I have been diagnosed with a severe herniated disc at the C6 C7 level. I had a MRI and have met with a Othopedic Spinal Surgeon who wants to do a disectomy and fusion. I do Xterra Triathlons and am hesitant to rush into surgery since this is usually a last resort. I ask for anyone who has done the surgery for their results and opinions on how it went and also if they have gone another route first exhausting all efforts before doing the surgery. I met with a Chiropractor yesterday who wants to try all avenues and do EMG tests and also trigger manipulations along with accupuncture.
I feel i should try all avenues before i do the last resort of surgery. The internet tells me different time to healing and getting back to racing and not sure where the truth is , except to hear it from the people who have had one type of healing done through surgery or well care.
I live on long island NY and would welcome referrals to doctors of one kind or another to discuss my current situation.
The last issue is the surgeon tells me i can go back to racing and not worry and the chiro tells me that i will never be the same in racing with one treatment or another not matter what i do and that i have to come to the realiztion that my racing days of being a top age group competitor days are over.
I also have a lower back issue that started last year. I have had 2 shots to deal with the pain. The comment from your chiro is what I am assuming for myself. One cannot do a sport at the top forever. Yes, a few are lucky, but most of us will get hurt. So, I assume my days as a top AGer are over, and thats fine since the ride was fun. I am more interested in the ability to walk normal today and into the future. I will just put my focus on other things like being a grandfather in 6 months. Life changes and how one deals with it shows ones true character.
Good luck. Put racing at the bottom of your list for now, IMO.
I had a similar, but different situation. I will share and see if it helps you at all. I had/have Cervical spinal stenosis in the C6,C7. My symptoms were severe upper back cramping and pain, tingling and numbness in the outer pinky and ring finger. Chiropractor did NOTHING good for me.
I found a good spinal orthopedist/surgeon. I had an epidural which REALLY helped. Doc said hecould do surgery or we could see what happened. 6 weeks later I had a second epidural. I chose not to have the surgery. I did 6 weeks of PT which I thought did very little. My EMG showed that I had carpal tunnel in both hands???(not a neck issue) but had no other syptoms of it. A hand specialist said he could do surgery if it got worse- I had no complaints about carpal tunnel?
I had about 4 months with little to no training. Started back swimming with a snorkel to reduce neck rotation (May have been a good idea). I still do my WU and CD with snorkel.
I still have some tingling and weakness in that hand, but am swimming with little weakness. I did 3 Oly’s last year andthis year am lined up for 2 IM and a 1/2 next months.
My symptoms started Oct of 08 and I was much better by March 09. Not bad if getting in to see a good Dr. is as difficult as mine was.
In hindsight, I think the surgery would have given me full use of hand, but I hated the idea of surgery at the time. With spinal cord stuff, putting it off is usually not a good idea as nerves do not repair easily if ever once damaged for long periods. I know that was a big generalization.
Hope this helps some.
Investigate in your area if there is anybody offering “spinal decomprression therapy”. It’s a bit of a buzz phrase at the moment and in reality is a more sophisticated form of traction. It is used for bulged or herniated discs and I know that some people have had good success with it. You may be able to find it with a chiro, PT or medical rehab clinic. PM if you want and I’ll try and find you some more info.
I would definately try to avoid going under the knife except as an absolute last resort. I’ve seen people under go neck surgery and come out much the worse afterwards.
I am actually starting that tomorrow, the chiro i mentioned does that, so i felt that before i do the surgery i should exhaust all avenues first, including a pain management person.
It is at the bottom, but if you are competitive than that does not follow you in just racing but in life. Settleing for not racing does not even cross my mind.
How old are you? I am 53, competitive, but wiser. I used to try and flip my air chair behind my ski boat. I ended up messing up my neck, and gave myself a sports hernia. Yep, I quit trying and went on to something else.
One can be competitive without totally destroying ones body.
I have been diagnosed with a severe herniated disc at the C6 C7 level. I had a MRI and have met with a Othopedic Spinal Surgeon who wants to do a disectomy and fusion. I do Xterra Triathlons and am hesitant to rush into surgery since this is usually a last resort. I ask for anyone who has done the surgery for their results and opinions on how it went and also if they have gone another route first exhausting all efforts before doing the surgery. I met with a Chiropractor yesterday who wants to try all avenues and do EMG tests and also trigger manipulations along with accupuncture.
I feel i should try all avenues before i do the last resort of surgery. The internet tells me different time to healing and getting back to racing and not sure where the truth is , except to hear it from the people who have had one type of healing done through surgery or well care.
I live on long island NY and would welcome referrals to doctors of one kind or another to discuss my current situation.
The last issue is the surgeon tells me i can go back to racing and not worry and the chiro tells me that i will never be the same in racing with one treatment or another not matter what i do and that i have to come to the realiztion that my racing days of being a top age group competitor days are over.
Thanks
John
Epidural may work for you–obviously it varies from person to person. I have disc degeneration c5-c7. I tried epidural and only found little relief. I had seen an ortho surgeon who told me he could do the standard discectomy and fusion or he could replace the defective discs with artificial discs… I was trying to get my insurance to cover a cervical disc replacement procedure but the technology is too new for their liking (although it’s approved for lumbar–go figure). Not wanting a fusion, I finally saw a neurosurgeon who offered a third option that I took–laminotomy (there’s also another procedure called a laminectomy). He essentially went in and honed out the bone spurs and vertebrae to free up the nerves that were being pinched. I was home the next day. I took a week to rest at home, only wore soft collar. I’m very happy with the results. Feel free to pm me with any questions.
Thanks rick for a response i was looking for, a person who has a similar problem and trying to fix it. I am going to do the EMG test which would probably lead me to the path that you took. I also came across that website for Prestige in white plains NY who does that insert you mentioned. Just curious are you in NY ?
Did you first consider the surgery ? and then try any aternative method ?
I am on my second dose of steroids which seem to be helping. How long did you take before you did the procedure and did you have the stabbing pain in the arm and numbing in the fingers ?
Did you continue to swim.bike or run ?
After the surgery you did, when did you return to any of the above, and how long ago did you do this ?
Thanks rick for a response i was looking for, a person who has a similar problem and trying to fix it. I am going to do the EMG test which would probably lead me to the path that you took. I also came across that website for Prestige in white plains NY who does that insert you mentioned. Just curious are you in NY ?
Did you first consider the surgery ? and then try any aternative method ?
I am on my second dose of steroids which seem to be helping. How long did you take before you did the procedure and did you have the stabbing pain in the arm and numbing in the fingers ?
Did you continue to swim.bike or run ?
After the surgery you did, when did you return to any of the above, and how long ago did you do this ?
Thanks for your input
Sorry to say I’m not in NY–rather Michigan. I did have the telltale stabbing pain in the arm/shoulder/neck and numb fingers for about a 18 months. I tried the alternatives first–PT, traction, and epidurals (didn’t try acupuncture though). I laid off the swimming and biking for the majority of the time leading up to the surgery–running didn’t bother me oddly enough. I had the surgery in October 2009 and started easing back into it around the end of November. I’m at about 85-90 percent (just a touch sore from the muscle and tissue manipulation). The nerve pain and numbness is completely gone. The surgeon said this should give me between 5 and 10 years of relief at which point we’d probably talk about a fusion (or other procedure depending on tech advancements). I had the EMG test as well–be prepared, it is a bit uncomfortable
I’m glad the steroids are helping! Don’t hesitate if you have any more questions.
I have been diagnosed with a severe herniated disc at the C6 C7 level. I had a MRI and have met with a Othopedic Spinal Surgeon who wants to do a disectomy and fusion. I do Xterra Triathlons and am hesitant to rush into surgery since this is usually a last resort. I ask for anyone who has done the surgery for their results and opinions on how it went and also if they have gone another route first exhausting all efforts before doing the surgery. I met with a Chiropractor yesterday who wants to try all avenues and do EMG tests and also trigger manipulations along with accupuncture.
I feel i should try all avenues before i do the last resort of surgery. The internet tells me different time to healing and getting back to racing and not sure where the truth is , except to hear it from the people who have had one type of healing done through surgery or well care.
I live on long island NY and would welcome referrals to doctors of one kind or another to discuss my current situation.
The last issue is the surgeon tells me i can go back to racing and not worry and the chiro tells me that i will never be the same in racing with one treatment or another not matter what i do and that i have to come to the realiztion that my racing days of being a top age group competitor days are over.
Thanks
John
If you are interested in talking it over… Email me privately at krieff@gmail.com.
I am a neurosurgeon in Long Island, NY. I know all about disc herniations!!
I had a severly herniated c6-c7. Right arm went almost complete numb and had atrophy of right pec muscle. I had fusion and felt almost immediate relief. I can do all the things but stare up for long periods of time. I don’t notice it at all. I tried all the non-surgical approaches and nothing even came close. I have also had L4-L5 discectomy. Both presented the same. Numbness and pain. I felt each time surgery was the only answer. There are some cases where the disc does go back with Physical Therapy, but usually the pain isn’t too severe. Mine was no sleep for two weeks and being hospitolized on pain killers while docs figured out what was going on.
My advice…go to the best college/orthopedics/neurosurgeon you can find. I did mine at Loyola here in Chicago. Woke up from surgery and new instantly both times i was better. Good luck!
Curious as to how you are progressing. I have the same Dx, same location. Significant weakness and pain in my dominant arm, which is causing the surgeon to want to proceed with disectomy and fusion in order to reduce pressure on the nerve. Getting all sorts of mixed messages from various factions about waiting, not waiting, time it takes to recover, etc. I worry about permanent damage to the nerve. I also worry about never being able to compete again. The surgeon makes it sound almost like ambulatory surgery but I cannot get specifics on what rehab really looks like.
I had C5/C6 fused 11/5/2007. I was walking a mile by 12/1, and was running again (though slowly) on 12/27/2007. I tried chiro, accupuncture, witch doctor, vodoo, human sacrifice, and intergallactic alien medicine, and the fix was surgery - fusion. It worked and immediatly solved my issues. If I had to do it all over again, knowing what I now know, I would have had it taken care of months before.
I have had the same as you. The doctors all say that this is a simple operation and it may be done on the same day and go home. I have been told that i can be riding again in a week on the trainer and running in a 6 week period and if all goes well racing in june. After talking to alot of people in different fields , i have come to the conclusion that if you want to race and enjoy what you were doing before then the surgery is the only solution. Have done the chiro and trigger point therapy and this is all about making money for someone else. It may make you feel better but depending on the severity of the herniation it will not cure it. The reabsorption of the disc will not completely happen. Good Luck I am going to get my surgery scheduled this week
I agree with you on all of your comments, did you have yours done by a neurosurgeron and was it done anterior ? Have been told these two are the way to go.
I agree with you on all of your comments, did you have yours done by a neurosurgeron and was it done anterior ? Have been told these two are the way to go.
Mine was done by a brillant neurosurgeon in Indianapolis who has lots of pro athletes/football players in his portfolio. If you would like his information, let me know. They went through the front, and I had a very sore throat for about a week.
I used to think my days were over too. I did all the “right” non-surgical stuff, epidural shots, traction, PT, prednisone, no workign out at all, blah blah blah. Then I had a micro-discectomy on L5-S1 after 2 herniations in 7 months. Woke up from surgery pain free for the first time in over 14 months. It was a long and slow comeback.
2 years later, last Nov., I made the podium at IMAZ in a huge PR. I’m 45. With a good surgeon, a careful and slow return, you can get back. I am living proof.
What does 2 herniations in 7 months mean? I have a bulging disc issue at L5-S1 also. Have had 2 shots to stop the pain. Pretty sure both times it acted up was after a fall on my back. Been about 4 months since the last shot and so far, my jack hammering and dirt digging have not caused the pain to come back. But, never really fully understood the root cause, so am concerned it will come back.
