Spinal fusion of C1-C6

I just had my 10th and 11th spine surgeries a few months ago in early August. These surgeries 4 days apart were to remove and revise my posterior hardware T2-T7 with new hardware C6-T7 w/Stryker bands and a bone growth stimulator AND new anterior C6-T2 hardware (plate and screws) due to my kyphosis and hyperlordosis. I am now fused C6-S2 in sections with ins and outs of rods and screws. 3 months in a thoracic brace with a Malibu collar, 23+ hours a day. You have to be your own advocate! Ask questions! Have a good list when you go in, it is easy to get lost and overwhelmed in conversations with surgeons. Take someone with you to your appointments to take notes. Remember to always ask how many times your surgeon has performed the surgery they are proposing. And, ask for a second opinion! Not within the same group…seek out someone else and let them review your films and see what they would propose. My spine surgeon told me to always ask for a second opinion! That way you know your options. And, if you don’t trust or don’t like your surgeon…go find a new one! Best of luck!

2 years ago, I was walking in to work when I noticed my shoe wouldn’t stay on my right foot. My foot was tilting toward the right and lifting out of my shoe. I have not been able to wear shoes that don’t tie since then. No one is able to tell me why I have a constricting feeling around my rib cage and knees. I recently had cervical spinal fusion and was diagnosed with spondylitis and lumbar spinal stenosis. I’ve lost sensation of hot, cold and touch in my left leg and experience severe muscle tightness in my right leg. The fusion has caused severe neck pain and tingling and numbness in my arms and hands that was not there before the surgery. My initial complaints were my legs and inability to wear a shoe on my right foot. No one is suggesting surgery for lumbar spine and I don’t know where to get help. I’m 52 years old and feel like a 90 year old.

Hello @skeefee , I had the opposite problem. Due to an elevator accident, I had to have C5-6 Fusion. It felt WONDERFUL! I gained back some feeling in my left arm, and could grip a pen to write!
1 year later, L-4 moved forward 54% over L-5. Had surgery for THAT. Now L5 is moving left over S-1. I have lost feeling in most of my left leg. Falls, broken bones, etc.
When I first had the C5-6 surgery the doctor said it might have a domino effect, as I would be moving differently.
I have HORRIBLE muscle spasms, which never stopped. They make it painful to breath, and move. It feels like a vice.
Sounds like you need a new set of doctors! Easier said than done in some cities/states.

I am completely fused from C2 to T2. I have rods in the back. I had a 3 level fusion in the front at the same time at the University of Washington. My neck had been fusing on its own and I had limited mobility to begin with bloody till the end chronic pain for years. I had 4 surgeries prior on my neck. I will say my range of motion is very limited however I can drive and do most things. I have Fibermyalgia so it's taken me a lot longer to recover. This surgery was a last resort. Try all of the Alternatives prior just to make sure you won't get relief some other way. I still have nerve damage. My right side was my big problem but now my left side is completely numb arm And hand. I have tingling and numbness in my hands and arms every day. I have since started a exercise program that has helped with these symptoms. I will throw the lock in the world.

When I started reading your comment, I had to look to see if I wrote it. I'm also fused C2-T2. I also have nerve damage on the right side. My hand is sensitive and burns. My foot is partially numb so I walk with cane. I'm currently taking 3600mg Gabapentin and Nucynta. This combo seems to work, most of the time. But now my insurance won't cover the Nucynta, so I'm looking for a replacement pain med. My dr is suggesting Oxycodone, but I don't want to start taking it. I don't like the way it makes me feel. What are you taking for pain?

@skeefee I wanted to welcome you to Connect. I am also a cervical spine fusion patient. One thing I have learned is that surgery creates scar tissue, and we all have some fascial restrictions anyway. Together this can create body alignment issues and cause pain, and it can be tied back to the surgical scar. I do a therapy called myofascial release which is a specific hands-on way to stretch the tight fascial layers of connective tissue. It helps me a lot, and periodically my incision tightens up, and I do stretch to release it, and also see my PT.

Here is the link to our discussion on MFR.

MFR — Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

Have you heard of myofascial release before?

Hello @skeefee and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.

You will notice that I have moved your post into an existing discussion on spinal fusions, which you can find here:
- Spinal fusion of C1-C6: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/spinal-fusion-of-c1-c6/

I did this to better connect you with members such as @jenniferhunter and @neferkem1 who have both joined you already. I will let you reply to their posts.

I had a posterior cervical spinal fusion in 2001 C-2 to the end of the cervical discs. I could only lift my arms about 2 inches. After surgery I could lift my arms to a normal range. The unbearable pain was reduced to some stiffness and minor side effects. However, in 2003, my intense pain began again. So, this time an anterior surgery was performed, removing discs from the same area and cages, screws, and a rod was inserted in my neck. After recovery, I had a lot of relief. I am now 75 years old and since 2012 further problems with the cervical area have returned. My neurosurgeon declared me inoperable. At this time, he offered me the choice of a stimulator or morphine pump for the pain. I opted for a morphine pump. Additionally, my lumbar spine all discs were fused. Although the surgeries didn't provide an ultimate answer, they bought me time to continue working and be independent. My spine has every disc compromised. In addition, I have replaced both hips and left shoulder. In a few months, I will have my right knee replaced. I find it best to see this as a journey; facing each situation as it occurs. I focus on maintaining
my mobility and make adjustments as necessary. Good luck! ODAT.

@morkat Your positive attitude toward your healing must be a blessing. You have been through a lot, and even though everything is a compromise, it is good to hear that you have benefited from surgery. It sounds like you are doing everything right. Thank you for sharing your journey!

Jennifer

On November 25th, 2022 I had a spinal injury after body surfacing accident that required fusing C1 - C5. After 10 weeks in a collar, I was told by my neurosurgeon that I don't need to wear it any longer.
I have now realized that the range of motion limitation is a real thing. I have practically none horizontally and limited vertically. I knowingly signed up for the surgery at the time of the accident, because the risks involved with less radical surgery were much too great. There was too much danger of full paralysis if less than 5 vertebrae were fused.
I am now driving my family crazy because I am not adjusting to the limited range of motion well. My question from someone who was (overly) active for a 67 year old, is there life after fusion?