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Excruciating chronic left side neck pain plus lumbar issues
Spine Health | Last Active: Nov 18, 2023 | Replies (360)Comment receiving replies
Thank you for responding. It gives me hope. I just went to a massage therapist and will try acupuncture next. This is just so frustrating. They told me I would be off work for 3 weeks and now it's been 3 months. Also if I can't get the pain under control I might have to retire which will be early retirement and really reduce my retirement. I only had 3 years left. Had I known I would be in worse pain I would have put off the surgery or not had it at all because I could at least manage before. THank you for the ideas.
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@bearmiller03 Don't give up. 3 months is very early in your recovery. I takes a lot longer, and 3 weeks was not an honest answer for a reasonable leave of absence from the workplace after spine surgery. Perhaps that was being influenced by employer expectations. Healing from a fusion takes longer than healing after disc replacement, and the patient's age and condition has a lot to do with that. If you are fused, your surgeon may allow physical therapy. The scar tissue tightens up a lot during healing and may be a source of pain for you.
You might want to look at mypofascial release therapy. It has helped me a lot.
MFR is Myofascial Release Therapy. There is a discussion on MFR that you might find helpful.
Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
You can find a provider search at http://mfrtherapists.com/
Don't second guess yourself. Putting off surgery can also increase nerve damage which can become permanent. It is best to intervene earlier if nerve damage is an urgent concern, and doctors often can't tell you exactly when that will happen and when nerves will start to die. It can get better and it takes time and patience. Do your best to relax and let yourself heal.