For the past 5 years I've been nursing a herniated disc in my neck and lower back.   Throughout this time I've been concerned that deadlifting would set something off in my low back and squating with the bar on my shoulders would do my neck in.  I've always been extremely conscious of proper form while doing those exercises, but in the end it was the humble benchpress that jacked up my neck.  For the past 6 weeks I've been dealing with extreme pain radiating down my left arm and shoulder, crazy muscle spasms, burning sensation and pins and needles.  As bad as things were, I only stopped working out about 2 weeks ago.  Things seemed ok during my actual workout, but about 2 hours later the pain would be so intense I considered chopping my arm off.  My Doc has prescribed Gabapentin to settle the nerves and Hydrocodone for pain, but it doesn't work as well as Jameson.   It's yet to be seen if I get the knife.  

Anyway, my point of the thread...I had a disc fusion at C5/6 about 16 years ago and I was wondering what, if anything, has changed since?  If anyone has had this type of surgery recently, would you mind telling how long it took to get back into the gym?  I turned 50 on the 11th of this month and this has been a hell of a way to start a new decade.  

Thanks

I had a herniation at c5-c6 a couple years ago. Same symptoms you described except no pain. Just shooting numbness down the right arm if I moved my head backwards and I couldn't feel the tip of my thumb at all. The surgeon told me to do nothing but drink beer and watch tv until the shooting numbness went away. I wasn't too happy with that but he said it would probably heal unless I kept working out an re injured it repeatedly before it scarred over. I took 3 months off and it healed but it took over a year to get feeling back in my thumb. Maybe you'll be lucky like I was and it will heal without surgery.

Yeah my doc had similar advice.  He's a huge fat bastard, so I'm certain sitting in a recliner drinking beer is his idea of heaven.  For now I've adjusted my diet and I'm going to play with various bodyweight exercises to see what I can get away with.   After the first fusion, I did 5 - 10 mile walks wearing the dorky neck brace.  I couldn't look down and missteps were a bitch.  

I did nothing for the 3 months. I asked about body weight exercises etc.. and got the same answer. Do nothing until the shooting numbness is gone or come back for surgery. Even bending over to weed the garden made my arm numb. How do you think the bench caused the injury? I'm paranoid as hell about having that happen again.



 

have you seen a chiropractor? mine has worked wonders for an l5s1 herniation.

he mentioned that he has seen fusions that were fused in misalignment.

my straw was jumping rope and I could barely walk for a few days.

My guess is that while doing the bench press, it forced that part of my neck into the bench itself?  That's just a guess.   The way it came on was I started feeling a pain at the upper part of my elbow joint.  It didn't feel like anything I've ever felt with the disc and I assumed it was just an odd tweak.  (If I stopped working out every time I felt an odd tweak, I'd never workout.)  But like a dumbass, I kept going and by the last set that old familiar pain flared up in my tricep and I knew immediately what it was and that I F'd up.  6 weeks later I'm still jacked up.

I've never been to a chiropractor.  Honestly I've never looked into one and thought that with a disc problem it meant gambling a future in a wheelchair.  

Hey OP, I blew out the discs between C5,6,&7 17 years ago doing... incline bench.  Had them fused 10 years ago.  I'm actually back in the gym this year.  Keep in mind that everyone's fusions end with different results.  You hear about just as many "unsuccessful" results as you do the positive ones.  What I'm getting at is that it is such a personal experience that you should be careful listening to the experiences of others.  I can tell you that I've doubled my bench this year, have zero neck issues with high bar squats (knees are another story), and have less pain now than at any point since my surgery but that will mean nothing to you.  It's still surgery on the spine like it was 16 years ago even though I'm sure much has changed.  It's still going to affect everyone in different ways.  Listen to your body (and doc) & if you do start back lifting go very light to start.  Always, always focus on form and protect your neck.  Err to the side of caution and good luck!

Thanks very much.  I'm hoping like hell to avoid surgery!

Read all of his books watch all of his youtube videos they change my life and saved me from surgery.
http://www.backfitpro.com/

I've seen info from him for my lower back issue, but I've never seen anything from him regarding the neck.  Thanks for the info.

I had something very similar in my neck, same symptoms.  I couldn't use my right arm for weeks.  Nerve pain is like non other.  I didn't do surgery, it just healed over time somehow.  I had an MRI it was pretty bad.  

It's been about 7 years or so and I'm 99% fine.  Only thing I get now is some tingling in my right arm every now and then and it's not quite as strong as my left arm.  

Good luck man, that's rough

funk all that-  get a referral to a pain doc who will do injections.

I had similar problems with the neck around the new year of this year and found a physical therapy method called the McKenzie Method, which was absolutely incredible.  A few weeks using McKenzie and I was like new.  This time is a different story.  The pain has been so intense that I can't even manage to do the McKenzie.  The original injury was service connected and I've been using the VA for treatment.  So far the VA has given an MRI, prescribed the meds and sent me to a 2 hour class which showed a youtube video on what causes pain and has basically dragged this out so that now I can barely raise my arm.    I'm heading into week 9 dealing with the pain and am at wits end.  I'm seeing a civilian neuro-surgeon next Wednesday and see what he says.  At this point, I'm just desperate for the pain to stop.    

Well I finally saw a civilian doctor this morning.  MRI shows my disc at C6/7 is herniated into my spinal cord, plus I have a bone spur from a prior fusion at C5/6.  Surgery is scheduled for Monday.  It's bitter sweet.  I'm loathing the thought of surgery, but damn, I'm at 10 weeks of mind numbing pain and it will be a relief to get it fixed.  Squats by February? Fingers crossed!  

Sorry to hear that. Good luck with the surgery



 

Thank you.  I'll miss the pain pills but not the pain.  

Had the surgery Monday and it went great.  I can't believe how much better I felt coming out of surgery this time, compared with my first surgery 17 years ago.  The pain I was experiencing is already gone.  Today is my second day home from the Hospital,  I'll be out of work 4 - 6 weeks   and I'm already stir crazy from sitting around the house.