Should i have neck surgery

Nerve impingement in the cervical area may affect the arms and fingers. If in the lumbar region, then the buttocks and legs.

Along with soreness at the location of the pinched nerve in the spine, you may first feel slight numbness. Then the numbness will progressively grow more pronounced until you also begin to feel tingling. As the condition worsens, additional symptoms may appear, such as weakness arms or legs, combined with a burning sensation in the same areas.

By the time symptoms progress to this level, you may have already suffered permanent nerve damage. The earlier you seek a diagnosis, the more treatment options you have. The sooner you receive treatment, the better your outcomes.

Leslie suffers from chronic neck and shoulder pain. After learning her pain was coming from…. Reuters Health - Spine surgeons are noticing an increase in patients with neck and upper…. Patients must weigh the sacrifices made in their daily lives with the benefit of pain relief when contemplating surgery. Sometimes severe or chronic neck pain is only relieved with surgery.

In other words, nerve damage has worsened or muscles are weakened. Because cervical neck surgery pertains to a complex and crucial area of the body, including the spine and spinal cord linking to the brain, it is important to monitor damage. The Raleigh Neurosurgeons at Raleigh Neurosurgical Clinic will likely recommend surgery if the cause of pain is clearly determined through multiple tests that correlate with the sensation of pain.

If you or your doctor have decided that surgery is the best option to relieve your neck pain, you may be wondering exactly what surgery would entail. There are a variety of cervical spine surgeries , depending on your specific cause of pain. No surgery, however, is free of some risk. See Surgery for Neck Pain. There are several recovery challenges that may present after ACDF surgery.

If your surgeon is able to accurately diagnose the problem, then your chances for success are favorable and the risk of persistent neck pain can be reduced. The goals of cervical spine surgery are to correct instability and relieve compression from a nerve that may be causing you pain, tingling, burning, or even weakness from the neck. Often, these symptoms can travel down the shoulder and into the hands.

However, that does not mean you will have recovered as soon as you return home. Rather, your neck surgery recovery time may be significantly extended and you must make sure that you follow the post-operative instructions that your physician gave you so that your wounds can heal.

In most cases, surgery is performed in order to address problems with one or more nerves within the spine. The spinal cord contains many different nerves at each level and they may become irritated or compressed if there is an abnormality within the spine.

Usually, this is down to an issue with your discs, which are jelly-like, soft structures within your spine, effectively cushioning the bones that make up the spine.

Alternatively, the foramen can tighten, which can also cause significant pain. The most commonly offered procedures, which all address the aforementioned issues, are:. As previously stated, nobody wants to have surgery and most people will avoid it as much as possible. However, neck surgery also offers a number of significant benefits that you must be aware of. They include:. There are numerous factors that will affect how long it will take you to recover from neck surgery.

How bad your condition is and which type of surgery you have are two of the most important factors that impact recovery time. Other factors include:.

Surgery is always physically demanding, but perhaps never more so than with neck surgery. This is because it impacts the cervical spine, which is the part of your body that is responsible with facilitating movement and supporting your head. Hence, it is very different from a broken arm, for instance, which only requires a bit of rest and a cast. It is impossible to take all pressure away from your neck after surgery, which is one of the reason why recovery is often somewhat longer than with other types of surgery.

Nevertheless, there are some important neck surgery recovery tips that you can implement to help reduce your healing time as much as possible. You do have to be aware of the fact that these tips are provided as a guide only. In addition, they will not make you magically heal. Rather, they are designed to decrease how much time you need.

What is even more important is that you follow the guidelines as set out by your surgeon, who will generally create a program specific to your situation. One thing that is bad for your recovery is being anxious before and after the procedure. Hence, while it is normal to experience some anxiety and being nervous, it is important to remain calm as well.

Thankfully, there are some good tips to help you manage your anxiety, so that you go into your surgery with a calm mind and body. These include:.

Last but not least, it is very important that you look after yourself as soon as the surgery is over. If you want to recover as quickly as possible, you also need to be safe and comfortable. It is likely that your physician will have prescribed you some painkillers and you have been given you instructions on how to look after your wound. You will also have been advised on things you absolutely cannot do, such as engaging in strenuous activity. Your surgeon will also have told you how long you will need to stay off work.

Furthermore, if you have a fever, notice blood or pus from the wound, have difficulty in breathing or using the bathroom, or feel pain or numbness, you must inform your physician.

Listening to your body while following the advice of your surgeon is the most important thing you can do to shorten your recovery time. For more information about neck surgery contact our expert spine surgeon Dr. Sandro Larcocca. All interaction must be done via appointment at one of our 4 main offices listed below. We do not accept Medicare or Medicaid, however we do participate with commercial insurance as an out of network provider.

Call: Email: [email protected]. Sandro LaRocca MD. Last updated on September 3rd, pm.