Has anyone had cervical fusion?

[Parrot]

I'm looking at one at C5-6 and C6-7. What was your recovery like? What has been the long-term result?

 

[sposey013168]

I'm looking at one at C5-6 and C6-7. What was your recovery like? What has been the long-term result?

I have ruptured C7 and herniated C5 and 6 and elected to go the RFA route. Get it done every 18 months and steroid epidurals every 6 months and it has been good for me. Neck fusion surgery will be a last resort for me.
Good luck with your surgery and a speedy recovery


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[ewilk39]

I had this done about 4 years ago at 3 levels. Has to wear a bone stimulator for 6 months and it has been fine ever since. No effect on the golf game and the pain is completely gone.

 

[FernDog]

I had disc fusion at L4 and 5 from a car accident about 6 years ago. Not the same area but I was home for two months before I went back to work. I took it real easy for the rest of the year but felt pretty good after 4 months. Good luck with whatever you do with this.


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[Parrot]

I have ruptured C7 and herniated C5 and 6 and elected to go the RFA route. Get it done every 18 months and steroid epidurals every 6 months and it has been good for me. Neck fusion surgery will be a last resort for me.
Good luck with your surgery and a speedy recovery


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I had a nerve block the first week of October. It didn't last the month. I'm having increasing strength loss in my right hand, radiating pain down my right arm and more frequent numbness and severe nerve pain in my right thumb and index finger. My neurosurgeon would've gone with the RFA, had I had more relief from the nerve block.

I had this done about 4 years ago at 3 levels. Has to wear a bone stimulator for 6 months and it has been fine ever since. No effect on the golf game and the pain is completely gone.

I'm hopeful of similar results.

I had disc fusion at L4 and 5 from a car accident about 6 years ago. Not the same area but I was home for two months before I went back to work. I took it real easy for the rest of the year but felt pretty good after 4 months. Good luck with whatever you do with this.


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I had that fusion a little over 5 years ago. I've had excellent results from it. I'll be using the same neurosurgeon. I have great confidence in him.

 

[sposey013168]

I had a nerve block the first week of October. It didn't last the month. I'm having increasing strength loss in my right hand, radiating pain down my right arm and more frequent numbness and severe nerve pain in my right thumb and index finger. My neurosurgeon would've gone with the RFA, had I had more relief from the nerve block.



I'm hopeful of similar results.



I had that fusion a little over 5 years ago. I've had excellent results from it. I'll be using the same neurosurgeon. I have great confidence in him.

Sorry you are dealing this I feel your pain. Good luck with the surgery and my thoughts are with you


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[Parrot]

Update time.

I had an ACDF at C5-6 and C6-7 on December 27. It was an outpatient procedure.

For the last 6 months or so, I had been experiencing increasing strength loss in my right hand, radiating pain down my right arm and more frequent numbness and severe nerve pain in my right thumb and index finger. The pins and needles feeling was almost constant. I tried conservative procedures with little to no relief.

In recovery, once I had my wits about me, I quickly realized the pins and needles feeling was gone. I was discharged 4 hours after entering recovery. During that time, I had none of the symptoms I had experienced. I was told that I could wear the cervical collar as much or as little as I wished based upon how my pain was.

The first 4 or 5 days at home were okay. After stopping the pain meds on New Year's eve, the only pain I had was muscle pain and spasm at the base of my neck and across my shoulders. My neuro explained that was normal given the necessary positioning for the procedure. By 6-7 days out, that soreness had dissipated but I started having some shooting pain over my left shoulder blade. It felt like a shock. I started wearing the collar a little more often than I had been and those have mostly resolved.

The biggest thing now is the loss of strength in my neck that happened so quickly. I'm good for sitting up, standing and moving around for 2-3 hours but then I need to lie down or the muscle pain and spasm start to kick up.

I see my doc on the 9th and will have a better idea what my recovery process looks like for the next couple of months. I assume there will be some PT but my recovery nurse told me that she had the same procedure back in the summer, had no PT prescribed and was back to playing in her tennis league within 90 days. She said she started hitting balls at 2 months. I don't know if my recovery will go as quickly but I won't be mad if I'm able to hit full (or half) shots in 90 days!

Thanks for all the good thoughts, they were and are much appreciated.