Dizziness and / or lightheaded 10 weeks after spinal fusion of c3-c7

I suspect it is a consequence of removing the neckbrace entirely tooooo early! I had to wear mine for at least 12 weeks... and then some! Please contact your doctor. Also, you should be in rehab for a few months to gain strength back in your neck and surrounding areas. You might need to wear the brace for a while longer or at night or when you get tired. You said you were "tired" of these feelings. That is a clue you are not okay yet. Please see your doctor and get a referral for P.T. It will help you to recover. My surgery is one year out and I am back in rehab for my neck. I had a great surgeon. We work as a team. You shouldn't be having that kind of reaction. Your surgeon needs to take a look and be sure you don't have internal swelling or pinching.

@jong Welcome to Connect. I'm glad your dizziness has resolved. How are you doing now?

I had ACDF surgery 2 plus years ago on c3-c6. For the last year, I have been having increasing vertigo/light headedness. Has anyone else had this issue problem? Been thru the normal ent, cardiology, and specialist ent. Being treated by specialist ent for headache therapy, going to do a sleep study. At wits end. Any ideas?

@rkoepke
Have you had an updated MRI on your cervical spine and MRI of your head? I have had dizziness/balance issues and had ACDF surgery on C5-C6 which resolved many symptoms but still have a little dizziness/balance problems but not sure if tied to medications, small fiber neuropathy or blood flow. I was also diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss which may impact this, too.

Have you been tested for peripheral artery disease, small fiber neuropathy, iron deficiency or thyroid dysfunction?

@rkoepke Vertigo can be a physical problem. I had it when muscle spasms were rotating my C1 and C2 independently. A physical therapist may help as it did me. The vertebral arteries run inside the sides of the cervical vertebrae, so twisting them stretches them, and can cause vertigo.

Have you been evaluated by a physical therapist?

When going through the cardiologist he tested the blood, and yes I was iron deficient. Will explore further with the pcp. Thanks for that. In addition I will be calling my physical therapist and asking him for an evaluation. Thank you both. Honestly, am really tired of having to get help from others than a doctor, and at times fell like I’m chasing rabbits down multiple holes, but thank you both for suggestions.

Can dizziness and vertigo come from a healed compression fracture?

PT had a spectacular effect on my dizziness and erased it completely after this surgery. Good luck. Once the dizziness disappears, walking as often as possible, daily is best, will be eternally beneficial.

@tilou This is a good question. If a compression fracture heals in a way that creates a different size or shape in the vertebral body, or if it heals in a way that adds a new curvature to the spine, that of course will alter the physical characteristic of the bones of the spine. With all the spinal muscles attached to the attachment points of the vertebral bones, some could get pulled or stretched and that may lead to muscle spasms that move the spine and change curvature. My vertigo was happening because of altered blood supply when the vertebral arteries (inside the cervical vertebrae) were getting stretched when my spine was twisting and stayed that way dues to the muscle spasms.

Do you have a compression fracture in your neck? I most often hear of compression fractures in thoracic or lumbar sections of the spine. The body also has to try to balance itself with the total spine curvature that a person has, and that compensation may not be ergonomically good spine balance and posture if there are some abnormalities.

Have you been evaluated by a physical therapist?

To Jennifer,
thank you for your reply. I had that compression fracture in the lumbar section of the spine and after healing I started to get dizzy and disoriented.
I have not been evaluated by a physical therapist, I just had istruction with a physical therapist to show me how to use my body safely to avoid another compression fracture considering that I have osteoporosis. What specialty physical therapist are you speaking about? I would be happy to follow instruction.
As far as the dizziness, it happens all of a sudden, sometime watching TV, sometime in bed trying to sleep, I use a cane during the episodes but I fear having them when I am driving.
I also had anemia while recovering but my MD said it is resolved now.
Thank you so much for your help.