Foraminotomy next month C6-C7. Gotta do it. Atrophy of forearm and tricep muscles. Starting to get it on both side now. Pain is really bad too.
Anyone else with a similar surgery and still training? How did you get back on to the mats? What does the recovery time look like? How are you training now and how are your symptoms?
Thanks!
If this is the surgery my buddy had, they go through the front of your throat to get to the vertebrae? He had similar if not worse symptoms you have, took a lot a stacks on his neck and the pain never went away. After his surgery, the recovery time I believe was six months of doing just rehab, no rolling whatsoever. It would take him a year to get back to training, light at that. Doc told him if he gets anymore trauma to his neck, he could be paralyzed. Needless to say, he rolls differently and we are all wary of his neck. I believe his cervical vertebrae are fused, not sure if this is what you're doing. He got all his feeling and strength back in his arm, so he could do other physical activities. You just gotta take your time and be really selective with who you roll with.
This is going to be a FRAT so please bear with me.
My friend/student was going to get that surgery. The reason, I believe, was that one of his vertebra was pushing into one of his nerve bundles. This in turn was causing atrophy, pain, loss of movement, and other things.
It was bad and you could see the difference between his right and left shoulder. His left shoulder is the one that was bad.
Well before going under the knife, which would have happened this month, he went to a PRP specialist. The same one I went to for my knee (My knee is back to about 95%+). The PRP specialist actually does more than just PRP.
My friend brought the doctor his MRI's and had a consultation. After reviewing the MRI's and speaking to my friend the doctor offered Hydrodissection as an alternative to the surgery.
If you want all the details of what exactly it is and how it works please look it up. I'm not a doctor and thus do not know all the ins and outs of the procedure. I'll just tell you the basic idea. They take a needle full of saline and inject it between the vertebra and nerve bundle. This causes a separation between the two objects and brings relief immediately. Let me be clear, it was more than just one needle to the neck, but it was done the very day of the consultation. My friend was in and out within an hour.
So how is my friend doing now? FUCKING FANTASTIC! He gets some pins and needles in that area sometime, but already the change has been dramatic. He started with a personal trainer and already muscle is beginning to grow again. His left arm is almost completely back to normal.
From saline shots to the neck. That's that was done to him.
I highly recommend looking into this before going under the knife. Hope this helps.
Oh and lastly he went for second round of shots about a month ago. He only went twice.
You should check out okyanos.com, stem cell therapy. Expensive but it's a cure. 
I had a two level cervical fusion in October of 2014. I was training lightly again in just a few months. I had gi in January but no training, by febuary I would drill and no rolling. A few months in and I rolled but things weren't the same but body hurt and not in a sore way. I just felt I was way more prone to injury. I wasn't as strong all over and got hurt a few times non neck related.
I do not train at all anymore. I don't see how I could be in anyone's program other than my own or something I would set up for myself.
There are ways to stay in the sport but the real days of trying to get better by working hard on the mats are way over.
Take care of your body.
I had two level cervical fusion. It's been over a year and a half. I went back to drilling after 8 months, and am back 100% now. However I'll still tap to early to neck stuff and I work out consistently now. 
FlowWithTheGo - I had a two level cervical fusion in October of 2014. I was training lightly again in just a few months. I had gi in January but no training, by febuary I would drill and no rolling. A few months in and I rolled but things weren't the same but body hurt and not in a sore way. I just felt I was way more prone to injury. I wasn't as strong all over and got hurt a few times non neck related.I feel like you tried to get back too soon. Did you do any physical therapy or weight lifting. If it wasn't for both of those I'd never be able to come back.
I do not train at all anymore. I don't see how I could be in anyone's program other than my own or something I would set up for myself.
There are ways to stay in the sport but the real days of trying to get better by working hard on the mats are way over.
Take care of your body.
Animal Mother - I had two level cervical fusion. It's been over a year and a half. I went back to drilling after 8 months, and am back 100% now. However I'll still tap to early to neck stuff and I work out consistently now.
what were you able to do that first 8 months?
I did physical therapy from 6 weeks to 3 months. I was incredibly weak from the surgery and prior nerve damage. I couldn't curl 15lb dumbbells. After that I started Stronglifts 5x5 at a VERY low weight. Cleaned up my diet and got very lean, likely below 10% bf.
That got me to about the 8 month mark when I started to make actual strength gains. I make sure to hit all facets of the traps as to keep my neck strong but avoid neck lifts and other direct neck exercises. At this point I feel great and have no doctor imposed restrictions but I due put some on myself to promote longevity.
Robobear -If this is the surgery my buddy had, they go through the front of your throat to get to the vertebrae? He had similar if not worse symptoms you have, took a lot a stacks on his neck and the pain never went away. After his surgery, the recovery time I believe was six months of doing just rehab, no rolling whatsoever. It would take him a year to get back to training, light at that. Doc told him if he gets anymore trauma to his neck, he could be paralyzed. Needless to say, he rolls differently and we are all wary of his neck. I believe his cervical vertebrae are fused, not sure if this is what you're doing. He got all his feeling and strength back in his arm, so he could do other physical activities. You just gotta take your time and be really selective with who you roll with.
This is the one where they remove some bone in order for the nerve to exit the spine. It is through the back of the neck. There is no fusion so no hardware is added. It shouldnt impact the mobility of the other vertebrae like a fusion does. Shane Carwin had a similar surgery before he retired. He was expecting 12 weeks before he could begin his next fight camp.
I'm glad to hear your friend is training and his symptoms are relieved. Gives me some hope that it will work out for me. Definitely have already changed the way I train. Still seem to get aggravate it, so I still need to make more changes. My leg game is starting to get serious so its been a plus there.
Still not sure if this is going to be the end of jiu jitsu for me or not, so I like hearing success stories!
Kway - This is going to be a FRAT so please bear with me.
My friend/student was going to get that surgery. The reason, I believe, was that one of his vertebra was pushing into one of his nerve bundles. This in turn was causing atrophy, pain, loss of movement, and other things.
It was bad and you could see the difference between his right and left shoulder. His left shoulder is the one that was bad.
Well before going under the knife, which would have happened this month, he went to a PRP specialist. The same one I went to for my knee (My knee is back to about 95%+). The PRP specialist actually does more than just PRP.
My friend brought the doctor his MRI's and had a consultation. After reviewing the MRI's and speaking to my friend the doctor offered Hydrodissection as an alternative to the surgery.
If you want all the details of what exactly it is and how it works please look it up. I'm not a doctor and thus do not know all the ins and outs of the procedure. I'll just tell you the basic idea. They take a needle full of saline and inject it between the vertebra and nerve bundle. This causes a separation between the two objects and brings relief immediately. Let me be clear, it was more than just one needle to the neck, but it was done the very day of the consultation. My friend was in and out within an hour.
So how is my friend doing now? FUCKING FANTASTIC! He gets some pins and needles in that area sometime, but already the change has been dramatic. He started with a personal trainer and already muscle is beginning to grow again. His left arm is almost completely back to normal.
From saline shots to the neck. That's that was done to him.
I highly recommend looking into this before going under the knife. Hope this helps.
I've never heard of this and am going to do some research and message my dr. about it. Thx for the info. It sounds awesome
FlowWithTheGo - I had a two level cervical fusion in October of 2014. I was training lightly again in just a few months. I had gi in January but no training, by febuary I would drill and no rolling. A few months in and I rolled but things weren't the same but body hurt and not in a sore way. I just felt I was way more prone to injury. I wasn't as strong all over and got hurt a few times non neck related.
I do not train at all anymore. I don't see how I could be in anyone's program other than my own or something I would set up for myself.
There are ways to stay in the sport but the real days of trying to get better by working hard on the mats are way over.
Take care of your body.
Thx for the advice. I'm bummed to hear you don't train anymore, I imagine that the risk of getting seriously injured and not being able to train the way you would like would be big factors in your decision. I definitely am in the midst of trying to sort that out. A 2 level fusion would seem to really decrease your mobility and put a strain on other levels. How is the rest of your neck holding up?
I'm curious as to how you would set up a program for yourself. What would you do differently from how a typical class if you decided to start your own program?
Were you able to do mobility excercises like Ginastica Natural at some point? GN does alot of shoulder rolls and even now I'm not down with those unless I elevate/hand spring past my neck. How about yoga and stretching to keep up conditioning ?
Right now, I avoid direct contact with my neck and head but sometimes the grips on the gi lapel put a strain on my neck. I'm wondering if you or anyone else has any experience with that strain now that you've had the surgery. I guess I'm thinking that unless it is too dangerous or painful, I would be able to work guard passing, top game with select partners just like i do now. Eventually, rolling carefully many months later it seems.
I broke my neck in 1997, had an emergency C1-C2 fusion. Docs took bone out of my left hip then went in from the back of my neck and fused it in my neck using wire.
First surgery didn't take (most likely due to me doing way too much in an attempt at a quick and miraculous comeback to the mats). So, had to get a 2nd one some months later. Total re-do, this time taking bone from my right hip, re-doing the wire, and adding 2 screws.
After that, I was smarter with my rehab and training, so the fusion was successful (the screws also made sure of that).
Around 2003-2004 I started having problems again, major nerve damage, pain, numbness. Hit me out of nowhere. The process of figuring out what exactly was wrong with my neck this time took many months. Some of the most extreme pain I've ever felt in my life.
Third surgery, docs went in through my mouth and extracted a chunk of bone in my neck they said wasn't needed but they thought might have been the cause, and while they were in there they did a biopsy for cancer to see if maybe a tumor was the cause. Turned out the surgery was a waste and I still had the same pain, numbness and other symptoms as before. Docs went back to the drawing board to figure out what was causing the problems.
4th surgery fixed the problem. The wires in my neck actually grew into my spinal canal and were pushing on my spinal cord. So docs went in from the back of my neck again and removed all the wires (kept the screws in) and cleaned up some scar tissue. Problem solved.
I still train hard. I spend a lot of time training my neck--always have, even before the initial injury, which is what saved my life--and take extra time to warm it up thoroughly before wrestling, rolling, sparring, etc. Believe it or not, my hips cause me more issues than my neck, so I've gotta spend a lot of extra time on them as well.
Deliberate rehab and smart training will help, but luck also has a lot to do with things post-surgery. So good luck with everything.
There are a ton of threads on this topic so you might want to look them up, there is extensive info on them.
That being said I have a c6 c7 discectomy and fusion. Took a year and a half to get back on the mats. This was in 2009-10.
I currently have 0 issues and will be getting my black belt this year. Good luck!
Amarelo - There are a ton of threads on this topic so you might want to look them up, there is extensive info on them.
That being said I have a c6 c7 discectomy and fusion. Took a year and a half to get back on the mats. This was in 2009-10.
I currently have 0 issues and will be getting my black belt this year. Good luck!
Thx. I read a few threads a while back. I remember a post by Cowboy Kelbaugh and how he fixed his neck and competed in Worlds. I need to get a real account to access those older posts now that I have more questions.
It sounds like we have a similar injury/condition, so i'm really interested in what you and others did before you returned to the mats. Seems like weight training, PT, and neck conditiong are important for recovery.
Congrats on your recovery and BJJ success!
Jim_Kelly - I broke my neck in 1997, had an emergency C1-C2 fusion. Docs took bone out of my left hip then went in from the back of my neck and fused it in my neck using wire.
First surgery didn't take (most likely due to me doing way too much in an attempt at a quick and miraculous comeback to the mats). So, had to get a 2nd one some months later. Total re-do, this time taking bone from my right hip, re-doing the wire, and adding 2 screws.
After that, I was smarter with my rehab and training, so the fusion was successful (the screws also made sure of that).
Around 2003-2004 I started having problems again, major nerve damage, pain, numbness. Hit me out of nowhere. The process of figuring out what exactly was wrong with my neck this time took many months. Some of the most extreme pain I've ever felt in my life.
Third surgery, docs went in through my mouth and extracted a chunk of bone in my neck they said wasn't needed but they thought might have been the cause, and while they were in there they did a biopsy for cancer to see if maybe a tumor was the cause. Turned out the surgery was a waste and I still had the same pain, numbness and other symptoms as before. Docs went back to the drawing board to figure out what was causing the problems.
4th surgery fixed the problem. The wires in my neck actually grew into my spinal canal and were pushing on my spinal cord. So docs went in from the back of my neck again and removed all the wires (kept the screws in) and cleaned up some scar tissue. Problem solved.
I still train hard. I spend a lot of time training my neck--always have, even before the initial injury, which is what saved my life--and take extra time to warm it up thoroughly before wrestling, rolling, sparring, etc. Believe it or not, my hips cause me more issues than my neck, so I've gotta spend a lot of extra time on them as well.
Deliberate rehab and smart training will help, but luck also has a lot to do with things post-surgery. So good luck with everything.
Wow, crazy ordeal. Glad it worked out in the end!
In terms of neck conditioning, what does it consist of and how did you implement it during recovery? How about range of motion. Are you ok now and is that something you work on?
Decalsocal -Jim had a couple videos out on his neck routine.Jim_Kelly - I broke my neck in 1997, had an emergency C1-C2 fusion. Docs took bone out of my left hip then went in from the back of my neck and fused it in my neck using wire.
First surgery didn't take (most likely due to me doing way too much in an attempt at a quick and miraculous comeback to the mats). So, had to get a 2nd one some months later. Total re-do, this time taking bone from my right hip, re-doing the wire, and adding 2 screws.
After that, I was smarter with my rehab and training, so the fusion was successful (the screws also made sure of that).
Around 2003-2004 I started having problems again, major nerve damage, pain, numbness. Hit me out of nowhere. The process of figuring out what exactly was wrong with my neck this time took many months. Some of the most extreme pain I've ever felt in my life.
Third surgery, docs went in through my mouth and extracted a chunk of bone in my neck they said wasn't needed but they thought might have been the cause, and while they were in there they did a biopsy for cancer to see if maybe a tumor was the cause. Turned out the surgery was a waste and I still had the same pain, numbness and other symptoms as before. Docs went back to the drawing board to figure out what was causing the problems.
4th surgery fixed the problem. The wires in my neck actually grew into my spinal canal and were pushing on my spinal cord. So docs went in from the back of my neck again and removed all the wires (kept the screws in) and cleaned up some scar tissue. Problem solved.
I still train hard. I spend a lot of time training my neck--always have, even before the initial injury, which is what saved my life--and take extra time to warm it up thoroughly before wrestling, rolling, sparring, etc. Believe it or not, my hips cause me more issues than my neck, so I've gotta spend a lot of extra time on them as well.
Deliberate rehab and smart training will help, but luck also has a lot to do with things post-surgery. So good luck with everything.Wow, crazy ordeal. Glad it worked out in the end!
In terms of neck conditioning, what does it consist of and how did you implement it during recovery? How about range of motion. Are you ok now and is that something you work on?