Knee issue...unrelated to training..but still some after effects

[Will Morris]

I had the same diagnosis in 1999, at C6-7. Collapsed disc, osteophyte impingement on the nerve root, very bad pain, loss of function. I had the fusion with no hardware, and I have had absolutely no trouble with it for 22 years. This is not like lumbar surgery. Pick a good surgeon and get it over with.

The outcomes for ACDF, at least in my past readings and in many years of clinical practice, are miles ahead of similar procedures for the lumbar spine. I think Rip is dead on accurate with his final two sentences.

Now, I can’t speak to your actual case, but longitudinal imaging studies tend to favor the larger and more severe the herniation, the more likely it is to spontaneously reduce on its own. From my vantage point, and from what was discussed with Ray is this: there are very hard and fast clinical signs that indicate the need for surgical intervention immediately. Without those, and considering the spontaneous resolution of severe herniations, I’m not sure the compression of the central canal is something that has to be dealt with urgently. Again, understand that I am not consulting on your case, but, without some hard signs of neurological involvement, I probably wouldn’t recommend myself head to the OR.

Whoever told you that you are never quite the same after fusion needs to be whipped with a rubber hose. That is just absolute bullshit. In the grand scheme of things, who gives a rat’s ass if you increase the stress above and below the fusion? Your spine is far more resilient than that. You aren’t doomed to a life of playing connect the vertebral levels. By your 70s, your neck is going to fuse itself anyways. If you have the surgery, complete your rehab, get back to training, don’t develop a pain medication addiction, don’t start smoking, eat a decent diet and you are ahead of 99% of people in the world.

[buddy0329]

I did have the follow-up with the surgeon. We formalized plans for the C5-C6 ACDF in early April. I asked about the C3-C4 given the radiology finding of "severe right foraminal narrowing". The surgeon didn't think there was enough justification in images to address it and go from a simple, single level ACDF to a more significant procedure that would require fusing 4 vertabrae

Most days I am devoid of any symptoms at all which has made it difficult to accept that I need the procedure or whether I am getting the right procedure, etc. The symptoms I have had the last few weeks include episodes of pain/tugging/tightness in my traps and side of the neck; these are usually very mild and had I not known better I would have attributed to muscle aches. Usually these are only triggered on one side of the body at a time but I do feel them on both sides. One evening a few weeks ago I was hit with a severe occipital headache that last 4-5 hours which I was certain had to have come from this situation. While typing this message now I have some moderate pain/aches in the right side of my neck and traps, and I have experienced a couple of random shock-like sensations in my right elbow.