acdf c5/c6 on 3/22/05 - Spinal Cord Disorders Message Board

Mike R. · 03-28-2005, 11:13 AM

Hi this is my first post, but i have been reading the spinal problems boards since my car accident at work on 8/24/04. I am an NYPD Lieutenant and was chasing a stolen motorcycle when he stopped suddenly and our anti-lock breaks failed and my police car skidded into the motorcycle. The mtorcycle operator and the 2 police officers who were in my vehicle are ok-- i was the only person who was injured. I suffered a herniated c5-C6 disc which compressed the nerve root at c6. I also suffered a herniated disc at L5-S1 whish is giving me agony as well. The cervical herniation was more of a concern for me since i had severe pain and numbness in my left arm into my hand. i still have the pain but it has only been 6 days since the surgery. i have discomfort in the back of my neck. Before the surgery i tried physical therapy and 2 epidural injections in my neck amd one in my lower back. All 3 had very little to no help. I now have a hard collar and am using a cane for balance because of my lower back pain into my left leg. My surgeon(orthopedic) actually asked when i would want to correct the lower back, i said ---- lets see how this works.
My question to anyone who might be able to help, is some of my friends and doctors believe that my police career is over. with a one level cervical fusion would that be the case?

chitowngl · 03-28-2005, 12:17 PM

Mike,
I had a one level cervical fusion with plating back in January. I am currently going through physical therapy. I do not have an "active" job like yours, but I find it difficult to believe that your career would be over. My surgeon assured me that I 'would be good as new' once full healing took place. The only problem I would have would be a minimal loss of mobility in my neck. Everyone is different, but a one level fusion should not be that big a deal for a police officer. What are they basing their assumptions on? I would certainly talk to some other people to get their opinions. Good Luck!!
Carrie

disjointed · 03-28-2005, 09:11 PM

I, too, have a physical job (I'm a field engineer) and have worried about the long-term effect (I'm 46 years old and need to squeeze out another 13.5 years or so of work). Everything I've read looks fairly promising for a one-level fusion. Like you, I've also had a C5-C6 fusion with plating. I had the surgery a little over 5 weeks ago and will return to work in 3 more weeks, but on light duty.

I'm still getting some of the same pain I had before the surgery but understand it can take as long as three years for the nerves to heal, so I'm getting really friendly with my bottle of Tylenol...

My worry relates to lifting over my head but I think I'll probably be OK. The NS seems to think it will be ok, but will just take a while to recover.

Good luck!

Kevin

dennisgb · 03-29-2005, 08:49 AM

Hi Mike,

Man, did you hit a nerve (no pun intended) with me. I had two levels in my neck messed up and L5-S1 at the same time. Mine was due to genetics and getting old, but the pain still was similar to yours. I had the arm, hand and chest pain on left side, and could barely walk due to the cramping and pain in my left leg. I looked like a little old man walking around

I had some of the same treatment as you, including shots in the neck, chiro, PT and three shots in the lumbar.

I had ACDF with plate and donor bone on levels C5-6 and C6-7 on June 30th 2004. Today, I am continuing strenght training and can honestly say I feel 20 years younger. My L5-S1 has improved on it's own, although I can still feel it a little. I have been strenghtening my lower back , and this seems to help.

My docs said that I sould avoid things that might jar my neck like roller coasters, rodeo riding, etc., but they also said that life is a risk, you could get in a car accident or something, whether you had this surgery or not.

The only real problem I have is range of motion. I can't turn my head as far to see things...especially when driving. I've gotten used to turning my body rather than my neck, and added close-up mirrors. In your case, your range of motion should be 50% better than mine, which will probably be difficult to tell the difference.

Consider that Mike Allscot, the fullback for Tampa Bay Bucks, had this surgery and returned to playing pro football. I would bet you will be able to return to work without problems...you will need to deal with the lumbar...hoping yours goes away like mine did.

Dennis

tgent · 04-01-2005, 03:10 PM

Lt. I might be able to help. I am retired (IOD) from MNPD and I just had a 3 level anterior cervical disectomy w/fusion(c3-c4/c4-c5/c5/c6) Dec 8th '04 and I have nerve damage to my left upper arm. The back of my neck still hurts and I have another appointment w/ neuro surgeon in June. My lower back will need surgery again (2 previous disectomies) but I am going to put that off as long as I can. The driving is the worst part of fusion, backing out of parking spaces and trying to pull out in heavy traffic and kinda looking over your shoulder. I can look left and right but not as good as before surgery. You learn to live with it. If I were in your shoes I'd look for a GOOD inside job or detective work. You can't beat the extradition section of C.I.D. or and I.O.D. pension would be nice, if you want to go that route. Be careful out there...