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Persistent pain post-anterior cervical fusion C4-C7?
Spine Health | Last Active: Apr 22 8:23am | Replies (12)Comment receiving replies
Hello @deacra07 . Welcome to Connect. I am a cervical fusion patient with C5/C6 fused. I get muscle spasms that can twist vertebrae above my fused levels and that tends to happen if I don’t have enough neck support when I sleep. I also have thoracic outlet syndrome or TOS which makes one side of my neck tighter which makes it easier for vertebrae to rotate. I recognize when this happens because of getting an occipital headache on one side, ear or jaw pain and even pain into the shoulder blade. Once I get this straightened out again, it resolves. I try not to do things that trigger it.
Does your PT check to see if your vertebrae are staying aligned? They can feel to see if the spinous processes are in line. My PT also does myofascial release to release the tightness in muscles that are pulling the bones out of alignment.
Replies to "Hello @deacra07 . Welcome to Connect. I am a cervical fusion patient with C5/C6 fused. I..."
Hi I have had C-4to C-7 also.What kind of neck support do you use at night?
Thank you
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Hi Jennifer!
I wrote to you after my surgery at ochsner, not sure if you saw it. For what it is worth I was told to expect the recovery process to take at least a year and it may take up to 2 years for the spinal cord to fully heal, possibly leading to feeling again in my hands and fingers. They have prescribed a device to wear around my neck 4 hours a day that increases success of fusion by 38%. It's an Orthofix Cervical Stim.
Deacra, I hope they find an answer for you and that you are pain free soon.
All the best,
Robert