Quote Originally Posted by jfelano View Post
Hmmm....I was asking because I have been having this persistent calf pain for about 7 days now. I had a L5 Laminectomy in 1991 and a L5 Lumbar Fusion in 2000. I also have a couple lumbar bulges along with a cervical disk herniation and a cervical bulge. I also have degenerative disk disease, stenosis and spinal arthritis. Like you I've had countless epidurals, nerve blocks and radio frequency ablation (RFA), most without relief. I'm pretty worried now that my calf pain could be related to my spine.
You have had a lot of surgical and non-surgical procedures, plus a number of underlying conditions ... so, Yes, I would think that there is a high likelihood of a direct relation or causation between continuing spinal/lumbar changes and developing calf pain. It is interesting (and lucky for you) that you do not mention sciatic nerve problems - the usual route for pain and fasciculation in the gastrocnemius calf muscle - which might be the case in my situation. I also have disk herniations and stenosis (but no arthritis). The surgeon I consulted stepped through the fMRI images with me one by one and decided that the stenosis was not sufficient to cause my pain and cramping and declined to operate. I assume your situation was different and the laminectomy was intended to relieve central pressure on the nerve roots exiting the foramina and reduce the stenosis; however, as you are no doubt well aware, the continuing plasticity of spinal changes (especially if arthritis is involved) may have devolved to the point that impingement is once again an issue. One cautionary consideration I always try to keep in mind before deciding on more surgical intervention is the fact that by age 50 something like 80% of the population have degenerative changes of the spine but remain asymptomatic.

There is one other therapeutic route that has been suggested to me to address calf pain that you might want to consider: Botox injections. Such injections enervate the calf muscle for up to three months and in some cases permanently relieve the pain.

Good luck!