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Post surgery from cervical myelopathy timeline of recovery?
Spine Health | Last Active: Aug 3, 2025 | Replies (13)Comment receiving replies
@lovecaliope
I can relate with your situation.
I am in my 50s and a single parent with a teen son plus have cervical myelopathy. I was misdiagnosed for over 5 years so my ACDF surgery on c5-c6 was delayed (had it in 2022 when my son was 12). Before surgery, I had daily headaches, neck and shoulder pain/stiffness/tension, arm/hand weakness/numbness (dropped things and my handwriting worsened), bladder control issues and walking difficulties (legs felt very heavy and I was moving slowly even though I used to walk fast). I was told by my surgeon to have surgery as soon as possible to stop the progression and that some spinal cord injury could be permanent. After surgery, my symptoms improved about I was left with residual arm/shoulder/hand weakness. Only stayed overnight in the hospital but would have been released sooner if my blood pressure didn’t drop during surgery.
I had another herniated disc at c6-c7 so had my 2nd ACDF surgery last month (June 16). Many of my symptoms returned but were slightly different (wanted to walk forward but would fall backwards at times). I went home the same day.
Why were you in the hospital so long? How many levels did you have surgery on and were you fused with hardware? I am now fused with hardware c5-c7 (plus had L3-L5 fused in 2024). Even with my very painful lumbar decompression/fusion surgery, I only stayed in the hospital 24 hours (released once drainage reduced to a certain point).
I was told to not lift more than 5-10 pounds and not to twist my head/neck. I only wore a soft collar the first week to try to remind me not to move my head. Did you do anything that could have injured your neck post surgery? Have you had post op appointments with your surgeon? I had one 2 weeks post op to get incision checked and X-ray and go back 6 weeks (beginning of August) and 3-4 months post op. It is important to not use NSAIDs, not to smoke, etc. to help with bone fusion. PT should not be started until doctor releases you to do so. Have you had an X-ray since you had surgery to check alignment? Did you have a neurologist do an EMG/nerve conduction studies before surgery and what were your symptoms before surgery? Once spinal cord and nerve roots are decompressed, your body will try to heal what it can and it takes a long time for nerves to heal. The spinal cord compression injury may not fully heal.
Replies to "@lovecaliope I can relate with your situation. I am in my 50s and a single parent..."
I want to thank all of you who have been commenting about cervical surgeries. You gave me such good advice. I experienced increasing neck pain starting in 2010, but put off doing more than PT because my lumbar pain was worse.
After a fusion on L4-5 in January 2021, and a revision with extension to S-1 in July 2023, I hoped I could recover with more PT and then an ablation (so painful) and diagnostic injections last year , but it did not help.
I asked for a 2nd consultation with a local neurosurgeon using all the MRI and Spect scans I had done in May. He fit me in quickly and once in his office he went over each level of my MRI in detail with us, he showed me the damage, the bone spurs, bone on bone, flattening, some stenosis.
I had a three level, c-4 through c-7 anterior acdf last Wednesday, six weeks in a hard collar, anytime I’m out of bed. I feel better now in the recliner than in bed,
It’s much more painful than I was expecting (little pain!) but I see others say the same. I have osteoporosis, and the nurse cautioned me, saying I have ‘soft bones’ so to not move my head up or down without the collar, and keep the collar on anytime I get up.
I’m hopeful someone will tell me I will be able to ride my e-bike again one day on our many trails.
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You gave great advice. Like I said in another post, my husband had ACDF last year. He is a long-term smoker so I swear his healing was slow due to it. I had posterior surgery just this past May. Not a smoker. I was walking the next day. I had to stay about 4 days due to my blood sugar but other than that I came home on only muscle relaxants and extra strength tylenol as needed. I took the oxy maybe a couple times. I'm 12 weeks post surgery and back at work. I work from home so I can kinda rest as needed. Head still feels like a boulder and I have some tingling fingers and creepy crawlies still but I know the nerves are coming back together so to speak. And an ugly ugly scar down my neck. Thinking of a tattoo at 62 years old. Lol!
Here's my stuff below:
Procedure Title:
Posterior cervical laminectomy inferior portion of C2, all of C3, dome of C7
Cervical laminoplasty C4-C6 with plate reconstruction
Indications for Surgery:
Gait and balance issues due to cervical stenosis with cord compression over multiple levels
Pre-Operative Diagnosis:
Pre-Op Diagnosis Codes:
* Cervical spondylosis with myelopathy [M47.12]