Thread: C5 Palsy
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Old 06-17-2017, 05:14 PM
maribren maribren is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2017
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5 yr Member
maribren maribren is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2017
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5 yr Member
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jastek View Post
Well, today is the 1 year anniversary of my surgery. The surgery that changed my life completely (for the worse). All along I have been told that recovery will take 1 year and after that, I will have very little (if any) improvement. It looks like that is going to be true (maybe not, but probably so).

At this point, my left arm is at about 90% of what it was before surgery and I have full range of motion. Strength is not 100% but for the most part I can't tell any difference unless I am lifting weights.

My right arm, however, is a different story. I almost have full range of motion, but strength is almost non-existent. I can only curl about 3 pounds and I can only lift about 2 pounds straight out in front of my chest.

The muscles in my shoulder have bulked up to the point where the bones are no longer visible, but my right bicep muscle is still so small that you cannot see any bulk at all.

From a pain standpoint, there has been no change at all. I still have the same pain levels now that I had right after surgery. I am taking Gabapentin 3 times a day just to make the pain bearable. My doctors say that this is not usual. Usually the pain stops as the nerves grow back.

My doctors are still saying that, in addition to the C5 palsy, I also have a spinal cord injury (central cord syndrome). During the surgery, the nerve roots got stretched, but the spinal cord also got injured. The central cord syndrome is probably why the pain has not gone away and why my right arm has not recovered as well as the left. One of the doctors told me that if I didn't have the cord injury, I would have had complete recovery in both arms by now.

So, as for my C5 Palsy, it looks like this is the end of my story. It looks like my recovery may have maxed out. For my spinal cord injury, I am told that small improvements can happen as far out as 10 years. Let's hope that is the case and I still get some strength back, or at least see less pain.

For those of you reading this because you have C5 Palsy, I can tell you that full recovery IS possible if you work at it. Do not expect full recovery if you just sit around. Your occupational/physical therapist will give you exercises to do. DO THEM 3 TIMES A DAY EVERY DAY!!!!! You will get out of it what you put into it. Also, ask your doctor to give you a prescription for an FES or electronic nerve stimulator. Do this right away. The sooner you start using it, the better. Use it 3 times a day and preferably while you are doing your exercises. This stimulator not only helps the nerves grow back, but it also helps to prevent the muscles from atrophying (withering away).

This is YOUR recovery, so you need to make it all happen. Your doctor and therapist probably have very little experience , if any, with C5 Palsy, so do your homework and don't let anyone tell you that recovery is not possible. It takes time (1 year or more in some cases). Don't get discouraged and keep fighting it. If you have questions, I am happy to help if I can (just PM me).

If I see any further improvements, or if I run across any info that is relevant, I will still keep this thread going. If you have C5 Palsy, post your experience on this thread. Make this a place where others can benefit from our experiences. C5 Palsy is a horrible thing to go through and information is hard to find.
How are you now? Have you continued to improve? I'm 13 weeks out from 3-level ACDF with bi-lateral C-5 palsy (right arm is the worst one) and little to no improvement despite my best efforts...my surgeon is saying that if there is no significant progress at my 6 month check-up he will link me with a nerve grafting surgeon at Mayo Clinic to get on the specialist's schedule for surgery. Luckily I can work from home and my husband has been willing to take on all I can't do-which includes driving and anything requiring lifting even the lightest weight. This is getting old fast and I'm actually getting a little scared it will never improve.
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