Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion (ACDF) recovery

If any one is not getting better or the results expected find a Myokinesthetic provider and you will the the most optimal results possible.I
am a provider not yet certified, however the results are amazing and speak for themself. I currently work at sacred heart on the emerald coast, out patient and with this new tecnique i have astounded many with this unique form of rehabilitations... there is no last resort. this is the answer.


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About a month and a half ago I started getting a "knot" in my shoulder, and pain in between the shoulder blades. Just a little hitch in my git-a-long I thought. About a week or two later the symptoms became more severe, and I went and sought medical attention at an urgent care facility. The Dr's initial thought was a herniated disk, and ordered an MRI. I had the MRI done a couple of days later, and asked for a copy on CD before I left..Something I suggest everyone does before leaving the MRI facility. anyway, two days later I was in so much pain that I went to the ER with my copy of the MRI in my pocket. The doctor looked at the MRI, prescribed some Vicodin and suggested I see a specialist ASAP! I went and saw the specialist and I have herniated disks at C6,C7-C7,T1 I guess if you're going to mess up you might as well go big! The Doctor scheduled my surgery and sent me home with a 90 count prescription of Percocet. The Percocet had almost no effect on my pain, to the point I almost goofed big time by taking to much. I found that Aleeve worked better for me than the Percocet.
Anyway, I leave for my surgery in about 4 hours, I got my Blackberry and the charger all ready to go, I will see if I can post from the hospital bed later on today. My biggest gripe with this surgery is it's just about riding season and the Harley is begging to be rode, and there isn't anything on day time TV these days :-D

Well I had better gets some sleep, I gotta get up in two hours, just to get knocked out for surgery.

Oh, like I said earlier, always get your own copy of the MRI if you can, My Doctor said that in comparison to my MRI, the MRI report that he got faxed over was an UNDERSTATMENT!

About six hours post surgery and all seems well. I had instantanious relief from the effected nerves! I only have mild pain (about a 3) from the proceedure it's self.

I would like to post this reply because there are some disconcerting posts out there. I had a three level fusion back on March 10. I am happy to report that after six weeks I resumed jogging, doing push ups and playing tennis. Furthermore, the symptoms I had (primarily a numbing pain/discomfort on my right scapula) are gone. Those contemplating surgery can take some comfort in that a) the pain that requires percocet goes away after about three days. I noticed a profound improvement each consecutive day within the first couple of days. b) discomfort with throat swelling got manageable in under a week. For the record the throat is still slightly swollen but really does not affect my eating except that you need to wash down food more often. I never had to tip my neck to eat although at night I would wake up with a need to cough something up in my throat that probably did not exist. That ended within a week c) I slept as I normally do but with the collar d) I was walking outdoors about forty eight hours after surgery. d) I began to be selective when I wore the collar at my fourth week of recovery. e) I have no regrets about the surgery f) I have marginal diminished articulation of my neck. I estimate I probably have lost between 5-10% of my rotation in both planes but it has not compromised my daily activities.

I had a lot of anxiety going into the surgical procedure. I wanted to post this to give individuals some perspective on the operation. It is a well proven out surgical procedure with a very high probability of success. Good luck to all.

I had ACDF C4-5 five weeks ago and I'm doing great. I never took ANY pain meds. I am out of the collar and am working on getting the rotation back in my neck. What propted the surgery was a loss of function in my right leg. I'm happy to say that my leg is now back to normal. I'm sorry to hear that some of the posters have had bad experiences but I feel obligated to say that there are good experiences as well. I think the percentages of success are greater than are being represented here. If you are contemplating this surgery, I would suggest that you find a good surgeon and keep a positive attitude. Blogs are interesting but don't represent the true picture of success with this procedure.

I too had acdf c5-6.6-7. It has been a little over 3 weeks now. I am very happy with the results so far. Most of my pre-surgery symptoms have gone away. My doctor did explain that it may take 3-4 months for all the inflammation to go away. He did also say that sometimes it may take up to a year for things to be completely back to normal. I do worry about the fusing process. I have been up and about doing small things around the house and I hope I am not doing to much. I myself don't regret for a moment having this done. I know it can be really scary and the surgery has to be each individuals choice. I'm truly sorry for those that didn't have as good an outcome as I have had.

I am 9 weeks post of ACDF C5-6 and have to say that I am glad I had the surgery! I had severe pain in my neck and left arm, it was so bad that pain meds didn't work. After going thru the motions, Dr appts, MRI, Epi Inj (4) over several months, nothing relieved the pain so I decided to have the surgery. May 18, 2010 I was in the Hospital overnight and released. I had trouble swallowing even water! Pain was about an 8 on a 1 -10 scale. Pain meds and lots of rest , warm tea and applesauce really helped. About 10 days post op I could start on soft foods, I did alot of walking and took alot of naps. I wore my soft collar for about 3 wks, then gradually took it off. I was on pain meds for about 5-6 weeks and now just take Arthritis strength Tylanol occasionally if I overdo it. I have an issue sometimes with feeling like something is stuck in my throat...maybe scar tissue? But for the most part all of the symptoms are gone! I feel very lucky to have had such good results! I trusted my Doctor's and St Jude Hospital, they were the best!

I am almost 13 weeks post ACDF (triple) between C4, C5, C6 and C7. The discs were replaced with peak and a plate with 8 screws were attached. For the most part, I have recovered OK. I have a degenerative disc issue and had a major tingle in my left arm. After surgery, the tingle in my left arm immediately dissappeard. About 6 weeks post surgery and about one week after returing to work (desk job), a tingle appeared in my right forearm that propagates down to my finger tips and an almost burning sensation appeared in my right tricep. The PT's figure I have a muscle or muscles that are swollen and laying over a nerve pinching it off. I have a pain or a knot in two locations in my back on the right side. What the PT's are saying sounds logical, but I have my doubts. My neck seems to "click" more (tendons snapping around?) than before. Not sure what is happening and why I am always so stiff. Am I being impatient expecting better results after 12 weeks, does something sound wrong or is this just part of the overall healing process? Do I need to contact my NS about this?Just can't seem to shake the pains. I'm not taking any perscription meds, no Ibuprophen or Alieve, no nothing.

It has been a longtime battle for me. In August of 2008 I aquired Bells Palsy on the left side of my face. Then after a month of taking meds and doctor appts. I noticed that my left side was alot weaker than my right, this alarmed me, since I am left handed. I went to a DR. Appt. about this and my diagnosis was Neuropathy. So they prescribe some Gabapentin 300mg 4x a day. I took them religiously, but there was no improvement. I went to another Dr. Appt. and this time he sent me to the ER for an MRI. The hospital perfromed both a Cervical and Brain MRI. The Brain MRI showed a little spot, I believe it was on the right side. The Cervical MRI showed C4 & C5 pushing toward my spinal cord. I then had a visit by two different NS' one wanted to correct the problem the other said that the cervical issue wasn't serious enough to have the surgery and that I should be having issues on my right side and not the left, because he said the pressure was on my right side of my spinal cord...didn't know that we had a left side and right side, just thought it was one in the middle surrounded by fluid. So, I was discharged without the operation and started to see a Neurologist as well as getting other opinions for my cervical MRI. I went to 3 other NS' from Jan 09 to April of 2010. The first two agreed with my first prognosis that it wasn't severe enough for surgery but the fourth one told me that I needed a new MRI because he refused to use my MRI from '08 to give me a diagnosis. I got a new MRI and went to see him again, he showed me that my Cervical problem was escalating to now cover c3 thru c-6. He recommended surgery and had it done 5 weeks ago. I have the pain and the hard to swallow issues. I lay down alot and try to take the pressure off of my neck. I still take a number of nerve pain medications. I have had some improvement on my left side but it is still week and I am still wearing my neck brace. Although I was scared to do the surgery I did it, for one reason, if I didn't do it now, I may wake up one day and not move since the problem was getting worse.

After 22 yrs of back pain and neck pain (desk job) I had severe arm pain which came on suddenly. I had mri 7 weeks ago, saw NS and was in surgery next day, c4-5 and c5-6, that one was impinging on spine. After surgery arm pain was gone but only for few days, now back worse than ever, percocet, valium, soma, flector patches with little to no relief. Neck sore but not horrible, the arm pain, however, is excrutiating and I am not at all sure it had anything to do with the discs, they did two disctectomy's w/fusion...now some leg pain worse than usual, have had post surgery-worse now, do have herniated disc lower as well but last mri 2006 and they did not seem worried about that one...the entire event from start to now has been very stressful, which I am sure has not helped the healing process. When came out of operating room they gave me fentynyl, no relief, than diladid, no relief, than morphine, no relief and they said more morphine if I would agree to be placed on a breathing machine first...so I just dealt with the pain. I have never done well with pain meds or otc, they just do not seem to work. The flector patch helps a little. Sleeping is near impossible...once awake and up and dressed, showered I can function fairly well and the arm pain is not as bad as when laying down. My doc says I must sleep on my back which I have never done-I sleep on my tummy--I start out on my back, thinking this is what I am supposed to do but in a.m. I am on my stomach again, no matter how many pillows I place around me...due to go back to work the 16th and am so afraid...can type ok, can sit ok, trouble writing, bending head down, picking anything up, reaching is near impossible, especially reaching back. husband lost job 6/08 and we are rasising my three yr old grandchild so I have no choice but to go back to work--just have no idea how it is gonna work out....I also worry that since they replaced discs with bone donor discs, they may not fuse as they should---my doc, supposed best in the city--seems to me to have a bit of an ego problem but than I really only talked to him about 15 minutes total...I am not convinced he was even at my surgery, in fact another doc visiting and my primary doctor who is also a general surgeon seem to be the actual docs who did the surgery--allthree billed my insurance...the visiting doc checked me out the day after surgery. Was just told no Bending, lifting or twisting for 6 weeks until fusion...never saw the NS--who actually has part ownership of the surgery clinic...I am not convinced he was even there......hoping for the best and hoping the arm pain goes away and is not a separate issue. Going to see doc the 9th, if doesnt cancel appt., seems he is known to do that alot. Good Luck to all that are going thru this....hope things go better for you than they are for me at this time.

I had ACDF on C6-C7 30 days ago. I just woke up about 2:00am one morning and my chest, upper back and left arm and hand was numb and in a lot of pain, it even hurt when I sat up or stood up, I could only lie on my right side to relieve the pain. Surgery was definitely a must after getting the MRI results back. The first few days after surgery I was on pain meds and muscle relaxers so I didn't feel much pain but then I started taking less of the pain meds because they were making my head feel crazy and thats when I realized how much pain I had. I could barely move my head, it felt heavy and it felt like there was a small little ball in my throat- I could eat soup, ice cream, pudding, and yogurt for about a week. Everyday my neck felt better and better. I still had some pain and numbness in my left arm and back but the doctor said it was only residual pain and that in time my nerves would heal themselves, he said he decompressed the nerve but that it had kinda like memory so the pain which was a 10 initially was now only a 5. I started driving after 1 week but turned my whole body not just my neck to look for traffic in my blind spots. I never did wear a collar. I have to sleep on my back or one side but am not allowed to sleep on my stomach with my face turned to one side or the other. Initially I did sleep in the recliner. You can not watch TV with your neck bent in an "L" shape. I just got back from seeing my doctor and it's amazing how good I feel. In fact, my doctor told me that he wishes I would wear a collar to remind me to take it easy for a total of 4 months until the bones are totally fused, it's been only 1 month. I rode my motorcycle after 3 weeks but then at my 3 week follow up my doctor told me not to.....ooops, I stopped and have to wait 3 months to ride it again, I don't want to mess up my neck. I'm a pilot and I am planning on going flying in 2 days. I had a NS that came highly recommended and was rated a 4 or 5 star (I can't remember which). All of the residual pain that I had in my arm and back as well as the numbness is totally gone. I would totally recommend this NS and would definitely do it again if I had to. The scar on my neck is healing and looking really good. I've herad half good stories and half terrible ones but I wanted to post this to give hope to those who haven't done the surgery yet. PLEASE look for a highly recommended NS, check out his ratings and info about him before the surgery. It will make a difference between a successful and botched surgery. Also, I believe God is the one who is ultimately the one to thank for my success story!

I am a 50yr old female. It has been 5 weeks since my ACDF. I returned to work 2 weeks ago. I find that I am fatigued easily. The severe pain is gone but I still have alot of stiffness in my neck and I choke easily when eating or drinking.I only have moderate pain that worsens with alot of activity.I'm taking Ultram once or twice daily for the pain.I have stopped taking the Flexiril because it makes me so tired.The range of motion in my neck is noticably less than before my injury.....So much so that I am considering buying a car with the "blind spot" sensor.I'm wondering if it will improve with time.Should I ask my Ortho for physical therapy? Any advice on how to improve faster?

In reading the posts it seems that one, everyone will have a different experience and two, it makes a world of difference who your surgeon is. I am 2 weeks post op from a C6 & 7 cervical fusion and discectomy. I am going back to work this morning. I could feel the difference when I woke up in recovery. I had an appointment 10 days after my surgery and my doc told me to get back to work and save my vacation time. I am doing more at home than I would be doing at work. I felt amazing the whole time I was at home and had a very difficult time just sitting still.
I had to wear the brace the first 5 days most of the time except for showers and several breaks during the day. Now I only have to wear the brace to drive, fly on a plane or if I'm going to be in a crowd. Even though I was scared about all the posts regarding throat issues, I did not experience any pain in my throat and DID NOT have issues swallowing. Even though I was given pain medication and muscle relaxers I only took muscle relaxers 5 days after surgery because I was feeling a little uncomfortable around my upper back, I don't know if it was because of the actual surgery (stretching your spine to insert replacement disc)or wearing the brace too long but I called the doctors office and the nurse said that I should have been taking the muscle relaxers on a regular basis. I took the muscle relaxers for 4 days straight and then quit. I feel great now.
You should read all the posts so you are as informed as you can be. But know that not everyone will have the same experience and a good doctor makes the world of difference.

I had an ACDF at C5-6 and C6-7 on August 27th, 2010. I am doing quite well. I limp a lot...but I prefer my own stuff to anything which might come from someone else. I don't have any pain now in swallowing at 10 days post op.
I read these blogs. I am a nurse and a Christian. The first thing you must do is ask God for guidance. Then find someone with intimate knowledge of surgeons' skills and ask them who they would recommend. Find the top guy. Nothing less. In Thailand only orthopedic MDs do this surgery.
Then follow the doctor's orders explicitly.

I had a laminectomy in 1987 at L5-S1, did what the doctor said and I am doing fine. Oh yes, I am 59.

After too many years to count of pain and too many doctors to count suggesting surgery, I finally had an MRI done of my neck. My doctor, not a surgeon, basically told me he would no longer have me as a patient if I refused to even consider surgery. After my office visit, he said he didn't feel that surgery was my only option, but after the MRI, he said he was surprised I was still able to walk.

I have severe arthritis in addition to the neck problems. My type of arthritis tends to attack the neck area, so it wasn't completely a surprise to me. Surgeon said he would only do the surgery if I agreed to the recovery time...8 weeks.

See, I am going to Disney in 11 weeks with my kids and grand kids. I am a Disney freak! The thought of canceling this trip was too much for me to accept. We reached a compromise, so the surgery is on for one week from tomorrow.

I have been reading, researching and having second thoughts. Over all I am confident that this surgery is the right decision for me, but I am only too aware that the nerve damage is severe and it may be too late to regain all of it, but hopefully, this will prevent it from getting worse.

Because of my type of arthritis I am not a good candidate for autograft, which is fine with me! One less incision to worry about! Since the C4-5 disk is non existent, he said he will only have ot clean that area out, and remove the bone spurs from C5-6 as well as the disk. He said the spinal cord is extremly 'compromised' and warned me to take it easy until the surgery date. I got one of those warnings of "one false move and I could become paralyzed" type of warning. While I am not sure it is completely accurate, it was enough for me to know I should listen ...a least a bit!

I am a busy mom of 5 kids. The youngest is a special needs 8 year old. I am very worried about his inability to understand why mom will be out of commission. My greatest fear is he will get somehow lost in the shuffle of all my recovery time. Hubby and older kids are great. They are working out plans of who will do what and when. My DIL will come in every other day to clean my house for me, hubby will take over the driving of our son to his therapy and doctor appointments, and daughter is going to be here to help her younger brother and sister get ready for school each morning.

I am all set, only waiting on the insuracne company to pre-cert the surgery and give the go ahead. I'm sure that this time next week I will be a bit crazy, worrying about what I left undone, but overall I think I am ready.

This site has been wonderful. I like to hope for the best and plan for the worst. Having such a range of outcomes and enabled me to do just that. Thank you all so much for sharing your stories.


Nini Morris