Originally Posted by Tenderfoot

I asked about this at my appt today & the nurse specialist understood exactly where you were coming from.

She explained, as has been a subject of debate on a different thread I started regarding collars, that:

1) it's often down to surgeon preference
2) If physio/ activity is started many weeks following surgery, neck stiffness / weakness often delays recovery
3) Insufficient evidence available to support the benefit in delaying physio & consistently wearing a collar.

I also asked about vacuuming, mopping etc & was told I CAN do those jobs AS LONG AS I DO IT IN SHORT BURSTS. She emphasised that I should be as active as I felt comfortable. The main issue I MUST be careful with is NO heavy lifting, raking or digging, YET.

I have carbon cages with a boney mixture (DBM) plus some of my non-diseased bone in the mix. Fusion of my 3 vertebrae should be more or less completed from 3-6 months! I saw the xray & the gaps where the discs have gone are very evident as were the cages, but you couldn't see what they looked like.

As a matter of interest, on the way home my DH informed me that the rear suspension springs on Fairway cabs are also made from carbon fibre!

Tender x