I am 13 weeks out from 3-level ACDF (3/15/17) with bilateral c-5 palsy. Prior to surgery I was experiencing loss of function in my left arm due to the collapse of my cervical disc but my right arm was mostly functional. After surgery my right arm was also completely dysfunctional and the left arm remained the same. The surgeon said that monitoring during surgery suggested I would get full function back but so far things aren't improving significantly. I can use my hands and arms below the elbows but can't raise either arm more than 20%--so I can't really drive or even wash my own hair! I am so grateful for the information on this thread. I will post my progress.

My husband is only 4 weeks out with bilateral. He is already frustrated. Right arm has little function. Left is more useful except that he had some numbness in his fingers before surgery and it is worse now but of course he is right handed. Neither can go to the top of his head or get behind him. He doesn't have any one arm that is close to normal. He can't dress independently or get out of bed. His scores ranged from 0 to three.
Waiting around is going to be hard.
His surgeon did talk about nerve transfers. There was no timeline yet.

We are getting a little home health care, but mostly they have not given us much we can do to make things easier. The exercises will be helpful eventually. I have to help him even lift his arms for some of them.

I have read a little about the stimulator. Reading about putting in the effort has halped as well.

I think you should recover faster. Shoulders should be soon.
My husband can do nothing with biceps. Lost all strength. That seems to come later.

Hi there,

I'm sorry to hear of your husband's misfortune in having this happen to him as well. It is a frustrating road to travel since so few seem to know much about the issue at large.

I am getting ready to end six months of occupational therapy. I have regained what I imagine to be about 75% of the use of my right arm. First came increased range of motion; you are correct (in my experience, at least) that strength will come later; it did with me. The bicep functions ok again, it's the deltoids that refuse to come back fully for me at this point. I cannot raise the arm even to shoulder height, nor can I eat properly with it yet...I can eat, but in a 'shovel' type method the therapists say is a form of compensation that uses the bicep rather than the deltoids. It looks a bit odd to say the least, so I try to eat with my left hand when in public. I have a follow up with the surgeon next week. The therapists tell me I'm at a point where the sessions aren't showing significant improvement anymore so are recommending that I continue at home with the exercises they have provided and 'incremental' improvements will continue for the next year or two. We'll see what the surgeon has to say.

Hi. 3.5 weeks out from ACDF surgery. C-4-C-6 fusion. 66 year-old male. Second day out of surgery I began to experience excruciating pain from my neck, running along my collar bone and down my right arm to my elbow. I was taking Tylenol 3 for the pain. I spoke with my doctor and after 3 more days I paid him a visit to get a stronger pain med.
He seemed puzzled that my condition had deteriorated so much as everything seemed normal immediately following surgery. He gave me a steroid injection in my neck, which offered some temporary minor relief. He scheduled an MRI and x-ray of my neck and refereed me to an Orthopedic doctor. The Orthopedic doctor x-rayed my shoulder and saw no abnormalities. He gave me a steroid injection in my shoulder and the relief was almost immediate. About a week ago I had gone to the grocery store. I noticed I could not lift a gallon of milk and put it on the top shelf. I had been suffering a loss of appetite and had lost 8lbs since surgery. I was in great shape prior to surgery. A year before, I had dropped 40lbs and was feeling fit. I attributed my weakness to atrophy. It soon became obvious, after attempting to flex my right bicep, that this was not due to atrophy. I recalled my doctor mentioning C-5 palsy when I visited him after surgery. I believe that is the cause of my weakness so I began researching online. Like many of you I found very little info regarding the cause of C-5 palsy and wound up here.
I have a theory and perhaps a reason why my palsy is not as severe as other here. As I was sitting in pre-op, 2 guys in scrubs came in and wanted to evaluate my range of motion. I'm pretty flexible and they were impressed with the range of motion in my neck and arms. I had no idea what it was about, and frankly too stoned, at that point, to care.
I later deduced that they were assisting my doctor and they were the ones that prepped my for surgery. Not knowing what went on in the OR, this is all speculation. I suspect they put me in a position to allow the surgeon the best access to my neck. stretching and manipulating my neck and right arm. They probably secured me in that position and I remained like that through the 2 hour procedure. I say this because the pain I felt, I liken to being beat up.
Well it's been a week since I discovered the C-5 palsy possibility. In that week, I quit taking the Vicodin for pain and my appetite returned so I loaded up on high protein diet and have regained much of my weight. I also began doing curls with a 1.5 lbs can of Campbell's Chunky Savory pot roast soup. I do as many as possible at a time. I've probably done hundreds in that time and I have noticed a marked improvement in my bicep. I can now flex it and see results. Not like pre surgery but definitely an improvement. With some effort, I can lift a gallon of milk and put it on the top shelf of the fridge.
So, my theory is; the C-5 palsy was not a result of the actual procedure, but a result of the pre op preparation. And while the pain was unbearable, I did get some relief from the steroid shot in my neck. I got almost immediate relief from the steroid shot in my shoulder. Telling me that the nerve damage was in my shoulder, not my neck.
I am going to continue to curl my can of soup. Every day seems a little better.
I don't know if this will be useful to any of you, but I am interested in your thoughts on my theory, at least in my case, of the cause of my C-5 palsy.