C5-6/C6-7 Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion

This medical animation demonstrates an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion. See more of High Impact's animations at highimpact.com or call us at 800-749-2184.

[@valerieschiano2959]

Whoa. How much can one bend their neck forward after that?

[@OceanSwimmer]

A person can bend their head forward enough to do any physical work they desire.
Physical Therapy before & after is very important. Yoga is also helpful.
I had this done in 2018.
It's now December of 2024.

[@valerieschiano2959]

@@OceanSwimmer That’s great! Glad to hear that you’ve had success. I’m hoping to have a decent range of motion for dancing and playing musical instruments. Thanks for your reply.

[@ericbauwens1642]

How long did you have to stay in hospital and how was the level of pain after the surgery?

[@valerieschiano2959]

@@ericbauwens1642 for me, just an overnighter in the hospital. I was surprised at the location of post-op pain - significant swelling in my throat, as opposed to my neck. It was very painful to swallow for several days. Sleeping the first week was weird. I was given both a hard collar and a soft collar, neither of which fit particularly well. At the one week mark, I had a reaction to the surgical glue used to cover the skin incision on my neck - very uncomfortable. I was told to use anti-inflammatory creams, which didn’t help much. 🙄
For several days, I had nerve twitches in my left thumb, which, while freaky, was apparently a good thing - a sign that nerves were reawakening, not injured. I have had two prior carpal tunnel releases in my left hand (one in my right) and, post-op, I had tingling down my left fingers. Very upsetting, since I hadn’t been bothered with those sensations for years. Mostly all faded now, but took time.
Also surprising was how little the actual neck hurt. Mostly just super stiff. It was all the other stuff which was problematic. 😅 I’m two months post-op, now, and have been cleared to resume driving and workouts. Will start PT in another week or so.

[@ericbauwens1642]

Ok, thanks for sharing.