Crashed mountain bike five weeks ago - fractured c5,c6,c7. Been in rigid collar ever since, hoping to heal wo fusion. I’ve been pain free since the first week, but my left arm - specifically tricep is weak - probably about 50% strength. Doc visit yesterday- said I can either go for surgery now or wait it out and see if the nerve releases and strength returns on its own. Anyone had any experience with this? Would love any input. Don’t want surgery if it’s not needed, but I don’t want to waste time waiting and end up needing the surgery anyway. Thanks!
Remember: the longer the nerve is under compression, its chances of reversing your symptoms decrease. You should consult a neurologist/specialist and not your doctor imho.
Yes, thanks. I’ve been to two orthopedic surgeons and one neurosurgeon. I seem to be in the “grey area” for some reason.
Crashed mountain bike five weeks ago - fractured c5,c6,c7. Been in rigid collar ever since, hoping to heal wo fusion. I’ve been pain free since the first week, but my left arm - specifically tricep is weak - probably about 50% strength. Doc visit yesterday- said I can either go for surgery now or wait it out and see if the nerve releases and strength returns on its own. Anyone had any experience with this? Would love any input. Don’t want surgery if it’s not needed, but I don’t want to waste time waiting and end up needing the surgery anyway. Thanks!
Every situation is different. I had profound left upper body muscle weakness from a couple of herniated cervical disks. I could not do 1 pushup. It took almost a year for the nerves to come back but they did. I still have some weakness but it is workable. I am not going to set any bench press records but I can manage 200 pounds or so despite the weakness. It does not limit me except for maximal strength. Surfing, swimming, paddleboarding…no problem. Sometimes it takes a while. But as others have said, you never know. My surgeon told me that if I could live with what I had at the time, that I should not get surgery. Turned out to be a good choice so far.
Agree with kornfake. Have you had an EMG/NCS test? That could help tell you how severe the nerve damage is, if there is irreversible nerve damage, and if there are signs or nerve regeneration.
Thanks for that feedback. Good to hear about your progress… I think I’m in a similar situation. Being in a neck brace 24/7 is wearing down my patience but I should probably hang with it a bit longer.
Thanks for suggesting that - so far it hasn’t been suggested. Will talk to doc about it.
I fractured left transverse processes of c7 and t1 2.5 years ago.
Since, my left arm and in particualr my left hand grip has never FELT as strong as it used to be (I’m left handed so notice it).
Yet when I lift weights or measure grip strenth with one of those spring squeezy thingies it is at least as strong as my right hand.
The left supraspinatus muscle rapidly reduced in size and has never looked the same since.
In rerospect I wish I had sought more immediate expert advice from a doc/surgeon specialising in sports.
So my advice to you is get the best advice you can asap.
I was scheduled to have c4-5-6 fused. I walked every day(1.5 miles) for 4 months prior and the c4-5 disc retracted enough(MRI) that I just had c5-6 fused. I have done an IM since. Walking may be something to look into if you can.
Hang on…what kind of fracture do you have? If it is a spinous process or transverse process fracture then it is not causing your weakness. You’ve probably herniated a disc at some point and your crash just made it symptomatic. If it is a disc that is causing the weakness my advice is to do something; epidural steroid injection, physical therapy, or surgery.
Crashed mountain bike five weeks ago - fractured c5,c6,c7. Been in rigid collar ever since, hoping to heal wo fusion. I’ve been pain free since the first week, but my left arm - specifically tricep is weak - probably about 50% strength. Doc visit yesterday- said I can either go for surgery now or wait it out and see if the nerve releases and strength returns on its own. Anyone had any experience with this? Would love any input. Don’t want surgery if it’s not needed, but I don’t want to waste time waiting and end up needing the surgery anyway. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing that… I’ve been walking about the same distance regularly. Hopefully it will help me as well!
Yes I definitely have trauma induced disc hermiation which is probably what is causing the weakness. At this point the choice is either to wait until the vertabrae heal and then do physical therapy or have the fusion. I’m curious to hear of people in this kind of situation who have had their nerves free up apart from surgery.
Yes I definitely have trauma induced disc hermiation which is probably what is causing the weakness. At this point the choice is either to wait until the vertabrae heal and then do physical therapy or have the fusion. I’m curious to hear of people in this kind of situation who have had their nerves free up apart from surgery.Cervical traction therapy might help (a good chiropractor/phys.ther can do this), but broken vertebraes complicates it. Keep track of any new symptoms or aggravation of them! I would try to avoid fusion at (almost) all cost.
Regards, a chiropractor.
Thanks. Been going to my chiro almost every day since the accident. He, like you says to avoid the fusion if at all possible. However, it seems like everyone who has had it does not regret it. I’m wondering if it’s just better to go do the surgery and be done with it, instead of dealing w possible ongoing aggravations in the future.
Everyone is different. With that said, I had an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with donor bone, a plate and screws in early Feb 2014. I basically had a chronic disc protrusion that was worsening with training. I did not have a traumatic injury or broken bones. Had right-sided neck pain, right shoulder pain and headaches. Mine was a pain issue, not so much loss of function. I was told that surgery would give me a huge improvement to the point of being nearly 100%. Even a chiropractor friend said I should have the fusion, so I could keep being active (just turned 49.) My recovery has been fast. After the early Feb surgery I decided to get right back into training. I was walking on the treadmill easy the next day. By my two week post-op appt I’d already jogged 10 miles, biked on the trainer for three hours, and was training twice a day. I started swimming at two weeks. Since then I’ve done 11 rides from 4.5 to 6 hrs and probably as many 15+ mile runs (two 20 milers recently.) I realize that there can be an increased risk of adjacent disc disease after a fusion, but I’m glad I had the surgery. I’ll be doing a half Ironman next weekend and a full IM at the end of June. Yes, my surgeon is aware of my activities. I’ve seen a lot of people who’ve had neck and back surgery over the last twenty years and how well they do post-surgery often (not always) seems related to their level of motivation to get better. Good luck with whatever you decide.
Thanks for sharing. In many ways surgery seems the fastest track back to a normal life. That’s why when it comes to surgery , the question seems to be “why not?” Glad to hear it’s worked out for you!
Wow… impressed! I had ACDF as well. But I wasn’t given the green light on all activity till almost 7 months post op(due to 2 other other herniated discs). Completed a half ironman at 9 months post op. But I did start doing 1 milers of lap swimming at 2 weeks post-op when the super glue came off. It is management of those discs for life. Don’t ever get into a sedentary life, ie: after having kids. That’s when my discs went to hell. Didn’t make that same mistake twice when my second one was born. I have completed a full IM. But I hope to sneak in a couple more full ones before I need another fusion for those other discs.
Glad to read about triathletes with broken necks and success stories. Saturday I was on a charity ride and ended up fracturing C6/C7. Neck brace for now as everything looks lined up good. No idea what happened. Scary shit. Don’t know if I will ever strap on a helmet again but great to hear folks that have.
So sorry to hear that. I just finished up my 12 weeks in the rigid brace (the brace inflicted much worse pain than the fractures). I was able to avoid surgery, thank God, and I’ve been able to get out for a few runs and rides the past 2 weeks. Not setting any PR’s any time soon, but it’s good to be out and active. The neck is stiff but healing up good. Let me know if there’s any counsel I can help with as you journey through this.
Yeah my shoulder hurts more than my neck. Good chunck of road rash (so I have been told) and I would suspect some ligament or tendon damage but that is for another day. The Miami J brace I have is horrible to sleep in. The cool thing is my daughter thinks I look like a storm trooper! Haha
Did you lose memory? I have only remembered two things about the entire day before waking up in ER. For about 15 hours Saturday I had no short term memory. They had to tell me every 30 minutes to stay still because I broke my neck.
No idea what happened and so far no one has come forward to say they saw anything. Nothing I can tell on the bike. Both tires fully inflated. No damage other than some minor scrapes on the horns and one pedal.