Any folks with a cervical fusion out there?

jaketig · December 30, 2019

Hello, first post and looking for feedback.

I am 48 and a disabled vet. I need a fusion of my c5/6 and c6/7 vertebrae. So I know everyone’s experience is different but am looking for a little hope.

so my big question is this, does anyone out there have a neck fusion? How did it affect your swing? Did your return terrify you or was it just standard “go-slow” rehab? Did you lose speed, rotation, etc? My driver swing speed even with a crappy neck is 104-5 and I LOVE the game. I have heard a lot of motion is not at this level per se, and I already compensate with more head motion during the swing. To offest shock I play jumbo grips and recoil stiff smacwrap shafts already.

I am not looking for medical advice just “company”. I know my progress will be dictated by the doc. I have scoured the web and couldn’t find much info related to neck fusion and golf. I am really actually quite worried about losing the ability to play the game and am curious if anyone has had a similar experience.

thanks much,

Julian

kmc · December 30, 2019

Had 3 levels with hardware on 12/10/10. Didnt play until May of 2011. All pain was completely gone. Only advice would be let a neurosurgeon do it.

KMC

jaketig · December 31, 2019

Yep a neuro is doing it, how much mobility did you lose? Thanks much!

kmc · December 31, 2019

None that I noticed. Never have had "Gumby" flexibility though. Mine was to the point of spinal cord compression. I didn't really have any choice, the consequences, incontinence, paralysis, etc. warranted immediate surgery.

KMC

ALIF · December 31, 2019

Davis Love III won on the PGA tour a couple of years ago after his cervical fusion.

sthompson42 · January 1, 2020

I had cervical fusion about 4.5 years ago. The first thing I asked the surgeon was how long before golf. He said 6 weeks. I scheduled my follow-up appointments to be done 6 weeks to the day. Played the next day. No issues. I had forgotten about my neck until hole 3, so excited to play. I know, hard to believe. I never looked back. No range of motion loss in the golf swing. I had a really good surgeon, this was a very minor surgery for him. He also was a no nonsense, south Texan, who basically told me to suck it up during recovery. Getting up and around right away did help.

jaketig · January 2, 2020

Thanks so much for the feedback. It’s good to know I have some company!

Michael Powers · January 2, 2020

Hey Jaketig,

Thank you for your service, and do not despair. I'm a club pro and started with bulging cervical discs about 15 years ago. It got progressively worse and I went back about 6 years ago for another mri and it had gotten worse but still just bulging. Then they became herniated about a year later. I was hitting balls on the range and I hit this one shot and this crazy pain shot down my arm from my neck. Like hitting your funny bone X 1,000. Then I started getting numbness in my fingers and pain was terrible, so I finally went back to the Doc. He did a strength test on my hands and arms. I'm left handed and my left hand should be about 20% stronger than my right, but it was 30% weaker. He told me I had 2 herniated discs and significant nerve damage, and I needed surgery asap to minimize the nerve damage.

So I got the level 2 discectomy and fusion. Woke up from surgery and I had zero nerve pain for the first time in over 10 years, but my shoulder was killing me. Doc said thats normal, so I went along with it. Then after a cpl months I started rehab 3 times a week. Therapist would say, hows your neck, and I'd say great, but my shoulder is killing me. Now its 3 months out and I can't lift my right hand to my face. Therapist says he thinks I suffered a rotator cuff tear while i was knocked out. Got the mri and it was confirmed. Something happened when i was knocked out, my arm fell off the bed or something, and I ended up with capsulitis in the right shoulder, similar to frozen shoulder. It took about 3 more months to recover from that.

Anyway, the cervical fusion for me has been unbelievably good, like a miracle. I have zero pain. I can hit balls for a few hours like i used to with no problem. Can play 36 in a day no problem. Have not lost club speed, gained a few mph and I'm 50. I have some limitation in turning my neck to the left, slight. But it used to hurt when my left arm swung across me, and now I can let it go over there no problem, no pain. After the surgery they are going to tell you that the only rehab you can do for like 6-8 weeks is walk, do it. They told me I should walk at least a few miles a day, and so whatever they told me, i doubled it. I guess it has something to do with getting oxygen and blood flowing through your spine more through just walking, IDK, but my advise, just do it, walk like 5-7 miles a day.

jaketig · January 14, 2020

Thanks so much, just got the news today that it’s a two level fusion for sure so now its a scheduling game!

jaketig · February 17, 2020

So surgery was 1/24, I'm still out of work but all went well and pain and numbness are gone. They fused c5/6 and c6/7. It looks like my motion will be similar to before surgery so when I actually get out and swing I'll post an update.

As surgery goes it was one night in hospital and based on bone density etc. I don't even have a soft collar. I did buy one though cause it makes being a passenger in a car so much nicer.

Sleeping and swallowing after this surgery sucks, as a matter of course you have to buy a wedge pillow and lots of soft easy to swallow food.

Dean21 · February 18, 2020

Had a two level fusion in 2013 (I was 37 at the time). C6-C7, C7-T1. Immediate pain relief. No real side effects, except for a very slight motion restriction when I turn my head to the right, but it's not enough to really be an issue.

I was able to chip/putt after about 3 weeks, and able to take full swings after 6 weeks. It definitely affected me for a while. I probably lost a club of distance initially, but after a while it came back, and I don't have any problems now.

farmer · February 18, 2020

I had c4-5 and c6-7 fused 4 years ago. I lost a lot of mobility, even with determined rehab, but I was 65. The pain, numbness and tingling went away, I can sleep all night, so it was a good tradeoff. Hope you have a great outcome, and get back to your life with no problems.