I'm a year post cervical laminectomy C3-C7 with instrumental fusion to relieve symtoms of cervical myeolapthy and stenosis, as well as stabilization of my cervical spine. I'm a 25 year-old male and have been living with cervical spine problems since I was 16. I was diagnosed with degenerative disk disease at this age as well. I've always been a very active person.
My road to recovery has been one of ups and downs. I've seen my neurosurgeon numerous times since the surgery and all my MRI's look "really good." My spinal cord has significant room, spinal fluid is very present, and the fusion was a complete success. However, I still have symtoms of tingling in both hands occassionally, with muscle strain, occassional slight numbness in my fingers and hands. In addition, I still have periods of tightness and dull pain in my lower cervical spine area, which cause headaches and migranes.
My question is whether these symptoms are normal at this point? Because of the compression on my spinal cord, my surgeon says a lot of my symptoms can still be attributed to that, as it can take two years for spinal cord to show improvement. But, again just looking for another opinion on whether these symtoms are normal a year after this type of surgery. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.