Connect
← Return to What helps spinal stenosis besides surgery?
Discussion
What helps spinal stenosis besides surgery?
Spine Health | Last Active: Sep 12 12:03am | Replies (167)Comment receiving replies
I believe mine is at the same level as yours. There are minor issues above but they’re going to leave that alone. The stenosis is really bad at C5 and C6 and the disc is bulging inward. I’ve seen several surgeons, one wanted to lay the whole back of my neck open. Well that was a NO. There is a new procedure that would give me more mobility turning my head. The surgeon I’m going to see on the 20th does it. Whether I’m a candidate or not I won’t know till I see him. I have no reflexes on my left side, so it’s getting worse. I would not have known anything was wrong with my neck if that guy hadn’t hit me with his pickup. I was wondering about your recovery time. How long, pain, etc. I work self checkout at a grocery store less than a mile from my house. I can’t afford to be out for months. I took a cut in pay to work there and STD is 60%. I’m barely making it now with what I get paid. Just wondering about your experience and what they did and how you are now. Any information would be appreciated. Thank you for responding
Replies to "I believe mine is at the same level as yours. There are minor issues above but..."
I apologize for not responding earlier. My experience with all of this horrible pain is NOT normal so please do not worry. I had a cervical fusion in 2019 and my recovery was fairly easy, compared to a lumbar fusion. I am struggling with this one because of my shoulder situation. I was only given hydrocodone 4-6 hours for 5 days and that normally should be more than sufficient then moving to Tylenol. You’ll be able to lift 5 pounds within the first two weeks and then it will graduate up…., I would imagine that your doctor would have you back to work within a month. I hope this helps you. Good luck. I am sorry that guy hit you.
Connect
@jojo58 C5/C6 hardly affects turning your head, maybe it is 1% of the movement. Head turning is mostly done by C1 & C2 that are designed to rotate with some assistance from C3 & C4, so mobility at this level probably isn't an issue. I have a fusion at C5/C6 and my head turning is normal and the same as it was before surgery. I can no longer touch my chin to my chest like I used to be able to do, but it is darn close. Most surgeons do a frontal approach called an ACDF (Anterior Cervical Disketomy and Fusion). Mine was done with only a bone disc graft and no hardware. To have that, I had to stay in a neck brace 3 months round the clock because nothing was screwed into my spine.
This surgery is expensive, so make sure that the facility, the surgical team, and any accessory workers such as people who do neuro-monitoring are in network with your insurance.
After 6 weeks, I was not in pain anymore and the incision had healed. After that point the scar tissue tightens up a bit. My neck was weak because of the neck brace , so I went to rehab. By about 5 or 6 months, I could forget that I had the surgery. I don't have pain now, but I also keep doing stretching that my PT taught me when my neck tightens up. I also have thoracic outlet syndrome that makes one side too tight, so I need to periodically loosen that.
I am glad that I did this surgery and it doesn't limit my activity. That being said, I work at using good posture so I don't stress other levels and cause them to go bad.
Make sure you ask a lot of questions so you understand exactly what the surgeon says, and they should show you your imaging and explain where the problem is. If you have to choose between fusion and artificial disc, there are risks to both procedures. artificial disk can fail my migrating or screws could push out, and sometimes the body can grow bone around them in an attempt to stabilize them.
This is my story.
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/using-the-art-of-medicine-to-overcome-fear-of-surgery/