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Cervical myelopathy and cognitive dysfunction
Spine Health | Last Active: Jun 2 11:36pm | Replies (22)Comment receiving replies
@ray666
I am 69 and had C5-C6 fusion surgery in March 2026. Since 2020 I complained to various physicians that I had very weak legs, wobbly "drunken" gait and easily lost my balance. No serious falls, no serious pain (intemittent over these years) and was directed to have surgery on my neck related to weakness / numbness in my upper torso.
Only in my first week of PT (focused on my cervical area recovery) and continue to have weak legs, lack of balance, and tire within 20 minutes of walking on my own, with a cane or with a walker.
I am told patience yet they only ask me how my neck and arm / hand numbness feels. I fear that the surgery has done nothing for my walking.
Now I am suffering vertigo in the morning and less so throughout the day. I am not on medication, drink electolyte enriched liquids, but nothing has improved over the past 5-6 days.
Will see what else my physician pool has to offer.
Replies to "@ray666 I am 69 and had C5-C6 fusion surgery in March 2026. Since 2020 I complained..."
@michc56 I would suggest having your PT check your cervical alignment. You may be having muscle spasms that are shifting the vertebrae above the fusion. This has happened to me before and after my C5 C6 fusion. I have had dizziness and vertigo when my C1 & C2 twist themselves. You PT should be able to realign your vertebrae gently if that is what is causing the symptoms. Vertigo in the morning may be from your neck position on your pillow at night. My PT has me turn my pillow so it's parallel to my body so I can't tuck my chin and cause the vertebrae to slip. That helps a lot.
Have you discussed the vertigo with your PT?
@michc56 i’m really sorry they made you wait so long for surgery.
My understanding is the longer the disc is putting pressure on the nerves, the more nerve damage you’re going to be left with.
I am new to these conversations. I experienced pain in my right , It felt like I was bit by a bug in September 2021. Age 62 very active hike 5 -6 miles a day live in the mountains , “mountain living “ is not for everyone. It requires a lot of strength. I thought I was doing everything right to keep myself healthy. My one big mistake was not looking on the inside of my body no MRIs or no x-rays.
I will continue to preach that.
Insist on them.
I had my first surgery in January 2022..C 5-6 , second surgery Feb 2023 L 3-5.
Still Incredible amount of neuropathy 2 Nerve test was left with nerve damage.
I thought I moved quite quickly on the first surgery, but apparently it had been festering for a long time. After many tests, It was a 14 MM bulge disc in my neck.
It started with a pinch in my hand like a bee, stung me .
Time is the essence Don’t wait insist on tests insist on MRIs
No one knows their own body better than themselves
I also had that numbness in my upper torso. that was the most frightening.
I thought I was going to be paralyzed..
I had to break down and cry and say there’s something really wrong with me again nobody knows their body better than themselves insists on more tests.
If you’re not comfortable, tell your Doctor, tell him there’s something more wrong. Don’t wait.
They already made you wait five years for surgery
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Hi, @michc56. The description of your symptoms matches mine to a T: "weak legs, wobbly 'drunken' gait … No serious falls, no serious pain … " When I first started meeting with a neurologist (4-5 years ago?), I was referred to a neurosurgeon to discuss whether cervical surgery might help with my gait. The neurosurgeon and I looked over my imagining, and in the end, he said that, while there was some "borderline encrochment" on my spinal cord, and that, while he could relieve the encrochment, it was highly unlikely that surgery would do anything to help with my gait. I went back a year later for a follow-up, and the neurosurgeon was a little surprised to see that the encrochment, rather than worsening, had actually lessened. I'm not sure, but the lessening might have something to do with neck and cervical spine stretches I do regularly, not for my gait, but to prevent what's sometimes called a "Dowager's hump." While I'm always all-ears for new and/or better approaches to improving my gait, I remain pretty firmly convinced that exercise––in particular leg-strengthening exercise––is my only hope for anything resembling "improvement" in my gait. In the meantime, I'll keep my cane handy! All the best to you, @michc56. 🙂 Cheers! –Ray (@ray666)