@camendola9 Welcome to Connect. There is an increased risk of adjacent segments going bad because they will absorb more stress because they can move. That can be different for everyone. I have C5/C6 fused and have had no other issues at 9 years after surgery. I do physical therapy and myofascial release to loosen tight muscles. I also have TOS, thoracic outlet syndrome, that makes one side of my neck tighter. I do my best to loosen things so my neck won’t have extra pressure on one side. I also chose a fusion done only with bone and no hardware, so I have retained the natural flexibility that bone has. Adding metal makes the spine more rigid of course than the flexibility of bone. I believe that all of this makes a difference in avoiding future spine surgery. When I asked my surgeon about that, he said maintain core strength to support the spine. I own a horse and riding just at a walk does wonders exercising my core. I don’t do any pounding sports and my horse does not trot. I don’t want to put more wear an tear on my body.

Will you be discussing this with your surgeon? A physical therapist also is a great source of information on prevention and recovery.