Disc fusion How has it affected you? ON TOPIC

i have had it done. c4-c5. about 12 years ago. email me for further details after demunging email address. if you're looking for a referral, i can recommend a very good place to have it done. it's one of the few places in the country that people go when someone else screws up the first time.

regards, charlie cave creek, az

1. The pain went away. Immediately. I had slept in a chair for 6 months because of the pain when I was horizontal.
2. I haven't had more than a couple of headaches in the 12 years since having it done.
3. Because my bones weren't super strong and dense, I wore an "open" collar brace for a few weeks, and the doc recommended that I didn't drive during that time. No big deal.
4. The incision was from the front, they push everything out of the way so they can get at the area where the two vertebrae abut. I can't find the scar, nor could I a couple of months later.
5. I'm not aware of any restriction in my movements. If I adopt bad posture, I *can* put pressure on the adjoining two joints, and cause my fingers to tingle. So, I learn.

Rest easy, you'll be sooooo relieved afterwards.

Given the choice between a piece of your own hip bone, or something artificial or a piece of cow bone, (sorry, no risk of mad cow disease, no matter what my family might claim...)take an alternative, as those I know suffered a lot more pain and complications from the removal of the chunk of their own bone. (Hey, they insert it into a space between the two vertebrae, and the body thinks its' a broken bone, so it grous new bone around it - hence the fusion...).

Go for it! /mark

Or they can use cadaver bone, which is a little creepy.... I have re-built discs made from cadaver bone. I thusly sleep with the lights on, and am always listening for rattling chains. :)

That's pretty funny since I got a little "dead guy" installed on Monday. Seems to be working OK and the guy it came from didn't need it anymore. It's amazing what is harvested these days.

JC

You know there are pills you can take for the "little dead guy"... Just don't take too many....

I had C4,5 and 6 fused several years ago. Operation was a complete success as far as I am concerned. Had severe pain in right arm. The only problem during recovery period was the fact that inflation in the throat area stayed longer that was comfortable making it hard to swallow solid food. Everything was fine after a month or so. I did lose some mobility of my neck, though. Can no longer work overhead because I cannot bend my neck back like before . Only lost a slight amount of side to side movement. Arm pain had gotten to the point that I could not drive or work. All that's gone thank God. They used a titanium "8" plate in the front and cadaver bone on the sides. Shoot me an email if you want/need more info

I suffered from bulging disc at c3/c4 which was mis-diagnosed for about eight months as carpal tunnel. Had radicular hand pain and numbness in my arms that migrated all over the place. Working with hand tools was a bitch and sleeping was nearly impossible. Finally got an MRI done which showed the disc issues. Wasn't severe enough to warrant surgery (supposedly) and the meds were only OK. Finally I got hooked up with one of these -

cervical traction changed my life! (actually gave it back to me). I would strongly urge anyone considering surgery to try this first.

I learned as a young teenager that lower back pain could be alleviated by hanging from my knees on the clothesline pole for a few minutes every month or so. I'm soo old to do that now, but I do keep a chinning bar outside that I can hang from and stretch my back. Over 20 years or so it mostly corrected a severe scoliosis.

Have you tried Spinal Decompression Therapy?

I have been having severe problems with L3-L4, L4-L5 and L5-S1. SDT and physical therapy have provided terrific results. If you are not familiar with it, Google "DRX 9000" or "Spine Med". I have had the opportunity to try both machines, and the Spine Med was much nicer, requiring less tension.

You might want to try traction at home as well. I actually built a table and got a lot of relief at home as well.

I had C4,5 and 6 fused several years ago. Operation was a complete success as far as I am concerned. Had severe pain in right arm. The only problem during recovery period was the fact that inflation in the throat area stayed longer that was comfortable making it hard to swallow solid food. Everything was fine after a month or so. I did lose some mobility of my neck, though. Can no longer work overhead because I cannot bend my neck back like before . Only lost a slight amount of side to side movement. Arm pain had gotten to the point that I could not drive or work. All that's gone thank God. They used a titanium "8" plate in the front and cadaver bone on the sides. Shoot me an email if you want/need more info

Gerry it's good to know that I should be able to work just fine, since I am getting only 1 disc fused. I have terrible pain in my shoulder and it shoot down my arm and hurts so bad I can't work. It's funny in that I can pick up a 5 gallon bucket of water, but I can't push or pull anything. Also it hurts to drive with my left arm. They told me at work I couldn't come to back unless I had a doctor's excuse saying I could return to full duty. I have been off work since May 4th.

Richard W.

I have been rear ended 5 or 6 times in the last 35 years. I never could get any money from the insurance companies, because they would say it was preexisting. Even lawyers wouldn't take the case. The doctor's said I just had to live with the pain. It got better over time, but I knew it would catch up to me eventually. It just happened to be a bad time right after my wife's cancer. Which she is quite finished with the tests and treatments yet. It took about a week for the doctor's to figure out what was wrong. It's been over a month so far getting the insurance approval. I am expecting the authorization to come in by Wednesday.

Richard W.

I use a home built inversion table. Eliminated all of my back pain and even helped with the pain I have in my clutch side (left) hip. Does take a couple second of trust when you first go over the top....

That sounds like something I should build. Can you post a photo and some measurements someplace? Steve

Costco/Sam's club have these for $139 or so, proly much cheaper on Craig's or sumpn. I built my own also, but it required a person to pivot the table.

I think if you are going to go this route, $139 for a pretty well-made (read: SAFE, at least mechanically) is a no-brainer. You control the inversion angle by simply raising your arms. Really neat.

Watch the ICP, tho.

They are well worth the money, I bought one from Sam's. The problem I found was not only pain from the ankle cradles, but it's hard to say inverted long enough for good therapy. The DRX and Spine Med systems use 30 and 35 minute cycle times, and you can't stay inverted more than 5 minutes or so.

I built a traction table that allowed me to remain horizontal, and the comfort and treatment time was well worth the effort. Just don't use more than about 50 pounds of traction.

Even 5 minutes is a challenge! I suppose the body can adapt over time, but I f'sure didn't.

In the ditty I have, the ankle part is actually quite good, as far as the ankles go. BUT, it's difficult for the user to tighten, so even here, a second person comes in handy.

And, man, that ICP.... I feel like my head/face will explode.

Horizontal traction is the best, no doubt, but tricky, no?

Are able to use it by yourself, or do you need a second person?

I would also be innerested in seeing how you did it, or some further description.

Never had those problems with mine. I can stay on it for 30 minutes easily. I used the teeter machine as a starting point. But I used square tube for the A frame. The table I made from a heavy duty backboard. I have an assist lever for tilting and return. PLUS I installed a cable emergency release on the ankles If I have to bail, I can pull the cable and it releases the ankle cradle.

First, if you want to go to a chiropractor, get a go-ahead from a real doctor. That will include an MRI.

I had some paralysis in my left arm and had experienced a constant headache for 6 months.

MRI showed a broken vertebra and bone spurs inside the spinal column crowding the spinal cord. Also, some type of growth, originally thought to be a cyst. So, some yanking and cranking by a chiropractor could have resulted in paralysis.

My little one hour procedure by a neuro surgeon ended up being a 7 hour marathon with extra surgeons being called in.

Growth turned out to be a tumor pressing on the carotid artery. Removed three discs and reamed out the spinal canal, installed a titanium plate with screws and ground up cadaver bone. Wore a magnetic bone growth stimulator collar 4 hours a day for 6 months.

Pros: full use of my arm, no more headaches.

Cons: restricted movement side to side (45 degrees total, some trouble driving like checking traffic at intersections), almost no vertical motion (sitting in a recliner, I'm looking at the ceiling. trying to force it down results in cutting off my air)

Probably the worst is the lack of cushioning in my neck. Riding in a golf car (or motorcycle) is near impossible. You do not want to bump your head.

With all that, I would do it again. It is great to be free of the pain and a relief to know that unknown ax is no longer hanging over me.

It started out as a tight muscle between my shoulder blades, but more to the left side. Since I have seen chiropractors for about 30 years. That was where I went first. One adjustment and I was in more pain when I left than when I came in. 2 more visit's for therapy and massage. Felt good for about

3 hours and then the pain was back worse than before. That was when I went to my doctor. He said it was out of his area. He sent me to a sports injury doctor. He ordered x-ray and didn't see anything. Then ordered an MRI. Once he had seen the MRI, he said I was out of his specialty and sent me to a brain and spine doctor. That's where I am at now. The replacement disc that I wanted would have left me with as good or better neck movement and I could have returned to work in a week or two. My insurance called the disc replacement "experimental" and denied the procedure. Even though it's been done successfully for 16 Years. They will pay for fusing which would cause the loss of movement. How much I don't know, but I am worried that I won't be able to do my job.

Richard W.