@loriesco Thanks for letting me know about our friend connection. I don't limit my painting time. If I get tired and need a break, I take one. I don't paint all the time every day. When I ride my horse, I actually do a lot of "physical therapy" with that and it makes my posture so much better and stronger, unless I do something or my horse trips badly. That did happen recently and my neck and shoulders have been hurting a bit because I dropped the reins and had both hands on the saddle. My neck movement is pretty much the same as it was before surgery, and my fusion was C5/C6 done with no hardware and only a bone graft. I imagine having rods C3 to T2 is going to limit your movement significantly and wear you out while you are painting. Anything where you have to look down (like the sidewalk art) is probably exhausting. It would be for me. The best way to paint with less fatigue is to use good ergonomic posture and try to keep your neck straight. I would think that working on smaller pieces is probably a lot easier, and you'd get more done before fatigue sets in.

One year after a big neck surgery is not a lot of recovery time. At one year, I still had fatigue. I wore a neck brace for 3 months, so my neck was weak and that was exhausting. I think you are right to listen to your body, but don't believe that is your maximum recovery. It may be too early to tell. You need to find a balance between rehab exertion and stretching out the tight muscles. If rehab is making your muscles rock hard, maybe that is too much. I can cause neck pain and spasms easily because I have thoracic outlet syndrome, and my neck is tighter on one side. That is something I'm always stretching, and mostly on my own because getting PT on Medicare is very limited unless it's for something that is textbook mainstream rehab.

Having a whiplash when your C1-C3 is doing the whip movement isn't good because that top end of the spine is so vulnerable. If you get muscle spasms affecting those levels and how your skull sits on your spine, it can cause issues like vertigo, and you don't need extra pressure there that may lead to future disc problems. Do everything you can to protect that and keep it functional. I do think MFR on your surgical scar can help, and also to loosen up all the tight shoulder and neck muscles. Your rehab PT may need to lower the expectations. At some point, you'll stop going for that, and you'll be left with the hard muscles and spasms.

I periodically stretch my surgical scar on the front of my neck and it pulls down in to my chest and ribs. If that gets tight, it can limit my lung function. I still have some deeper rock hard muscles in my neck, but generally, it is more supple and looser than before my surgery. You don't know how much surgical scar tissue tightness is affecting you until you get it loosened and take the pressure off. You might be able to work on the back neck scar tissue by leaning up against a block on a wall or doorway and trying to stretch by pushing against it. Laying on a foam roller with airplane arms may help. Ask your MFR therapist for suggestions. Don't put direct pressure on your neck, but have the block along your back if that helps.

I'm glad you're painting. That is good healing therapy for your mind and body!