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Hello - I see that many people on various forums have undergone cervical spine surgery - most seem to be for degenerative disc disease and require some form of vertebral fusion. I was just recently diagnosed with degenerative disc disease and, as an extra added attraction, I have "moderate kyphosis" (deformed curvature) of the upper vertebrae.
I visit a neurosurgeon in two weeks for consultation and preparation for surgery. In the mean time, I'm digging around on the internet to find what information I can about this type of surgery and what to expect afterwards.
One item I see a lot is people saying you can't bend over which recuperating - does that mean that your are instructed not to bend over so as not to strain your healing neck or are they just saying that it hurts to bend over and therefore, you don't. Or is it both?
We were traveling the country with our travel trailer when the pandemic ramped up and so, have been living out of the trailer for over a year now. I'm wondering how well I'm going to be able to recover from surgery with the various limitations imposed during recovery.
Anyone who has had recent neck surgery of this type - what types of limitations have you encountered?
I suggest checking out the books and youtube videos by Dr. David Hanscom.
Thanks for the lead - I'll check him out.
I was wondering what people who have had cervical spine surgery can tell me about how their recovery from surgery went. Like what ordinary daily tasks were they unable to do during recovery - e.g., dressing themselves, brushing their teeth, driving, using the computer, etc.
Last edited by DaveNTexas; 04-08-2021 at 06:40 AM..
Go to spine health.com and look at their forums. Lots of good info there. I had surgery for a lumbar spine disc herniation 2 years ago, but that's a completely different ball of wax compared to considering a cervical fusion.
I was wondering what people who have had cervical spine surgery can tell me about how their recovery from surgery went. Like what ordinary daily tasks were they unable to do during recovery - e.g., dressing themselves, brushing their teeth, driving, using the computer, etc.
My DH had surgery back in 2012 (or so) and am not certain if the procedure has changed since then. He had broken his neck (C4-6 in 1993) and needed relief from the constant pain.
When he was recovering he at first used a neck brace. He bent at the waist to do things he would normally bend his head to do. He used a raised table or his laptop or tablet.
He didn't drive for a while (cannot remember the actual time frame) and when did did resume driving he used the mirrors and twisted his trunk instead of turning his head.
For him the recovery from the surgery was so much easier from the surgery rather than from the broken neck (the halo hurt him terribly and recuperation took more than 8 months).
Go to spine health.com and look at their forums. Lots of good info there. I had surgery for a lumbar spine disc herniation 2 years ago, but that's a completely different ball of wax compared to considering a cervical fusion.
The actual video of surgical procedures that I've stumbled upon at other sites the internet are a bit hard to watch so, I haven't gotten past the first couple of minutes on those videos.
My DH had surgery back in 2012 (or so) and am not certain if the procedure has changed since then. He had broken his neck (C4-6 in 1993) and needed relief from the constant pain.
When he was recovering he at first used a neck brace. He bent at the waist to do things he would normally bend his head to do. He used a raised table or his laptop or tablet.
He didn't drive for a while (cannot remember the actual time frame) and when did did resume driving he used the mirrors and twisted his trunk instead of turning his head.
For him the recovery from the surgery was so much easier from the surgery rather than from the broken neck (the halo hurt him terribly and recuperation took more than 8 months).
Choose your surgeon carefully!
Broken neck! Ouch!! I hope he's doing OK now.
Somebody else mentioned a raised table or stand for using the laptop - there are a few different types available on Amazon - I'm going to need to get one, I'm sure; I still use my computers a lot.
I'm a retired programmer and am pretty sure that my neck problem is the result of slouching in front of a computer monitor, feet up on the desk, and the keyboard in my lap. After sitting like this for a few hours I would get a painful knot on my back at the base of my neck - I just thought it was tight muscles and the pain would go away when I would get up and stretch.
After 35 years this stuff has caught up with me. So, when the company nurse says you should sit up and use good posture at your desk you'd better take the advice seriously.
He broke his neck while he was in the Army in 1993. It was a HUGE miracle that he didn't become a quad and was able to stay in the Army until he retired in 2008.
He has lived with pain since then, but the procedure brought a measure of relief.
A raised table really does help since you can also place items that you routinely use (phone, tablet, remote control or a drink.
OK, I saw the neurosurgeon this week and he had me get a couple more neck X-Rays and set me up with some physical therapy sessions. He also sent orders to the pain clinic for me to have some cervical facet injections (I think these are "block" injections).
So, I was scanning through my Medicare coverage information and trying to decipher whether they cover the therapy and injections and how much they will allow. Reading their coverage documents is like a roller coaster of digressions and definitions - it's an endless loop sometimes. I couldn't come up with a definite answer - When I called their "Help" line, the minimum wage representative on the phone starts reading back to me the gibberish I just got through reading before I called.
My question is : to anybody out there who has had these PT sessions and facet injections, did Medicare pay for this or did they limit the amount of coverage they will pay?
Do you only have Medicare for insurance or do you have a Medigap too? If you only have Medicare, I would start going to the Medicare site to look at Medigap plans that will pick up close to 100% of what Medicare does not pay then plan to have the surgery next year.
I have a $125 per month BCBS Medigap C plan that so far is not covering the deductible. I've had a Medigap D plan for the last 5+ years that covered the deductible. It goes by your age. With Medicare and a Medigap, I have a $30 prescription plan that covers a lot of stuff like pain medications. You also have to consider things like that if you're having spine surgery.
You may even want to price other health insurance instead of just Medicare while you're there.
I suggest you see the health insurance section, ask the Medicare questions there. Medicare is usually great about covering just about everything unless you've been in an accident.
About your surgery and limitations. I personally would not have any spine surgery while living in a trailer because you don't know what shape you'll be in from such a big surgery. I had my lumbar fused, worst mistake I ever made, I have rods and screws. I have a friend who was about 60 when she had the same surgery, it gave her maybe 2 years but now she can barely walk. I was not able to drive for 8 months after the rods were added. My original surgery in 2001 was not as bad, I think it was a month for driving. I believe my friend wasn't allowed to drive for 3 months, so these may be questions you'd want to ask at the spine forum.
Do some reading about artificial disk replacement ADR. They're doing it in the US finally. Germany has been doing it for a long time, of course I found out about it right after I was fused. I met a gal who was fused at 4 levels there, it cost her about $10k. You can find a lot of info on google for ADR, Germany. I know they do multi levels, I'm not sure if the US does.
ADR will preserve some spine motion which is what people need because spines are not made to be stiff. You only get one shot to do it right the 1st time. Don't just jump into it without doing your homework. You can easily do research online now, unlike when I had mine done in 2001.
The natural cervical intervertebral disc is a remarkable mechanical structure from an engineering perspective. It has the ability to absorb a large compressive load while still providing an impressive range of motion between the bones in the neck.
Duplicating the natural disc's form and function with an artificial disc is challenging. However, several artificial cervical discs have been developed and are available as a surgical option to treat cervical disc problems that cause chronic neck pain and other symptoms, such as arm pain or weakness.
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