spinal nerve damage
 

I had a cervical laminectomy last Sept. (09). Allthough I am a lot better now than I was, I still have some problems from nerve damage. My hands are numb and I have very little motor skills with them. Also I cant walk very well or very far because my legs are so weak. I have been searching on line to no avail. Im wondering if anyone can give me any hope or advice of getting any better or is this what I have to learn to live with.

Jim - I can't speak for your situation or what you had done but I do know it takes awhile for nerves to heal/regrow. They need to reestablish connections. I had surgery to relieve a nerve compression on the nerves affecting my right arm. Prior to surgery, I had lost the use of the hand (visible atrophy set in along with other symptoms) and couldn't use the arm for anything. It took about a year for me to regain use of the hand but longer than that before all symptoms disappeared.

What have the doctor(s) said regarding your long-term prognosis?

Have you tried acupuncture? I have a problem at C5/C6 that will need surgery soon. It flares occassionally and causes my thumbs to go numb along with other symptoms. I stumbled on my currect acupuncturist after my thumb had been numb for almost two months. He reversed it with a couple of sessions.

I'm sorry to hear that jim, do u suffer from cervical myelopathy with stenosis? Its amazing how much can be affected cuz of issues in the neck. Its been 7 months so far since ur surgery. Nerve reguvenation is slow and can take 18-24 months to fully heal to maximum capacity that it will ever be. Have u seen ur dr to determine if more may be goin on in ur neck since ur surgery? I wish u the best!!

Jim,
Sheri and Squirtasiou gave some excellent advice.
I had ACDF c5c6 just on 1 yr ago and like you suffer from weakness in the legs (myelopathy) and upper body motor neuron symptoms all of which I was hoping would be gone by now.
I've noticed very small improvements and continue to do so. Hopefully it'll be the same for you. I like to think of it as baby steps but stay positive that there's room for improvement.

Hi Jim ~ My surgeon told me that nerves grow back at the rate of 1" per month. So it does take them awhile to regenerate. It's only been about 7 months since your surgery, so depending on how much damage was done, you could have a while to go. How long has it been since you've seen your surgeon?
If you haven't been back, or if your GP is taking over, you might ask him for a nerve conduction test to see how the nerves are working. That test isn't always a very accurate one, but it might tell you something. It's worth trying.

After that, just try to be patient. That's hard, I know. I wish you the very best. God bless and take care. Peace, Lee

Hey, Jim. I show up as a junior member, but I was on this forum back in '98 before cervie surgery. (I'm now into the new peripheral neuropathy saga). Just a word of hope - I had my cervical surgery because I was in intractable pain - had it done in 1999.

I have to say recovery was slow, pain wise, and up until 2007 I was still having injections into the neck, but they became fewer and further between, until now, I have gone 2 years without one.

I know you are talking about function, but I am adding my two pennies here to tell you, yes, I believe the nerves can regenerate and your body can heal over time - it is not necessarily a long, downward spiral.

Best of Luck