Cervical Neck Instability

I wish I could respond to your plea for similar surgery, @werock. I can only do three things: One, welcome you to our information exchange, Two, help track down others to give us insights on cervical instability after vertebral fusion. Three, briefly relate a case that attracted me to this discussion.

My friend had two degenerating discs in her cervical spine (separating c3, c4, c5). After months of investigation, she went to Germany and had two artificial discs installed. Within a few months, she was back on the golf course -- no pain, stable spine, singing like never before. The procedure involving more than one artificial disc was not approved in the US at the time (2007). We can speculate on why American medicine opposes it.

During her recovery, I encountered several spinal experts and asked about problems above and below her three affected vertebrae. Memory of this has faded somewhat, so I hesitate to make any flat statements about them, but rest assured that there are many professionals focusing on the top of the spine and its structural and neural relationships along its entire length. We have to help you track them down!

No, I have not had a fusion. I have narrowing of c3-c-4, and c5-c5 with severe left shoulder and arm pain. Did you have these systems?<br><br>

I don't remember too much shoulder pain. What I do remember is that every time I sneezed or coughed I felt electrical shocks throughout my body. That is when I knew something wasn't quite right. The arthritis in my vertabrae was as such that they were pressing on my spinal cord I several areas. The surgery went very well but the total recovery period was about a year.

I am glad the surgery is behind you. Thanks for the reply.

Welcome @werock. I'd like to round up a few other members who have experience with cervical spinal fusion. @seanbeck @medic7054 @Renia @srobison @dhuffman may have some experience or advice about post surgical neck instability to share with you.

Werock - is physical therapy an option?

I am not sure that it would be because of my fusion on c3 thru c6 doesn't leave me with very much mobility. Something I could check on though.

Yeah, I had C3-6 fused due to an motor vehicle accident. The surgery was a snap I did all the post-surgery things I was told, but I continued to have pain lower in my neck and into my arms. (I did feel a little unstable in my neck area, but my Neurosurgeon said it would get better eventually, which it did.) I had a Botox injections X2 with NO relief. I finally found a Pain specialist who performed Facet Joint Ablations with dramatic relief. Like any such procedure, the pain returned (nerves re-generating). I had this procedure again four times until these nerves finally gave up re-generating. It was such a relief, I was then off all medications until my Peripheral Neuropathy started three months later. My Mayo Neurologist said many people who have had a previous injury to the spine will develop Neuropathy. BTW, I am not and never was a diabetic which is the most common cause of Peripheral Neuropathy.

Your decreased mobility probably won't improve much, but it will soon be your new "normal".

@werock, I hope you can follow up on the members suggested above by @colleenyoung. They have a mountain of information they shared with us before. To read each one's postings, just left-click on one @-identity and wait for their postings to come up on your browser window, then do the same with each of the others. I was blown away by everything I read there!

Thank you so very much!!