Cervical spine fusion
- Thread starter hornet41
- Start date
Busterswoodshop
Hunter
I have had back problems most of my life.
I had 3,4 and 5 fused in 1997.
When I had my surgery , what was done was brand new and an experimental procedure at the time , but I trusted my doctor.
One of the best decisions I ever made.
One thing I will say is make sure a Neurosurgeon does the work and not an Orthopedic Surgeon. There is a big difference.
Edit to say : My mistake. My fusion was L3 , L4 and L5. Not C3 , C4 and C5.
I still say make sure to have a Neurosurgeon do the work though.
I had 3,4 and 5 fused in 1997.
When I had my surgery , what was done was brand new and an experimental procedure at the time , but I trusted my doctor.
One of the best decisions I ever made.
One thing I will say is make sure a Neurosurgeon does the work and not an Orthopedic Surgeon. There is a big difference.
Edit to say : My mistake. My fusion was L3 , L4 and L5. Not C3 , C4 and C5.
I still say make sure to have a Neurosurgeon do the work though.
Yikes .... that sounds like not much fun.
Good luck to you! Here's praying for a successful surgery and speedy recovery.
Good luck to you! Here's praying for a successful surgery and speedy recovery.
My wife had it done some years ago. She has never had any problems. The biggest PITA she complained about was the brace she had to wear following the procedure. She has a small scar on the front of her neck. She said when she came out of the operation she never had any pain.
DHD
Single-Sixer
Been there done that. In a way I wish I hadn't done it (chicken at the last minute), but it's done. That was 2016 and no real problems since, but I do get headaches (I was prone to them anyway). They are more from neck strain than anything else and they aren't as severe as before.
I had a piched nerve from C6. I'd already had some issues there and every so often my neck would "go out" for a week or so. Pinched nerve came on with just a head turn. Point is that I needed to get it done as it was just going to get worse. Numbness in left arm, fingers numb, and other not so fun stuff.
Take it easy after surgery as you'll probably feel better than you have in a while. Be careful about the discs above and below the surgery as they'll have to take more strain now, but it is just the way it is. A BIG agreement on having a Neurosurgeon do the surgery. Mine was awesome and had done this type of surgery many many times.
As to shooting, you should be fine as long as you aren't shooting heavy recoiling rifles. I do have some issue getting behind the rifle prone for long strings and pay for it afterwards. As I always did prefer to shoot benchrest it's not a huge deal, but my job still requires some prone. I call it the new normal...
I had a piched nerve from C6. I'd already had some issues there and every so often my neck would "go out" for a week or so. Pinched nerve came on with just a head turn. Point is that I needed to get it done as it was just going to get worse. Numbness in left arm, fingers numb, and other not so fun stuff.
Take it easy after surgery as you'll probably feel better than you have in a while. Be careful about the discs above and below the surgery as they'll have to take more strain now, but it is just the way it is. A BIG agreement on having a Neurosurgeon do the surgery. Mine was awesome and had done this type of surgery many many times.
As to shooting, you should be fine as long as you aren't shooting heavy recoiling rifles. I do have some issue getting behind the rifle prone for long strings and pay for it afterwards. As I always did prefer to shoot benchrest it's not a huge deal, but my job still requires some prone. I call it the new normal...
MADDOG 521
Single-Sixer
I had it done in 2009 and everything is fine. I was up walking the next morning. Several weeks of PT and marching in place in a swimming pool helped a lot. I have been pain free since the operation. Get the BEST NEUROSURGEON you can get even if you have to drive to the other side of the country. Did I mention I have been pain free since the operation.
No experience with that type of surgery, but wish you the best of luck. Make sure to follow post op instructions.
Rick Courtright
Hawkeye
Hi,
A friend from years back had two or three of the "C"s fused in the late '90s. They did the "slit your throat" surgery and the surgeon used a natural wrinkle/fold on my friend's neck for the incision, so when it healed and started losing color, the scar wasn't visible to anyone who didn't know it was there. She hated the neck brace, too: said she looked like she'd escaped from the EMTs at an accident site, but within a few months was as good as she'd ever been. She was early 60s when her surgery was done, and I dunno what kind of surgeon worked on her.
Rick C
A friend from years back had two or three of the "C"s fused in the late '90s. They did the "slit your throat" surgery and the surgeon used a natural wrinkle/fold on my friend's neck for the incision, so when it healed and started losing color, the scar wasn't visible to anyone who didn't know it was there. She hated the neck brace, too: said she looked like she'd escaped from the EMTs at an accident site, but within a few months was as good as she'd ever been. She was early 60s when her surgery was done, and I dunno what kind of surgeon worked on her.
Rick C
toysoldier
Hunter
There may be orthopedic surgeons who do excellent spine work, but I haven't worked with any. You want a GOOD neurosurgeon. Did your surgeon indicate if this would be an anterior approach (throat) or anterior/posterior (throat and neck incisions, and being turned during surgery)?
I just found out I am also a candidate for fusion involving C4 and C5. Early in the process so we shall see..... Good luck!
Seminole Wind
Bearcat
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
- Messages
- 78
I had the surgery in 2018 and waited a year to shoot a shotgun, with no problems resulting. Oddly, I discovered I could not bend my neck enough to look up at high flying doves.
