Neck Pain: Cervical
Welcome to Spine-health’s Neck Pain patient community. You can also read doctor approved Neck Pain Articles and watch the Neck Pain Video.
- Most Popular Neck Pain Articles
- Chronic Neck Pain: What Condition is Causing My Neck Pain?
- Neck Pain Symptoms, Causes and Diagnosis
- Most Popular Neck Pain Videos
- Cervical Herniated Disc Video
- Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection Video
March 30, 2009 - 9:53pm
Does strength return after surgery?
I am a 39 year old active male involved in a variety of sports. On Feb 20, 2009 I sustained a cervical injury playing hockey. I have a herniated disc at the C6-C7 level as well as a bulging disc at C4-C5 level. The herniation has affected my C7 nerve root. Initially I experienced excrutiating pain in my left arm. My forearm burned and I have numbness in my thumb, index finger and inside of my middle finger. Over the past 5 weeks my pain has subsided somewhat, unless I overdue things. However, I still have very little strength in my left arm (triceps area) and my left chest (pectoral) area. I can't even come close to doing one pushup. I was scheduled to have surgery on April 1 because I was having relief from the pain and thought I should give it more of a chance to heal. However, now I am concerned I made the wrong choice based on this continued loss of strength. My question is "Do I have a better chance of strength recovery from surgery than conservative methods" and "Have I waited too long already for surgery?".
Any thoughts would be more than helpful as this decision is killing me. I can get into surgery in May if need be.
Thank-you
User login
advertisement
New forum topics
Clinical Trials
Connect with Us
Hi Jems,
Welcome to spine-health. There is noway anyone can say wether your strength will come back or if you have waited to long. I always believe in conservative treatment first. Have you been doing any type of therapy wether physical or message therapy? Your injury is still rather new and all injuries take time to heal. Did you discuss your decision with the surgeon who scheduled this surgery? What percentages did he or she give on the full use of your arm with or without surgery? Did you go for a second opinion and if so what was the advice of the second opinion? Doing spine surgery will alter the structure of the spine forever. Surgery does have it is risk as well. What type of surgery was the surgeon proposing to do initially? Welcome to spine-health look around you will find a lot of information the search function at the top of the page will lead you to some very good articles. Keep us posted on what you decide to do.
Thank-you for your reply. I have been to approx 10 PT visits thus far. Mostly just traction, ultrasound and a little manipulation. The surgeon did not give me any percentages other than this injury heals itself via non-surgical methods only 50% of the time. That didn't seem like good odds to me. Glass is half empty to me. I haven't had a second opinion. The surgeon was planning on doing ACDF surgery with hardware. Any other suggestions on conservative methods other than PT?
Thanks
You realize first hand what discomfort and pain you are in, the lack of strength, etc without having surgery.
What has been the recommendation from your doctor based on the MRI and any other tests?
Going the conservative treatment route first is ALWAYS the best approach. There are so many treatments such as
Physical Therapy
Aqua Therapy
Massage Therapy
Heat/Ice Therapy
Ultrasound
Passive Traction
Acupuncture
Spinal Cortisone Injections (ESI)
Trigger Point Injections (Lidocaine)
etc
If you have gone through this AND your doctor agrees to the treatments, there have been many cases where the original disc problem subsides.
Much depends on the actual disc problem and what it has
created. When a damaged disc impinging a nerve root, the sooner you correct that situation the better. Recovery from disc and fusion surgery is trackable and for many
predictable. Nerve damage, however can take a very long time to heal.
If you have surgery will you regain the strength? That is almost an impossible question to answer. There are so many different variables. But, assume for a second that everything is perfect, there are no complications, your recovery is perfect, will you have the same strength?
My answer tends to lean towards NO. Does that mean you could not return to some of the activities you did before, NO, does that mean physical contact sports such as Hockey, could you play again? MAYBE. After my first two lumbar surgeries, I started to play in an over-40 Hockey league.
My skating was definitely not as strong and even though there was no checking in this type of league falls happen and to me, I decided to stop, didnt want to risk anything.
But all of this, talk to your doctor about it. They would be in a much better situation to give you more formal
medical answers.
Good luck
Ron DiLauro
Ron's Story
Suicide Hotline
Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Arthritis
_________________________________________
rdilauro@gmail.com
SH Administrators = dilauro or tamtam
SH Moderator Team =
haglandc , Numbskull , Liz, or Neck of Steel Cindy
"In his eyes we're all the same Someday we'll all have perfect wings, Don't laugh at me."
"That there's none so blind as those who will not see."
The information provided by members of Spine-Health should never be considered as formal medical advice. It is recommendations based on member's personal experiences only.
This can vary from person to person, so do not take comments as medical facts or rules
Ron,
Thanks for listing all the possible treatments to consider before surgery. Over the past six years I had the lidocaine injections in my back, then PT, then corizone injection into the disk area. The injection stopped the paid from 2005 to March 2009. After the MRI and discovery of the problems at c4 through c7 with resulting arm strength loss, the surgeon determined the ACDF was the best way to prevent further loss of strength. All I really need to be able to do is type and perform normal activities. I can refrain from heavy lifting and contact sports and not feel I am missing out on anything.
I will keep the Forum updated on my outcome so others can learn from the experience. The difficult part of the decision is not knowing what to expect, or if it is the right choice.
Time will tell.
Ralph
Like others have said, it's impossible to say whether you should have surgery and whether it would help. But, for what it's worth, I had almost lost complete use of my left arm before surgery and was having very wicked pain in my muscles as well. I couldn't even pick up a glass of ice water.
After surgery, my left arm was back to normal, although it's taking some strengthening exercises to get my muscles back. But I have complete faith that it will get back to normal.
Cath
~ October 21, 2008 - ACDF, 3-level (C4/5, 5/6 6/7), with hardware and eight screws. All fused and hardware is stable.
~ January 6, 2010 - TLIF at L4/5, two rods and four pedicle screws.
~ July 2010 - New CT and MRI on cervical shows further problems above fusion at C2/3 and worst at C3/4.
I am in no way affiliated with the medical profession. Any recommendations I make are based on my personal experiences only, so do not take my comments as medical rules.
Jems,
I have the same exact problem like you did. I first had the symptoms start oct 13 2007 when a chiropractor adjusted me and caused sever pain and some weakness. After 6 weeks and 3 cortisone injections i was essentially pain free but still i see weakness and atrophy of my left tricep, left trap, and left forearm muscle. I did physical therapy and it improved my weakness by a significant amount but never to my previous form. i saw 4 surgeons and prior to physical therapy they all recommended different approaches. only one of them said i need surgery right away and he only does fusions. he said he does not like that i still have pain as the reason of why surgery is indicated (that was not a good reason for me since my pain was minimal at this time) if he said you need it to regain strength i would have done it asap. Other surgeons said try conservative approach first. After 2 month of PT i went back to see 2 surgeons and they both said pain is almost gone weakness is improving they would not recommend surgery. so i decided against it, the pain was gone for over a year and last month it came back again and after 2 epidural injections the pain is again gone, but the weakness persists. Now I am scheduled for a laminoforaminotomy on May 1 and i cant wait to get it done.
I recommend you see a doctor who specializes in minimally invasive surgery and have him/her do a laminoforaminotomy since you have only issues with arm pain/weakness and no central spine herniation. I wish i did it the first time this happened i would not have persistent weakness. The disadvantage of laminoforaminotomy is that it could happen again. but when that happens you still have option of fusion or artificial disc. form reading research on this procedure i see recurrence numbers anywhere from 8-15% some say up to 30%. all good odds to have a "safer" less invasive outpatient procedure that would alleviate pain/numbness/weakness and leave your disc intact.
My two cents
Best of luck
Bkorry, I know everyone wants to help out here, but it is so very important that members AVOID telling other members what doctors to see and what kind of surgery they should have based on what they see is the issue.
No one here is a medical professional and as such, no one should be direct in their medical statements. One of our forum rules states that no member should be providing medical advice.
Any information we give to other members, is based on our own personal experiences and is NOT formal medical advice.
We try to include that on every one of our posts.
Ron DiLauro
Ron's Story
Suicide Hotline
Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Arthritis
_________________________________________
rdilauro@gmail.com
SH Administrators = dilauro or tamtam
SH Moderator Team =
haglandc , Numbskull , Liz, or Neck of Steel Cindy
"In his eyes we're all the same Someday we'll all have perfect wings, Don't laugh at me."
"That there's none so blind as those who will not see."
The information provided by members of Spine-Health should never be considered as formal medical advice. It is recommendations based on member's personal experiences only.
This can vary from person to person, so do not take comments as medical facts or rules
I would love to hear from everyone also about this good or bad be honest, let us know...
C2-3: Mild right facet joint degenerative changes and right neuroforaminal stenosis.
C3-4: Minimal diffuse discosteophyte bulge and mild central cananl stenosis.
C4-5: Mild disc height loss with central annular fissure. Small broad-based left paracentral disc protrusion. Moderate central canal stenosis-the disc protrusion abuts and mildly flattens the left ventral surface of the spinal canal.
C5-6: Disc desiccation with mild height loss.
Diffuse discosteophyte bulge and uncovertebral joint hypertrophy, moderate central canal stenosis-the discosteophyte bulge mildly flattens the ventral surface of the spinal cord. Severe neuroforaminal stenosis bilaterally, right greater than left.
4/15/2010 Pro-Disc-C C5-C6
I lost both, my arms that were once very toned now look horrible. My strength is no where near what it use to be and it has been 2 years since my surgery. I ask PT these questions and she was very honest in telling me that it probably will not return. I get so mad when sometimes I try and open something that should be easy and I have to ask someone to open it for me. Another thing I notice is that I drop things a lot, very frustrating.
Sharon
ACDF C4-C7 Sept 06 and then revision surgery posterior Feb07...I think the surgeon got it right this time. The way I look at it, they broke my neck and put it back together. I am 1/2 inch taller now but still in pain.
Is there any arm exercises you can do without nec strain/pain?
C2-3: Mild right facet joint degenerative changes and right neuroforaminal stenosis.
C3-4: Minimal diffuse discosteophyte bulge and mild central cananl stenosis.
C4-5: Mild disc height loss with central annular fissure. Small broad-based left paracentral disc protrusion. Moderate central canal stenosis-the disc protrusion abuts and mildly flattens the left ventral surface of the spinal canal.
C5-6: Disc desiccation with mild height loss.
Diffuse discosteophyte bulge and uncovertebral joint hypertrophy, moderate central canal stenosis-the discosteophyte bulge mildly flattens the ventral surface of the spinal cord. Severe neuroforaminal stenosis bilaterally, right greater than left.
4/15/2010 Pro-Disc-C C5-C6
The way it was explained to me was since I have the nerve damage the muscle is not getting the signal. I have tried to left small weights but each time I do the neck pain increases. I also had problems with my left shoulder about a year ago when I started lifing weights. I'm talking 5lb weights, nothings really heavy. The doctor told me to stop and I am still healing from that little exercise bout. I also had to have 5 trigger point injections in that shoulder. It seems the neck and shoulder problems go hand in hand.
Sharon
ACDF C4-C7 Sept 06 and then revision surgery posterior Feb07...I think the surgeon got it right this time. The way I look at it, they broke my neck and put it back together. I am 1/2 inch taller now but still in pain.
Jems,
No one can guarantee that you will regain the strength in your arm. I have some loss of strength but 11 weeks after surgery the arm is feeling better, but not the strength yet but I have yet to start Physical Therapy. I also waited 8 years before I had my surgery so it was a long time. I had bone spurs pushing on my nerve so that is what was causing most of my pain and weakness but the surgeon seems to think I will get at least some of it back.
The reason I did wait so long is in the beginning I had good luck with non surgical treatments I had a series of 3 cortisone injections which the first time left me pain free for 3 years so you can try that too if that is an option for you.
Libby
1/13/09 - 3 Level ACDF with Hardware C4-C7
I injured my neck in June, 2007. I had herniations at C4-5 and 5-6 and bulging at 3-4. I had terrible pain in my scapular area and lost about 50% of the strength in my left arm-I could hardly even wash my hair. My ORS offered physical therapy or epidural injections. I tried PT for 8 weeks and then saw a Neurosurgeon who secheduled surgery for the next week (this was in early September). I agreed but cancelled the next day. In January, as a very last ditch effort, I agreed to see a Chiropractor. I told him I did NOT believe in chiropractic and if he used any force whatsoever, I would leave and never come back. To make a long story short, I have seen the Chiro for 30 sessions. The past 2 weeks, I have had absolutely NO pain in my neck or back, NO weakness or pain in my arm and have slept without a heating pad for the first time in 9 months! Up until the past month, I had looked at my calendar almost every day to see when I could fit my surgery in. Now I no longer contemplate surgery and am planning a 6 week boat trip this summer. Obviously this is just one person's experience but I am very glad that I waited. I may still need surgery at some point, but I have avoided it for this week-this month-this year.
what type of stuff does your chiropractic do? thats good news he keeping you out of surgery.
C2-3: Mild right facet joint degenerative changes and right neuroforaminal stenosis.
C3-4: Minimal diffuse discosteophyte bulge and mild central cananl stenosis.
C4-5: Mild disc height loss with central annular fissure. Small broad-based left paracentral disc protrusion. Moderate central canal stenosis-the disc protrusion abuts and mildly flattens the left ventral surface of the spinal canal.
C5-6: Disc desiccation with mild height loss.
Diffuse discosteophyte bulge and uncovertebral joint hypertrophy, moderate central canal stenosis-the discosteophyte bulge mildly flattens the ventral surface of the spinal cord. Severe neuroforaminal stenosis bilaterally, right greater than left.
4/15/2010 Pro-Disc-C C5-C6
My Chiropractor is very gentle with me because of the herniations. I have 15 minutes of heat and then he uses an activator (a little device that he holds as if he were giving me an injection). It gently "nudges" the vertebrae back into alignment. Once a week I have a deep tissue massage to loosen the muscles in my back (especially around the scapular area) that tightened up while trying to compensate for the disc issues. This has been a slow process and I tell my Chiro every week that I'm still not convinced he isn't a quack but I am 100% better than I was 2 months ago, so I hope it continues.
intresting ive found some help almost the same way, your story makes me smile.
C2-3: Mild right facet joint degenerative changes and right neuroforaminal stenosis.
C3-4: Minimal diffuse discosteophyte bulge and mild central cananl stenosis.
C4-5: Mild disc height loss with central annular fissure. Small broad-based left paracentral disc protrusion. Moderate central canal stenosis-the disc protrusion abuts and mildly flattens the left ventral surface of the spinal canal.
C5-6: Disc desiccation with mild height loss.
Diffuse discosteophyte bulge and uncovertebral joint hypertrophy, moderate central canal stenosis-the discosteophyte bulge mildly flattens the ventral surface of the spinal cord. Severe neuroforaminal stenosis bilaterally, right greater than left.
4/15/2010 Pro-Disc-C C5-C6
I would caution you to think about putting surgery off too long especially if your losing strength.It took me a long time to get to a surgeon and then i was on a waiting list.By the time i had my surgery i had lost muscle strength everywhere.I'm just under a year out of surgery and am still building back my strength.Its a very slow process to regain muscle strength once you've lost it.Good luck making your decision.
c4,5 c5,6 and c6,7 ACDF with titanium implants spinal stenosis and bone spurs april 16/08.herniations at T7,8 and T11,12 also L4,5and S1.car accident october 28th/08 whiplash.rearended hit and run. mri 2009 L2-3 posterior bulge,L3-4moderate posterior bulge,lateralizing to the right.Right lateral recess has moderate stenosis and left lateral recess has mild stenosis.L4-5has moderate posterior disc bulge.Moderate left,and right stenosis.Mild bilateral foraminal stenosis.L5-S1 disc bulge touching right S1 descending nerve root in right lateral recess.No significant foraminal or spinal stenosis.
Thanks for your comments and for posting a picture of your neck post-op. Now I know what to expect. I am scheduled for the ACDF on April 30th. Fortunately my strength loss has been severe only for the past six weeks (I was really not aware how bad it was until the surgeon demonstrated how weak my left arm was compared to my right arm).
He tells me I may not regain any strength (I can only lift 8 pounds now), but the surgery may prevent further strength loss. Rather grim if you ask me.
I had posted on another thread about an alternative to the ACDF (endoscopic surgery) but the folks in Tampa offering the procedure seem to be more interested in a large cash deposit ($30,000) than caring about a good outcome. They claim they bill insurance companies $60-80,000!!
I am rather resigned to the ACDF and hoping for the best. These posts on Spine-Health have helped me to understand what to expect, and what the possible complications might be afterwards.
____________
I feel like a wimp listing my medical 'issues' when I look at all the problems others have experienced. I just have bone spurs with buldging disks at c4-c5, c5-c6, and c6-c7, pain in left arm to fingers with numbness, tingling, and of course weakness in left arm.
Thank-you all for your replies. They were very informative and I appreciate the feedback. It seems to be a prevalent viewpoint that waiting on surgery decreases your chances of muscle strength recovery and avoiding permanent nerve damage. My question is "How long is too long?" Are we talking weeks, months, etc. If I have surgery it will be in May and that will be approx 2 months after my injury. Does that seem too long?
Anyways, I realize there are no guarantees of anything. I just really need to find a way to get this strength back as activities and sports are a HUGE part of my life.
Thanks again all for taking the time to reply.
Jarrett
Jarrett,
You ask a very reasonable question and I ask myself the same. However from my experience i could never find a doctor to give me a timeline. My physiatrist said 6 months to me, but I heard stories from patients who had recovered strengths after years. So there seems not to be any data that i could find to support this because situations are different with every one. My latest doctor said that it is hard to say because there is never any study that evaluates every scenario and try to scientifically determine that. I myself am worried I may have waited too long my injury was caused by a Chiropractor who adjusted me and caused severe herniation. However I am optimistic that i will be one of those cases of people who recover strength after surgery, or other means. If you run across any research please do share.
I don't know how long it takes for nerves to be damaged beyond repair but my arm hurt for 2 years before a doctor found my neck problem. I know I waited too long but I had an idiot for a doctor and not until I went to a new doctor did I find out the entire time my arm pain was from my neck. My surgeon told me it takes a long time for nerves to heal, anywhere from 1-2yrs. Since my surgery is 2 years old I feel that I am healed to where I will always be.
Sharon
ACDF C4-C7 Sept 06 and then revision surgery posterior Feb07...I think the surgeon got it right this time. The way I look at it, they broke my neck and put it back together. I am 1/2 inch taller now but still in pain.
I was into bodybuilding 4 years prior to my ACDF c5-c7. My surgery took place a year ago this month and prior to surgey I had muscle atrophy in my left forearm, bicep and hand (thumb). I initially lost probably 40-50% of my strength in the affected arm. After 9 months back in the gym I have regained around 80-85% of my strength back in my arm. The arm is still an inch smaller in the forearm and you can see a big descrepancy between the bottom of my left bicep and my right bicep. I have a feeling that I probably will never get back all of the strength I lost but for now I am pleased with my progress.
I had ACDF of C5-C6 on August 3....I have since been in the gym about 6 times in the past 2 weeks....I am doing everything but lighter with the exception of shrugs...the trap muscels run up the back of the neck as you know and when you do shrugs it compresses disc spaces that are above the shoulder line. Also I can't do pull ups...4 weeks ago I could do 3 sets of 10 super wide pull ups as a a warm up for my back workout. Now I can't even do one (well my left side goes up but my right side won't) However I am getting stronger...my right bicep strenght is probably 40% of my left. Using a preacher curl bench, I can do preacher curls with a 50 LB dumbell in my left hand but can't go more than 20 LBs in the right hand....very discouraging...also grip strenght in right hand is weak for now....But all of this is temporary, I am confident...also very weird the inside of my right bicep (the side closest to my body) as I look down at it is noticeably thinner than my still strong left one.
I would like to keep up with you and see how you do on your strenght coming back.
I finally found someone who sounds like me! Your history sounds exactly like what I have been going through. I am 6 months post surgery now, and still waiting for my left arm to come back in all the same areas you describe (bicep, forearms). I am an avid bodybuilder/gym nut, so this has been one of the most depressing years of my life. Waited a year to do the surgery because of idiot docs who kept telling me I was just a musclehead and it was all in my mind. Had to beg them to listen to me as I continued to weaken. Now, sometimes it feels I'm getting a tiny bit stronger, other times just as weak as before. I'm at around 50% in my left arm, and still hitting the gym everyday, compulsively checking the difference between arms in the mirror, and getting frustrated all over again. It just sucks.
Do you still bodybuild or lift weights after surgery?
C2-3: Mild right facet joint degenerative changes and right neuroforaminal stenosis.
C3-4: Minimal diffuse discosteophyte bulge and mild central cananl stenosis.
C4-5: Mild disc height loss with central annular fissure. Small broad-based left paracentral disc protrusion. Moderate central canal stenosis-the disc protrusion abuts and mildly flattens the left ventral surface of the spinal canal.
C5-6: Disc desiccation with mild height loss.
Diffuse discosteophyte bulge and uncovertebral joint hypertrophy, moderate central canal stenosis-the discosteophyte bulge mildly flattens the ventral surface of the spinal cord. Severe neuroforaminal stenosis bilaterally, right greater than left.
4/15/2010 Pro-Disc-C C5-C6
Yes. I can't lift the same amount that I used to but I am fairly close. Maybe 85% or so of what I use to lift. I avoid all overhead movements such as military press etc and squats. Had a little bit of a flare up recently and have backed down on the weight and switched to high reps for awhile. No pain but increased numbness at times.
I hate seeing others suffer the same set-backs. I was a competitive bodybuilder and actually preparing for the nationals when I woke up one morning and had an unbelievable stabbing pain in my back. I had ruptured C5,C6,and C7. My left side was as weak as a kid's for rapid muscle atrophy in the left lat, tricep, shoulder, and pec. Bicep and forearm were not affected. I tried traction and other methods with no success. Once I had the MRI it was pretty obvious that surgery was the only option in my mind. It has been 2 years and I can say that I am better but in no way am I even close to having the strength that I once had. The difference in the left vs. right are still terrible. When doing flat dumbbell presses I will generally have something like 125lb on the right and 85lb or 90lb on the left. Sadly, it feels the exact same in my hands. I don't do any barbell pressing because of the imbalance and stick to more unilateral work to focus on making the left side really work. This injury has done so much to me that I can't believe. It has made me fight with myself about the loss of my once hopeful career in bodybuilding. I have dealt with bouts of depression and things that I could never imagine. Prior to this injury, I battled with kidney cancer and whipped it. I even came back and was working towards my goals and dreams again. However, this spinal injury has beat me down. I am sorry for rambling but I just wanted to share my story. I will never stop working towards full recovery but it is so slow and demoralizing at times. To see where I once was really makes it tough to deal with. Nerve injuries are a potential life changing injury. Just don't quit
I'm sorry you're having such difficulty. Still, it sounds like you've come a long way in 2 short years through work and determination. I admire your dedication. Your last sentence really said it all, "Just don't quit". Good advice for me and everyone. Thanks, I needed that reminder.
Thanks for sharing. I hope things get even better for you. With your attitude I'm sure it will. Keep us posted.
Debbie
ACDF C5-6 October 4, 2010
Welcome to spine-health. In my case after my surgeries I have had PT. I will say that I have not recovered to my pre-surgery levels, but I have recovered to the point that I can do most things that I used to do, just not at that high competitive level anymore. I PT'd for 8 months before my last surgery(monday) and it prepared me well for it, I have not had much pain or complications at this point. I also know that my NS has told me to expect a 8 month to a year recovery again, but I am supposed to take my time and not force the issue. Just allow my body to do as it needs to. I am still hoping to swing a golf club before October and to get back to bowling by January, simple things but ones that I miss the most. Nerves can take a long time to heal, it has been a year and a half for me, it is not as bad as it was, will it get any better? Only time will tell. Good luck in your choice and I am sure you will do well.
mark
2 level ACDF c5-c6, c6-c7, November 2007..work injury...cervical stenosis with myelopathy....Removal of hardware and another 2 level ACDF c3-c4, c4-c5 and posterior cervical laminectomy at c5,c6,c7 in March 2008 to help stop the progression of myelopathy...March 2009 posterior cervical laminectomy at c3,c4. Thought I was done..February 2011, cervical/thorsic posterior fusion from c3 to t3 with screws, rods, and hooks n cables... I am not a medical professional and my opinion is just from my experience.
Hey Jems,
You sound a lot like me, right arm and all. Searing pain, ice cold hands, burning down my spine and inbetween my shoulders, headaches, the whole 9. I could not pick things up in my right hand that were small and could not do things like golf or even excercise really.
I had an accident at age 15, 20 years ago, that caused some issues with my neck. They took xrays, put me in a soft collar and I did PT. Things went fine for a while but once I left a very active management job(restaurant and retail) to a desk job I started having all kinds of issues. Over the last 7 years I did chiropractic, drug therapy, PT, had a breast reduction and just had surgery on March 26. I ended up having an anterior cervical diskectomy with fusion of C4-C7. I am quite happy with the results and I am so looking forward to getting back into PT. In my case, I really wish I had not waited as long as I did however at the same time, I felt it important to take progressive steps to treat the issue. Traction was the devil for me. I hated it and it only caused me more pain. While my symptoms were controlled with PT, I still had flare ups and spasms that would stop me in my tracks.
I have gained almost 70 pounds since all this started and I am so looking forward to becoming active again. While my surgeon does not refer to therapy after surgery, in the state I live, I don't need him to.
When discussing with my surgeon he told me to put it off as long as I could. As we discussed the impact to my life over the last 7 years, he then said, ok, call me when you are ready.
I hope that you can find a surgeon who will take the time to explain your options and give you choices. It took me 3 different ones to find the right one. Never let your family or spouse dictate where you should go, that was my big mistake.
Hopefully this helps and I hope that you have a physician who will take the time to listen to you, discuss options and provide answers to all your questions.
Jems I had ACDF c5-c7 just twelve days ago. I had wicked left arm pain and weakness and numbness in fingers also. The thing that drove my decision for surgery was that the doctors indicated a delay could result in permanent damage. Dude, I'm a guitarist so losing my left arm was huge, just like not playing sports is to you. After speaking with my neurosurgeon post-op, he indicated that the spine and nerve root were severly pinched, so I made the right decision. Not trying to sway you cause every one case is different, but thats what drove my decision. I'm now on home recovery and on the bright side I was able to hammer out a few notes on the accoustic last night. On the down side its a real pain in the butt while wearing an Aspen Vista cervical collar.
Good Luck brau!
p.s. by the way, my pain started on 2/20/09 of this year also.
Disco,
Glad your surgery went well and you're playing again depsite collar. Did your doc happen to mention any time-frame before anything turns permanent?
Jems
I had a 2 level partial corpectomy C5 & C6 16 months ago. I had a neck injury about 40 years earlier and eventually developed weakness and all the symptoms of nerve damage. The surgeon would not guaruntee me anything but that if I did not do the surgery, I would get worse. Short story, when I woke up from surgery, all symptoms are gone. I am so glad I did it. I like the advicce about listening to the doctor. Each case is different. Good luck
bkory,
I will be in collar for 8-12 weeks. I will see him at the 4 week mark where he will review new xray/mri for evidence of fusion. It will take up to 3-4 months for any significant bone healing and from what I understand may continue healing up to a year afterwards.
As of right now I'm really not in any significant pain other than this collar itches like crazy cause I shaved today.
I noticed you just 12 days out from your surgery, how did it go for you?
I just had surgery last friday and it went well except I am still not feeling any effects. I still have some pain and numbness
Hi Jems;
I have degenerative discs at c4/c5/c6 levels, a protruding disc at C5/C6, bone spurs at all 3 levels, and stenosis. I went thru physio on and off for 1 1/2 years, with traction, ultrasound and manipulation. It did help, immensely, until I had bronchitis in Jan, and a bad coughing fit made everything so much worse. I couldn't sit or stand for any amount of time, couldn't lift things, couldn't grasp things... I saw a neurosurgeon at that point, and since I had tried just about all the conventional methods (other than PT, had tried just about everything except for corticosteroid shots, as I believe they just mask the pain as opposed to fixing the problem), he recommended surgery. So, 3 weeks ago, I had an anterior cervical foraminotomy done. In the recovery room, and since, I have not had any of the radicular pain (pain, numbness and tingling in my should, arm and hand) it is now gone, with the exception of a couple of twinges that only lasted a few seconds. My strength is coming back, slowly, as I'm restricted to lifting under 10 lbs (I'm not into lifting weights by any means, thought I should add that, lol). However, being in the military, have had to do lots of push-ups, and before I couldn't even lift myself up. I tried the other day, and I know that once I fully recover from the surgery, I should have no problems with that (it just put too much strain on my neck at this point, but due to having no pain in my shoulder and arm, shouldn't be too much of a problem once my neck heals). I, too, had started to get a little better prior to surgery, and questioned and thought hard about going through with it, and am so glad that I had it done. The foraminotomy is less invasive than a fusion - there is no fusion or hardware added. They trim the protuding/herniated portion of the disc. I had bone spurs, which they shaved down. It's quicker recovery time, you're at home that night, or maybe the next morning, you don't need to wear a neck brace after, I was driving short distances a week after surgery (once I was off the narcotic pain med) and am feeling pretty good, except for headaches still. I see the surgeon tomorrow for my follow up, so will have more details then. Anyways, if you're nervous about surgery, you might want to look into this one, or other less invasive procedures. I hope you find your answers, and solutions for healing!!! Take care, and good health...
Kelly
I am a PROUD CANADIAN veteran But NOT a doctor, my thoughts are my own
Hi Smiley735,
I had a similar procedure but posterioraly where they trimmed off the herniated C6-C7 disc and bone spurs that was shaved off. I am 10 days post op but wont see my surgeon until 6 weeks post op. I however still feel some radicular pain and numbness, nowhere near before the surgery but yet noticeable. I also had some weakness on my left tricep but have not tried to do push ups yet to see if weakness is improving.
Where was your incision at? ALso do you have slight pain or numbness?
Thanks
Rob
Well, I found out today that my C6/C7 disc was herniated as well!! lol... that was a bit of a surprise, as my MRIs showed nothing was wrong with that one!! Anyways, My incision is horizontal, on the front of my neck, about 3 inches long. They used a cauterizing tool of some sort to cut, instead of with a knife (I thought that was pretty neat useless information, lol). I do have soreness, mostly at the back of my neck, where they were working, but it's not bad. It's more sore to the touch now, as opposed to all the time. I was numb at first, but that has gone away too. The front of my neck was extremely sore, and the muscles, from them moving everything aside, but that, too, has subsided. Now, it's just tender to the touch. My range of motion is pretty good and getting better, just pretty stiff. I did fall asleep in the car today, though, on the 2 1/2 hour ride from the hospital, and everytime my head "bobbed" - well, that really hurt, so I'm a bit sore tonight, but shouldn't last. The surgeon told me today, that I can start trying my normal activities, within reason and if it hurts, wait a while longer to try again. He's sending me to see a neurologist though, as I've been having severe headaches, and I have something called Horner's syndrome, which is the nerve that controls your eyelid and pupil has been damaged or irritated, so my eyelid is a little droopy, and sometimes my pupil is very constricted. Oh, and I don't sweat on that side of my face!! So weird... Anyways, he's never had a patient with that after surgery, so he referred me to someone who has experience with it. But like I tell everyone, I'd rather have headaches and a droopy eye than not being able to sit, stand, or use my arm!!! (although I do hope it goes away!!) Anyways, good luck with your recovery, just curious as to where your incision is?
Kelly
I am a PROUD CANADIAN veteran But NOT a doctor, my thoughts are my own
I am also 39 had a large herniation C6-C7 4 years ago on the right side then another herniation C6-C7 on the left side 3 years after. I had surgery done the first time and 90% of the strength returned. Did not have surgery the second time and about the same results maybe 85% return on the left.The pain went away by itself on both cases. My advice, if the pain is totally gone, don't do surgery. I know this post is a little late but for those who read this that just had injury take my advice. I've done years of study on this, I was very active 5 years ago, very into my physical body, it was as though God wanted to tear it all down from me just when I was at my peak. Ive spent countless nights reading and asking experts if I should or should not have surgery. I had minimal invasive surgery in California the first time after 3 months from injury. The second time I said the hell with it, no pain, no surgery and the results were the same. If I knew this before I might have skipped the first surgery. In all fairness the first injury was a little worse, I still have numbness in my right index finger, the second injury pain left side totally went away with loss of strength of about 10%-20%. The truth hurts but after these types of injuries you will most likely lose some strength, LOL I still cant do more than 1 push up at this point gained allot of weight on top of it all Im just happy to be pain free. My final conclusion on all this is if you want to heal 100% then you should have surgery the first week, matter of fact you should have percutaneous discectomy the very first day of injury. The pressure on the nerve needs to be released immediately in order to have a full recovery, the body takes a long time to eat up the bulging disc that damages the nerve, by that time you will have some scar or permanent nerve damage of some type. If I had to do this all over I would want minimal invasive the first day of injury but then again I'm not a football athlete making millions of dollars. Look into artificial disc, if the C6-C7 wears out again I will look into artificial disc. Good luck.