External vs. Internal fusions

[quad79]

I had an external fusion and have excruciating neck/ shoulder pain.I know two others that also had an external and have bad pain as well.

I know some that had an internal done and experience little pain in that area.

It almost makes me regret not going that route although the choice was never offered. Too late now, huh?

What is your take on it? Your experience(s).....

[Stars- in- the-sky]

I too had a cervical fusion of C5,C6 & C7. I had a C6 burst fracture. I do not have much neck pain so my question is what is an External Fusion vs. Internal? :)

[quad79]

LOL-

External is through the back and internal is through the front.

They go through so many muscles for an external and I guess that's what causes so much discomfort.

[darrel]

I had external c3-c6 and the Dr. was talking about going through the front but he managed to open it up enough to allow the cord to move..I can't emagine the scaring on a frontal lamenectomy..I consider myself lucky..

[quad79]

Darell-my friends w/ internal fusions have itty-bitty scars compared to mine. Mine is long and really wide in one spot-it's about 5 inches. My frienss are about two and we're the same level of injury.

[Stars- in- the-sky]

Oh I see well then I had both - through the front and back. My pain is not too bad I am just really uncomfortable. Its been 6 months

[darrel]

Darell-my friends w/ internal fusions have itty-bitty scars compared to mine. Mine is long and really wide in one spot-it's about 5 inches. My frienss are about two and we're the same level of injury.

my scar on the back of my neck is about 5" and I figured that if they went through the front they would have to move the asofagus and all that good stuff to get a clear shot ...what they just go straight through every thing?

[Stars- in- the-sky]

No not at all - they work on the front then flip you over and work on the back. I have a medronic titanium cage with titanium screws and plate as well as two titanium rods. I think it wraps around everything. I am fully BIONIC lol.

[quad79]

my scar on the back of my neck is about 5" and I figured that if they went through the front they would have to move the asofagus and all that good stuff to get a clear shot ...what they just go straight through every thing?

Yeah, they move that stuff I'm sure, but how'd they get those little scars? I'm jealous.

yours is @c3-7 and 5 inches. Mine is c5-7 and 5 inches- wtf did they need to cut me so long for?

Do you have a lot of neck pain too?

[Stars- in- the-sky]

I look at my scars as beauty marks because I am ALIVE today and will see tomorrow. The one on front is about 2 1/2 inches and back about 4 inches (right smack on the back of my neck) My hair is short too so i can't cover it. Its all good though.

[Stars- in- the-sky]

The choice was never offered to me either. The Doc said its the only way to go. I was bummed at first but got over it.

[darrel]

I have pain in my neck some times simular to stress and some days it is like I slept wrong.. and then between the shoulders has been resent because I have been leaning forward to keep the pressure off my back due to the pump I got last week

[firesmurf]

hey darrel,could these be trigger points?i too had an anterior fusion done way before my spinal cord surgery and can tell you,going thru the back was absolute hell compared to my little tiny scar i have by my collar bone in the front.great big huge scar in my upper neck down thru the top of the T spine.and the pain??cannot even describe what i felt with my spinal cord surgery done thru all that muscle in the back of my neck.ALOT of muscle problems along with non stop trigger points back there now.

the anterior fusion and having to move the esophogus really isn't that big of a deal,this is a very common surgery.i had to have two done from the same area in the front when 9 months post of,i still had not fused and needed hardware(titainium plate and four screws)placement.my stupid neurosurgeon somehow managed to actually impinge my c7 nerve root tho with the damn screw.that was nice hell.i ended up going to the U of MN to see whathe could do for me,and found outthe cavernoma inside my cord needd to come out as it was bleeding off and on.ironically when the NS removed the acks off the vertebrae to get down to the cord,he actually visualized not only my now 'solid' fusion,but he also saw that the other NS had actually gotten the nerve root wrapped around the damn screw,not just impinged it,the only way in hell that the nerve root would have been able to be freed(it was looped around that screw with the end right up againt the back of the lamina,with no way to unloop it)is with a lami that he just happened to be doing to get down to my cord.that was just sheer luck that my cav and my fusion were almost at the same level or it would have required one hell of a surgery,again.

once you have to actually cut thru all the deep thick muscle up in the back of your neck,it all has to 'heal' just right once its over or you will have muscle problems.shortly after my surgery while i was still inacute rehab,i had what i can only describe as having(size wise)a softball cut inhalf and placing one half alongside both sides of my incision.there were huge muscle wads from the trauma they suffered being cut thru.i have had trigger point issues ever since.i know some are being created by my screwed up c spine sending out nasty signals to the muscles up there,but man these just suck.

i recently started that craniosacral therepy along with deep myofascial relaeas and believe it or not,my TPs are gone right now.he has mangaed to get rid of those with only four sessions so far.this really is great therepy and i really cannot say enough good about it.you really should give this a shot darrel.it really has helped tons with many areas of pain and even with my spasticity too.i had two full days without my legs feeling like tightly pulled rubber bands.wow.but i couldn't walk right there for a while.just used to having the 'bracing' of those muscles there ya know?it really is a great therepy.i have not had to have anymore TP injections.prior to this therepy,i was using(still do for other pain crap)biofreeze and lido patches.the patches work well for TP pain when placed right over the muscle wads,or any area that is radiating pain.just a suggestion for ya darrel.marcia

[rollin64]

i wasn't offered either. or maybe it was the only way. i didn't know they had to traumatize a lot of muscles in the back, i thought the spinal column and cord was right under the skin. felt like it was to me.

i know when they first woke me up, it hurt like a mutha. i woulda been happy just dying it was sooooooo bad. if they coulda went thru the front and saved me that godawful pain, i definitely woulda went that route. i figured going thru the front would have been the hardest, never thought about it painwise.