Ask:
Herniated Disc (l5-s1)
My husband was recently diagnosed with a L5-S1 severe herniated disc including chipped and tiny broken fragments? He is scheduled for surgery this Thursday.
My question is if it is common for him to be running a fever because of the herniation? He would have already had surgery, except they had to wait 10 days because he is on plavix for a heart conditon.
Answer:
Herniated Disc (l5-s1)
No, fever is not a symptom of lumbar disc herniation. This is not to say the diagnosis is wrong; rather, the fever may just unrelated and occurring coincidentally. However, sometimes, when associated with back pain, fever can be a symptom of infection, such as discitis or osteomyelitis, both of which are infectious processes of the spine. In rare cases where there is unexplained back pain and fever, cancer has to be ruled out, which I'm sure has been done as your husband has probably already had an MRI of the spine. In all likelihood there is no need to worry about this; but be sure to mention the fever to his doctors.