pain after ACDF
 

i am having pain in my neck thru my right shoulder down my arm and tingling in little and ring finger. and around my right elbow and the bone is very painful. all this 4 months after cervical fusion

pain
 

I had a 3 level acdf done 12-04 and in 2005 had to have a c5-6 laminectomy. Go figure. It was the same area that I just had the fusion. Still have back of the neck pain while on the compt. Good luck, Tgent:cool:

thanks tommyd. i thinks this surgery is good and helps. but at the same time there seems to other problems that comes on. i am getting frustrated with drs. now my pcp is sending me to yet another dr on monday. i think i am just going to go back towork and live with the pain as much as possible. the vicodin helps some and i hope that at least this dr can give some meds to help when i move.

lolo,

I had my C5/6/7 ACDF back in June '06 and I too am still experiencing the same pre-op pains. I'm all too familiar with the pains you are having and was sent for another EMG/NCS and it showed bi-lateral carpal tunnel and bilateral ulnar nerve problems. The symptoms you are describing sound like they are being caused by your ulnar nerve which would go along with the pain in the ring and pinky fingers. You may want to request an EMG/NCS to see if the nerves are being compressed somewhere and causing these pains.

My EMG/NCS showed global sensory slowing in the upper extremities and motor conduction latency greater than 10ms in the ulnar nerve. I was sent to a hand/upper extremity surgeon for a consult by my OS, who agreed that I have moderate carpal tunnel bilaterally, but he felt the ulnar nerve problems were neuropathic and possibly coming from my neck and shoulder areas so he sent me to see a neurologist. The neurologist did a brief exam and then ordered a blood test. The blood test came back normal and the neuro called and said he had nothing else to offer me & didn't know what to tell me. So now I've got to go back to my spinal OS and see what the next step is. Not having answers is so frustrating, but hang in there and demand answers. We need to be pro-active in our health care since we are the ones living with this pain daily.

Best wishes,

Kim

thanks kim, you are so right. it is very frustrating to be in so much pain and the drs act as if we are the problem. i go to ortho surgeon tomorrow and see what he can do. this wil be the second one since the surgery. any kind of movement or lifting causes me extreme pain i will let you know what the dr says.

lolo,

Well?...What did the doctor say?

I'm thinking that they are going to say it has something to do with the ulnar nerve since you are having pain by the elbow, or the C8/T1 perhaps???

Best wishes,

Kim

hi kim, the dr said it was tendernitis in my elbow, but i need to tell the neuro about the pain in neck. he wants me to do therapy 3 times a week for 4 weeks and then come back to see him. hopefully that will take care of that. i am going to the neuro on monday and i will tell him and also that i need to go back to work. i don't know how i got it just sitting around since i had the fusion unless it is from being on this computer a nd i do that everyday all day. i will let you know

you know kim, the first ortho said i had the ulnar nerve problem and the carpal tunnel. but this on says soterdernitis. so go figure lol. so we will see what happens. i had carpal tunnel surgery on both wrists in2004. do carpal tunnel come back. thanks

lolo,

I have a good friend who had carpal tunnel surgery years ago and yes, she has been told that hers has come back. So, I would guess that you can get it again even after having had the CT release surgery.

lolo, I'm curious to know where your elbow pain is....is it in the elbow or is it just above the elbow in the back of the arm?

I was over a year before pain let up for me after ACDF. I still feel weird on the left side of the neck over 2 years later! I don't think I'll ever be right. In fact, the doctor told me, "I'm gonna have to hurt you to save you." I don't know if that goes for everyone but in my case the damage and compression was so severe he reemed me out like Roto Rooter on a drain pipe.