I am doing aqua therapy for my lumbar ....but my PT said to me that when you have a fusion you should ignore what the surgeon tells you...Mine told me I could do whatever I wanted ...I could not hurt myself...WRONG...I now am having problems with C2 and C3 and T1 - T4....Well some of that was a problem before the fusion too..just not symptomatic...Anyway..The PT said...the fusion makes everything rigid...so we should not be carrying shoulder bags...picking up anything heavier than a gallon milk jug ever...just baby ourselves forever...and forget golf....If you do not do these things you will be back to the surgeon...I think too that scar tissue builds up...It is what my surgeon thinks is happening with me...SCAR TISSUE!

I too have ulnar nerve issues...

Amen Gloria!

I totally agree with you! Anymore I just get livid with PT's. Every time I have gone to one no matter what the problem was, I was usually worse off. There was only one that did a great job for my hip problems. It seems to me and I could be very wrong, but a lot of these PT's are kids just fresh out of school. I am not so sure they know what they need to know when it comes to our conditions. Anyway, I am not a great fan of PT unless they are highly educated and/or specialized. It's just that I have been through the ringer with most of them.

No, we need to follow the instructions of the surgeon. And when mine tells me don't do this, that or the other...I LISTEN! EXCEPT...two weeks ago or so I overdid the housework and irritated the C7 nerve root which was a really dumb thing for me to; thinking I could do it all. I don't know how anyone else feels about this but I personally feel I will never, ever be 100%. So, if that means slow down, stop or find alternate methods of doing things then that is what I have to do. And, yes, it sucks, pardon me, as I am used to getting things done.

Oh, and when my PM gave me the injection he told me, "When the level above is fused, the level below has to take up the torque." Makes sense to me. And I better be careful as I have good discs sandwiched between those fusions!

I am having some of these same problems two years after surgery...but I have new problems cropping up now...It could be nerves that need the gift of time to heal...or just scar tissue that is forming unfortunately...

Thanks for the reply snoozie,

This is a work comp case so the want to put me on a conveyor belt and ship me through. Thanks for the info regarding the rotator. I know they want me back to work but I want me some what whole again. Had no collar after ACDF
not when I woke up or when I went home. But the woman in the room next to me had the same thing done and she had one on. Same Doc too. Maybe work comp didn't want to pay for it..lol

hi slipnslide.. the pain is in my right arm just above and below the elbow also on the funny bone area in the back of my elbow. my gp took me off naproxen because i was swelling. so now the pain is from my neck down to my ring and little finger. and to top it off, tests showed i may have lung disease and early stages of enphyzema.

Hi Guys!
I had ACDF on C5/6 and 6/7 on Feb 14th of this year. I too have had post-op pain, and much of it was in my left elbow..ulnar nerve stuff. I had massive bone spurs, and 2 completely blown discs. My neuro surgeon came in to my room the morning after surgery, and literally tore the collar off my neck...He said " You don't need this crap..all it will do is make you uncomfortable." I have had no PT, and was back to work in 3 weeks. I have had issues since...minor muscle spasms and the elbow pain, but in recent weeks it has gone away. I just go to work and do it..and it just seems to get better every week. I am a printer and lift a lot in weird ways everyday...I feel better now than I have in years.
Thanks!
Dave

I had an ACDF in June of 2007 and a right ulnar nerve decompression in July of 2009. The following problems still exist:

Severe neck pain, stiffness, very limited mobility, cracking and grinding when my neck is moved.
Horrid headaches on a weekly basis.
Right elbow is still very sore from surgery...I am 10 months post-op.
Both hands (4th and 5th digits) are numb and have a tingling sensation.
My right shoulder is very sore since the June 2007 surgery.
Both wrists are always painful and I cannot pick up any items that have little bit of weight to them.
Cannot sleep much and have difficulty doing any everyday chores. Workman's Compensation insurance company has declined any additional medical evaluations/treatments since my second surgery of July 2009. In a severe amount of pain and need medical assistance ASAP!
Dr. stated that I need an MRI for my right shoulder due to injury yet the requests are constantly denied. Have an entrapped ulnar nerve in my left elbow (right elbow surgery for ulnar nerve performed July 2009) and the insurance company does not want to hear about it. Cannot take much more of this constant pain! I am 44 years old and a father of 6 year old twin boys. My poor wife has been doing everything as I complain about my pain. It is not a good feeling to not be able to do the simplest of chores. Feel as if I have been shuffled about and forgotten. I am really nervous about my future....lost a great job due to my 1st injury during my 25 years of being employed. So frustrated....

Welcome to Neurotalk.
I copied your post and placed it on our New Members forum also.
- here- http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread115597.html

I had ACDF 5-6-7 in 1999. I had to have pain management long afterwards, and it's only been the last couple of years I haven't had to have injections in my neck for pain.

Don't get me wrong, the worst pain was relieved immediately after the surgery, but I am saying don't expect to be pain free right away after the surgery. Get a good pain doc and take your time.

Ok, now I am kind of scared. I had ACDF C5-C6 at the end of March this yr. Most of the pain and numbness has gone away with the exception of in my neck, left arm and hand. Still have numbness in 2 fingers and 1/2 of hand, and it hurts like crazy to move my neck, and get muscle spasms in my arm. This is a comp case and doc wants to send me back to work already (desk job) but after typing, driving or sitting too long I hurt.

It seems that all though most of the pain has gone, I will live with the rest of it for the rest of my life.