ACDF Surgery

cliff

cliff

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O.K. Anyone had it done and if so what was the impact, if any, on your sailing.
I am getting conflicting opinions about recovery times and side effects but most of those are from people who "googled" ACDF or had "heard" this or that. I would be interested to hear from anyone that has actually gone through surgery.
 
some years ago I had a disc removed from my lower back because it has extruded out from between my spine vertebrae and started to impinge on my spinal cord causing pain in my leg.

In my case there was no fusing of the vertebrae of disc replacement. The surgeon said the mussels in my back would straighten and take the load.

The only side effect I currently have is some back ache if I lift very heavy items or I have a period of inactivity causing my back mussels to loose strength, other wise all is OK.

Never had my condition called "Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion" so I don't know if it is the same as what you are experiencing. My disc was not fused so my condition may be different.
 
I don't know if this is what I had but I had part of a disc taken out some 16 years ago.It took several months to regain mobility,but I have been sailing ever since in cruisers (currently a Moody 31).Everything was fine for 5/6 years but then I started having back spasms .This would occur once or twice a year and I would need diazapan to relax the muscles and control it and usually bed rest for 2/3 days.In the last few years It has occurred every couple of years or so.I have a good back treatment man and I see him a couple of times a year as remedial treatment.I am very careful about lifting and winching and one of my best buys was a Winchrite battery operated winch handle.I also have an electric windlass.
I still suffer from backache but this is par for the course and I take the odd painkiller.I did give up golf after my operation.
 
Hi Cliff,

The wife had a similar op some 7 years ago, pains in the leg and back, the operation was only 45 minutes and she was out that afternoon, but fragile and was not allowed to board an air craft for 4 days after the op.

She spent the next 3 months doing special exercises to strengthen her back muscles, and still in some pain but not nearly as bad as it was.

Now 6 years on, she still continues to exercise every day on a verity of equipment all to strengthen her back muscles. I am all but convinced she will need follow up surgery in the next couple of years. The pain has never stopped completely in all this time, she finds cold packs help, the type that do not need refrigeration.

Anyone who suffers from any compression of the spinal cord has deepest sympathy. I managed to crush a disk in my lower neck many years ago, after 4 days with almost no sleep I finally got to see a specialist who told me it would heal without surgery.
I thought about jumping the table and strangling him, sadly I could hardy move at the time. two weeks and truck load of medication later I saw some improvement, 3 months later I was back to almost normal. But to this day it huts if I lay down and my head is resting lower than the area under my shoulders.

The sad truth is that the pain caused by ACDF Surgery and the recovery after it is still less than before but not always a complete success.

Good luck and fair winds. :)
 
Thanks to those who have replied so far.
My problem is not with my spine as such but with my neck vertebrae. The disc between C5 and C6 has squished out the back and the vertebrae have developed bony "horns" pressing on the spinal nerve depending on how I move my neck, - real PKTNm (and arms and legs)

Found this on youtube - not for the squeamish



Just wanting the comments of those who have gone through the procedure
 
I had the discs replaced between C5 6 & 7 through the front recovery was complete in about 3 to 4 months 6 weeks of work and no lifting above 10 Kg or driving but it transformed my life none of the previous symptoms what you would call 100% successful PM me if you want to know more.
 
cliff said:
Thanks to those who have replied so far.
My problem is not with my spine as such but with my neck vertebrae. The disc between C5 and C6 has squished out the back and the vertebrae have developed bony "horns" pressing on the spinal nerve depending on how I move my neck ...
Click to expand...
I had similar problems, although I don't think the horns. I lost the use of my left arm for about 9 months, and I was off work for about 50% of my last 5 years there.

Tried just about everything, eventually went to see a surgeon. He said he could fix it, but the risks were too high that it could be disabling.

Wearing a neck brace helped, as did not stooping. The final cure came when I stopped making the train journey into London, I think the vibration of the train made it worse.
 
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