Neck and Shoulder pain after C5-6 fusion.

[Roonie5038]

A little over a year ago, I had C5-6 fused. With a plate and screws inserted. Since then I am having trouble with pain in the neck and shoulder area just below the fusion area. I wake in the morning with a headache then turns to pain in lower neck and shoulders.
I have talked to the neurosurgeon who did the surgery and he shrugged his shoulders and said I have no idea and sent me back to my neurologist. He gave me a series of injections in both shoulders and the pain stopped for a couple days but then came right back. Then we tried massage therapy, it helps but only for a short period.Then I have to go back to the massage therapist again and again, my insurance will not pay for that. And I have tried changing my pillows on my bed and sleeping in different positions and nothing seems to help for long term.
What can I do?
Thanks
Maureen

[AMellen81]

I had Status post open reduction internal fixation, cervical spine, with degenerative disc disease in 2001. I had a fracture dislocation due to a parachuting accident while in the Army.

I am now 12 years removed from service. Pain and stiffness is everyday. Lack of sleep has become the norm. I now have pain radiating down the left side of my neck and in between my shoulder blades. Is this common?

I have seen my VA doctor. An x-ray and muscle relaxers was her fix for my problems. Not working. Soon another VA exam, where my head is wrenched around painfully, and told I am fine. I know my body and it's anything but fine.

[ann11van]

yes, I had the surgery before thanksgiving of 2011, got relief only from headaches, but all the pain stayed and also few were added.  The hands especially right arm is swollen all the time, numbness, pain from the should blades to the fingers.  The horror part is the hand freezing/numbing from the fingers to shoulders, even when I am using the fingers.  Driving is scary as I have the numbness even in the right leg....and I have seen three surgeons.
First surgeon who did the surgery wanted to do more epidural shots.  Second one wanted to implant a stimulator in my cervical....third one wanted to do one more fusion on the upper level (I had c5-6) before.  As I was tired dealing with them, I thought I can go to Mayo clinic.  IT took me 6 months to get an appointment.  The doctor who same me(pain rebab) before I can see the neurosurgeon(policy of the hospital) decided it was Fibromyalgia....I read through various documents regarding FM, except for the pain they talk about and the fatigue, my symptoms are different.  The patients of FM do not deal with numbness and freezing of arms, and inflammation

After the prognosis of FM, the team of doctors who run the pain rehab clinic in Mayo started pushing me to attend a three week rehab program.  Which is costing roughly 36K and they do not accept the insurance have.   My insurance will pay only 150 dollars per day for the program, Mayo clinic Pain rehab team was kind enough to say, that I can pay the remaining as out of pocket. and the best part was they were not ready to tell me the exact out of pocket amount.  They kept pushing me to join the program saying many people who did the rehab were living a pain free life and also went back to work 30 hours a week with no pain.

So conclusion is the pain rebah team is actively procuring people for their profit rehab program so the doctors were too fast to conclude this is FM.  NOT paying attention or caring for my complaints of numbing,  stiffness and swelling.

I am scared one day soon I am going to loose the function of the fingers in my right arm.  I feel them stiff and numbed all the time even while moving them.

I am glad I came across this group as the doctors were making me feel as though I am imaging the pain and I think that is the reason they pushed me into the waste basket of FM(which they say brain makes the pain more after suffering chronic pain after a trauma)

All these things happened after I met with an accident in 2010.  After more than 5 years of accident I am not sure if accident was the trauma or dealing with the doctors and surgeons who do not want to pay attention to our symptoms is a trauma.

Thank you all for sharing the details in the forum.

[ann11van]

Hi
My name is Ann, I had similar surgery end of November 2011.  immediately after the surgery,  my right hand started swelling. The surgeon had no time  to listen to my pains, he wanted me to take couple of epidural shots!!!f.  I am experiencing the same issues like you but my right arm has the problem.  The hand freezes even when I am moving my fingers.  In the night its a different issue.
After seeing many doctors, I went to Mayo clinic.  Doctors at Mayo took an easy route they say its Fibromyalgia. Again none of them are seeing my notes where I complain about arm going to sleep even when I am driving, my right arm and right leg go to sleep when I drive and its very scary.
Did the doctors give you an idea on why this happening?  I feel completely lost and not sure how to proceed

[KZab]

I am two years post-op C5-C6/C6-C7 fusions, and nearly three years since the car accident (yes, it took my GP seven months to okay the MRI - and that wasn't until after the PT refused to work on me without one.  I am still having daily headaches and pain in my neck and between my shoulder blades.  My surgeon basically told me to go away when my insurance benefit was used up.  I don't know what kind of implant he used.  Has anyone else had pain this long post-op?

[Larsenken]

Wow I just found this site and boy is it all too familiar. I am 10 yrs post op for c4 -c6 fusion due to believe it or not a slip and fall. My spinal cord was impinged to the point that if I coughed my arms and legs would go numb. Saw one of the best surgeons and the spinal issues were immediately better, BUT now I have developed some symptoms that I see posted on here. I have three days since surgery that I did not have a headache to some degree. Now i am also noticing the vertigo, shoulder pain, neck pain return and more. Had an MRI a week ago and I guess the one up and one down are shot. To what degree I do not yet know. I really do not want to have more fused but I see no other option. Glad to find this site!

[teeniegirl]

old test, i wouldn't get it. MRI is used more. sorry for your pain. Im still in pain after 3 fusions, now c2-7 after kaiser messed up and left bone spurs on my shoulders which still hurt after another dr removed them, and now neck hurts looking up and down. what do you all think of dry needling? seemed to help first time, but not now.

Also, I can't walk right. I was a fast walker before all this. Saw myelopathy on my chart. So mad at these drs that have ruined me. Started with another malpractice.

Pray everyone gets better. DOn't know what to do. Can't go on lliving like this, how can we work and have productive life in pain/ Yet, can't be alone all day either. Great outcome. Thanks drs for ruining our lives, not all of them, but at least 2 for me. and 1 pt who manipulated my neck and was told in writing not to.

Don't know what to do, and the poverty of disabillity and not being able to work is terrible. Terrible neck and shoulder pain, does anyone , esp women have terrible pain, when have to wear straps on shoulders? Everything is heavy now.

God help us. Take care, S