I didn't take one muscle relaxer or pain pill after the surgery. It feel like I have done 500 pushups or really strenuous exercise every single day. I had ACDF on C5 C6 about three weeks ago. C5-C6: Canal is decompressed status post discectomy and fusion. The stenosis in Tom's cervical spine was serious, causing spinal compression at four levels. Results: Along with the neck pain, I am also having shoulder pain. My spine has been corrected, and I'm still working on the TOS and making progress. You may have a problem with a rib head where it inserts into the spine. An ACDF is a type of spine surgery used to treat neck issues by removing. Keep in mind your body has to heal on the inside & calm down from the trauma of The best way I have found to do that is horseback riding. If you had a bone graft taken from your pelvis, you may experience pain, soreness, and stiffness at the incision site. My pain was immediately gone, and my arm feels great. Bookshelf @jenniferhunter do you have any thoughts on what I posted? My pain management doctor did two rounds of facet injections at T3-T6 which provided no relief. There is some imbibition of the intra-articular contrast into the superior labrum suggesting degeneration. WebAlthough relatively rare, post-operative nerve injuries may occur after cervical spine procedures. This surgery involves the removal of a protruding disc from the spine for relief of pressure on the spinal nerves, followed by reconstruction. MY POST OP XRAYS AND MRI LOOK FINE ACCORDING TO MY NEURO AND PAIN DR. Welcome to the board. I know i have arthritis and have had it since 16. If I do something that stresses my neck, like lifting something heavy, I tend to cheat and use my neck muscles to help, then I will get a neck spasm. I also have left side neck pain in the morning that I didn't have much of until now. Both herniations were central (pushing into the cord, right up the middle) and I never had numbness or tingling, just pain/tightness. It is very common to have some pain after the surgery, but when pain persists for months there are several possibilities. Under these circumstances, you may need an Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion . You could have thoracic outlet syndrome in addition to the other issues you mentioned and it causes arm and hand pain, and TOS is more common with spine injury patients. Doctors generally say that nerve pain can take up to a year to resolve, sometimes as long as 18 months depending on how long the nerve was compressed. 2012;2012:919153. doi: 10.1155/2012/919153. Cervical fusion is generally considered safe, however, it is major surgery. The stenosis in Tom's cervical spine was serious, causing spinal compression at four levels. It is possibly you might have a tad of permanent nerve damage but you won't know for many more months. Typically this is nothing to be concerned about. I HAVE STABBING PAIN BETWEEN MY SHOULDER BLADES AND SEVERE MUSCLE SPASMS AND PAIN FROM THE BASE OF MY SKULL THROUGH MY SHOULDER AND DOWN INTO MY RIGHT ARM TO MY ELBOW. The recovery time following ACDF varies. Peolsson A, Peterson G, Hermansen A, Ludvigsson ML, Dedering , Lfgren H. BMJ Open. Its a slow healing process, but in the end, the operation may end up being successful. The therapist I am working with has done ASTYM on the shoulder and arm. After the procedure, the surgical area will remain inflamed as the body heals itself. I had my first surgery in 2003 and just had another Decembe 2007. Choosing a fusion let me avoid hardware and I agreed to stay in a neck brace until fused which was at 3 to 4 months. I do have extra tightness on one side of my neck and shoulder that pulls into my rib cage. The most common post-operative neural disorder is C5 nerve palsy. Do not know if that is what is causing the pain or not. See Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulators (TENS) Similar areas of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament at these levels. Other goals of surgery include: Improving neck pain. Neck pain again a year after acdf surgery. If you have pain early on, that can actually just be part of the operation. Then a cervical epidural (no relief). Typically this is nothing to be concerned about. Epub 2007 Jul 17. There is no knowledge if short-term outcome in patients after anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) can be used to identify which patients have remaining deficit in long term. I CAN'T SLEEP FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE OF HOURS AT A TIME EVEN WITH SLEEPING PILLS. This inflammation can impact the nerves and cause some numbness. This procedure (along with all other spine surgery procedures) requires the surgeon to navigate delicately around, and between nerves and muscles. A CT scan however would eliminate that lack of fusion diagnosis for pain generation as the CT test is the gold standard for determining if fusion is solid or not. Number one, you should always be concerned about non-union of the bone graft. WebTypical Physical Therapy after ACDF This is what the patient can typically expect at physical therapy: Pain relief and inflammation are the key concerns at first. Some common risks of surgery include: Stroke. The most common post-operative neural disorder is C5 nerve palsy. Complications with anesthesia. According to the parameters studied 50 - 78% of those who at the 6-month follow-up were without deficit were still healthy at the 3-year follow-up. If you see a neurologist who specializes in spine issues or thoracic outlet syndrome, that would be best. WebThe orthopedist sent Tom for an MRI and, the same day, referred him "right away" to Michael Kachmann, MD, a neurosurgeon with Mayfield Brain & Spine. They should wear a DR IS OUT OF SUGGESTIONS. Careers. Following surgery the body begins its natural healing process and new bone cells grow around the graft. Some of the key findings were: I am off to a pain management center today at 3. WebTypical Physical Therapy after ACDF This is what the patient can typically expect at physical therapy: Pain relief and inflammation are the key concerns at first. Both of them, along with two physical therapists, said my issues were cervical spine which is why I had surgery. I know I have posted before here but just wondered if anyone else feels like this. It's as if it's gotten worse. The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Ice, electrical stimulation, massage, and other treatments may be used to make the patient more comfortable. The expected length of a hospital stay after an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion usually overnight for one or two level procedures. No evidence of hardware complication. I see him on Monday to go over the images. Web3 Months Post ACDF JohnyH. The most common symptoms of nerve damage after surgery are usually numbness, tingling, burning, muscle weakness or atrophy. Something pops when I breathe in I feel like my back needs to pop all day long. No disc protrusion or mass effect. It was from C4-C6 with two spacers and a plate", "So your fusion was in your cervical. They should wear a I do know that what you believe makes a big difference, so don't think that your back is a mess. Do not use nicotine for at least three months. Copyright 2004-2023 Duke University Health System, Neurophysiologic Intraoperative Monitoring May Be Feasible During Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy, Man Walks Again Weeks After Severing Spinal Column. To the layman (me), it seems like my neck fusion was successful, and now my thoracic has some issues. I'm in physical therapy and even the stretches the therapist is having me do causes arm pain. Blood Clots. I really haven't had many problems since the surgery, other than my neck being stiff. Reading your post was like deja vu. This one was landed me on my behind. My original symptoms were bilateral, symmetrical muscle aches/burning in my arms (wrists, forearms, deltoids). It also is normal to have some swallowing difficulty. This inflammation can impact the nerves and cause some numbness. Infection. Accessibility During the surgery, the spine surgeon accesses the cervical vertebrae from the front of the neck. No lumbar pain). The differential is now down to facets in the lower cervical spine, thoracic degenerative disc disease, neuropathic pain syndrome, Scheuermanns disorder or a rib/vertebral articulation (as long as the ACDF is a solid fusion). What I am not sure about is what kind of artifacts could be caused by the hardware itself on the imaging, so I don't know if the screw is pushing into the spinal canal or right up to it. Compared with the results before surgery patients had improved in pain intensity (p = 0.001), neck pain (0.001), numbness (p = 0.02) and were more 'satisfied' with having their neck problems (p = 0.01). WebIt is not uncommon to have pain in the neck following fusion surgery which slowly gets better over 12 to 18 months. Complications with anesthesia. In some cases, however, patients go home the same day. It generally presents with deltoid and/or There is straightened cervical spine lordosis with preserved alignment, normal marrow signal, and no prevertebral soft tissue swelling. Three or four level fusion may require additional days. Rotator cuff tear (supraspinatus mainly) was the predominant finding in MRI in those who didnt improve after ACDF (n=18, 25.7%, p-value: 0.001). Three years after ACDF about two-thirds of the patients had remaining deficit with regard to pain intensity, Neck Disability Index, Distress and Risk Assessment Method and general health. My original symptoms were bilateral, symmetrical muscle aches/burning in my arms (wrists, forearms, deltoids). In fact, ACDF surgeries have an average success rate of between 73% to 100%. However, more central to the success of the case, he says, was the DTRAX device, which enables surgeons to perform minimally invasive cervical fusions on patients whose pain persists or returns following ACDF. In some cases, however, patients go home the same day. A week later, Tom arrived at Dr. Kachmann's office. I've asked my surgeon if that same procedure can be performed along my shoulder blades, sides of my neck and other shoulder as I have the same symptoms as you describe in these areas. It is FREE! When I contacted Mayo 4 years ago, I wrote to a specific surgeon and asked that he review my imaging because I read papers he co-authored and thought his area on interest would be a good match for what I needed. ACDF Recovery Tips. It's amazing how our symptoms are so similar, I think that drs should check out this site. Hello. My upper traps and entire upper back is constantly in spasm. It is possibly you might have a tad of permanent nerve damage but you won't know for many more months.