Herniated Cervical Disc Caused by Foramenotomy

I'm so sorry to hear of you experiencing this pain. For me it's an awful memory, thankfully.......
In 2007 I had a C6-7 disc "extrude" or become empty, causing excruciating pain in the entire upper right quadrant of my body (head to just below the ribs). When I had the disc replaced by a neurosurgeon, the pain immediately disappeared, and the only recovery was using a hard cervical collar for about a month. In addition to no pain, I have complete range of motion, which in my understanding is very different from having a fusion. I am not medically trained in any way, but I would suggest looking into this if at all possible.
I wish you the very best in your recovery.

Thanks for the info. I'll check into that.

@westlakechap
I think it wasn’t necessarily due to the foramenotomy. Depending on how much bone was removed and without hardware to stabilize the vertebrae, the foundation of the vertebrae may have been weakened and shifted to cause a new herniated disc.

Were you told you had degenerative disc disease based upon your MRI and any disc bulges before your surgery? Did you have EMG/nerve conduction studies (ncs) of your upper limbs by a neurologist? You may want this done before your surgery.

It seems ACDF discectomy/fusion with hardware is needed for you to stabilize your c6-c7 level. I had ACDF surgery on c5-c6 in 2022 (to remove bone spurs/disc bulge pressing on spinal cord/nerve roots) and now need c6-c7 done due to a new herniated disc. My surgeon had me get updated EMGs/ncs before getting my 2nd cervical surgery. I hope to get my surgery in May.

I have degenerative disc disease, congenital spinal stenosis, myelopathy spinal cord compression injury and osteoarthritis. I expect to need surgery for the rest of my life (I am currently in my mid-50s). Not looking forward to more aging degeneration. 🙁

@westlakechap Hello and welcome. I am a cervical spine patient. My case involved a disc herniated into the spinal canal that had collapsed by 50%. I did not have bone growth within the foramen, but if I bent my neck sideways, I could hit the nerves and cause a burning pain. This pain subsided when I straightened my neck. Why? Because the foramen space was narrowed because the vertebral bones got closer together. If your disc is weakened, it may also be bulging which will offset the pressure toward the thinner side. It might not take very much to rupture the disc and spill out the jelly like nucleus. All I had to do to rupture my C5/C6 was turn my head. I heard it pop, and my head suddenly turned past its range of motion. I don’t know how current your imaging was prior to your surgery. Surgery creates inflammation. I do think your second opinion is valid in that it isn’t possible to predict exactly when a disc will rupture. Typically if a disc ruptured into the foramen, the inflammation from that causes bone spur growth as the spine tries to stabilize itself. I had a similar experience after carpal tunnel surgery and exacerbated arm and neck pain. I wondered if my neck was injured in moving me while I was unconscious. It turned out I had undiagnosed thoracic outlet syndrome causing pinching of nerves that had been missed. As you said, you need to work with your surgeon for your present condition.

Thanks Daily,

I'm 63.

I was told a few times that I have a lot of degeneration/stenosis throughout C3-C7.

However there was no sign of a bulging disc before surgery.

Because of the new finger weakness following the surgery, I got a EMGs/ncs don't and it confirms that there are nerve problems at C7 and C8.

Sorry to hear about your neck issues. What kind of surgeries do you expect to have the rest of your life? Fusions?

Thanks for the info Jennifer.

I hope your spinal problems get better soon

-W

@westlakechap
I wish you the best getting the right treatment with a surgeon you trust.

I have had decompression/fusion of c5-c6 and l3-l5 and will add c6-c7 this year. I also had carpal tunnel surgery a couple weeks ago (right hand) and need to get my left hand done, too. So far, 5 different surgeries in about 3.5 years. Ugh! I feel like I lost a few brain cells being under anesthesia so many times. 😉🧠

Due to my congenital spinal stenosis (born with a narrow spinal canal), degenerative disc disease, myelopathy spinal cord injury and osteoarthritis, I expect more cervical/lumbar surgeries. I also have bilateral gluteal tendinopathy and bilateral hamstring partial high grade tears (not sure how I got them) which makes standing up and going up stairs difficult (especially on right leg). They may need to debride and reattach my muscle tendon.

Certainly not what I was expecting in my 50s. Had to retire early due to disability and I’m a single parent of a teen son with no family so it’s been a bit stressful. I take one day at a time and do what I can do. I was planning to work at least until 60-62 but life changes your plans for you.

@westlakechap Thanks for your response. No worries though; my spine surgery was 8 years ago and very successful and it gave me my life back. I was pain free immediately after surgery except for the pain caused by the surgical path. Prior to surgery, I had pain anywhere in my body from spinal cord compression. It was life changing in such a good way, that in gratitude, I give back to help other patients navigate through medical information and assist those who need help with advocating for themselves. I had a fusion of C5/C6 done without hardware and that has been a big benefit to me since my body rebels against foreign materials like metals. To maintain this, I also work to loosen up tight neck muscles and I try to have good posture. It helps me a lot to build core strength by riding my horse. That is mostly just at a walk for trail riding. This was my only spine surgery and so far so good. When I was evaluated for spine surgery, I was also evaluated for thoracic outlet syndrome which I had and it causes overlapping symptoms for spine problems.

If your spine issues have a past history of trauma like a whiplash, you may be interested in being tested for thoracic outlet syndrome. It can be caused by a whiplash, and typically it does cause C8 nerve issues. When a neurologist tested me, the C8 nerve root was abnormal. The catch here is most doctors don't understand TOS or know how to treat it (physical therapy with myofacial release in addition to a few surgical approaches). It has variations, but generally it is nerve entrapment involving the brachial plexus which can be where it passes through scalene muscles, under the collar bone and under muscle attachments of pectoralis minor near the armpit. If you find a place that lists TOS as a condition they treat, you can find a specialist there. If you have TOS, it may cause pain even after a spine issue is fixed, and the inflammation from spine surgery in an area very close to the TOS will increase the pain it causes.

TOS information
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thoracic-outlet-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20353988
https://mskneurology.com/how-truly-treat-thoracic-outlet-syndrome/
Our discussion on Myofascial release.
Neuropathy - "Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

@dlydailyhope You have had a lot of surgery and it sounds like you have a lot of muscle tightness leading to the tendonopathy. The surgical scar tissue also causes tightness and that can put quite a load of force on your body. One suggestion I could make would be to have a physical therapy expert with myofasscial release evaluate you and see if you could be helped by loosening up some of that tightness. I can say from experience that MFR work has helped me a lot. It sounds like more surgery is knocking at the door. Perhaps you could delay that or possibly prevent some additional surgery. There is a provider search at http://mfrtherapists.com/

Here is our discussion on MFR therapy
Neuropathy - "Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

Thanks again.
-W