involve removing a damaged intervertebral disc or spinal fusion, says the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Because it is a surgery, there can be complications that cause pain in other areas.

Blood Clot

• If you have pain in your legs or your feet during the first few weeks after undergoing back surgery, you might have developed a blood clot in your leg.

Sciatica

• One of the risks of back surgery is nerve damage. If your sciatic nerve is damaged, it can cause pain that radiates down the back of your leg all the way to your foot.

Treatment

• According to the National Institutes of Health, sciatica can be treated with pain medications and injections to reduce inflammation around the sciatic nerve. A blood clot can be treated with blood-thinning medication like heparin and warfarin.

Considerations

• Blood clots can travel through your veins to your lungs, brain or heart and can cause serious damage to these organs. If you experience leg or feet pain after back surgery, contact your doctor immediately.