I chose to have a spinal fusion using my own bone for the graft. Now I’m wondering if I made a mistake. My back pain is much better but the pain where they took the bone is very painful. Is this common?

Autogenous bone graft is the term used to describe donating bone to oneself. It is preferred over bone from a bone bank because there is no risk of rejection. However, the main disadvantage is just what you have experienced — pain at the donor site.

For spinal fusion, bone chips are shaved from the front of the pelvic bone. This is the bump you can feel in front of the hip below the waist. Bone graft pain may be eased by conservative treatment, most often with pain relievers.

In a small number of patients, the pain may persist for weeks to months, gradually going away as the bone remodels and heals. Sometimes the donor site remains painful for much longer. Treatment is fairly limited in such cases. If the bone has remodeled with sharp edges, the surgeon can try to shave it smooth again.

This doesn’t always work as the shaved bone will continue to add bone trying to heal the site. New bone isn’t always smooth and may cause more jagged edges to form.