anyone have success with Cervical Decompression?

[dylantatemgordon]

My discs are in pretty good shape. One of them C6-C7 has mild desiccation, but no bulges. I feel like the risk of destabilizing the structure is minimal in this procedure, especially if it is a micro decompression targeting the hypertrophic facet joints in foramina. I am still functioning but it is very painful. My mri results are at the bottom.

I am wondering if anyone else has had success with this procedure, please post here thanks.

C2-3: There is no disc herniation. There is no spinal stenosis or neural foraminal stenosis.
*
C3-4: Is a disc osteophyte complex at the left posterolateral disk space measuring approximately
1.5 millimeters with mild facet hypertrophy and uncovertebral hypertrophy. There is mild left neural
foraminal stenosis.
*
C4-5: There is a small disc osteophyte complex measuring approximately 1 millimeter. There is
mild uncovertebral hypertrophy and facet hypertrophy. There is no spinal stenosis. There is
moderate right neural foraminal stenosis and mild left neural foraminal stenosis.
*
C5-6: There is a small diffuse disc osteophyte complex measuring 1 or 2 millimeters. There is mild
uncovertebral hypertrophy. There is mild to moderate right neural foraminal stenosis. There is mild
left neural foraminal stenosis.
*
C6-7: There is mild disc desiccation. There is a diffuse disc osteophyte complex which is more prominent at the right posterolateral and foraminal disc space measuring approximately 2
millimeters. There is mild ligamentum flavum hypertrophy. Spinal stenosis measures 9 millimeters
in AP diameter. There is mild facet hypertrophy. There is mild to moderate right neural foraminal
stenosis and mild left neural foraminal stenosis.
*
C7-T1 : There is small posterior bony spurring. There is no disk herniation. There is no spinal
stenosis. There is no neural foraminal stenosis.
*
IMPRESSION: There are diffuse degenerative endplate changes throughout the cervical spine with
osteophyte formation and posterior bony spurring with multilevel degenerative disc disease and
diffuse facet hypertrophy and uncovertebral hypertrophy causing multilevel neural foraminal stenosis.
*
At C3-4, there is mild left neural foraminal stenosis.
*
At C4-5, there is moderate right neural foraminal stenosis and mild left neural foraminal stenosis.
*
At C5-6, there is mild to moderate right neural foraminal stenosis and mild left neural foraminal
stenosis.
*
At C6-7, spinal stenosis measures 9 millimeters in AP diameter with mild to moderate right neural
foraminal stenosis and mild left neural foraminal stenosis.
*
C3-4: Is a disc osteophyte complex at the left posterolateral disk space measuring approximately
1.5 millimeters with mild facet hypertrophy and uncovertebral hypertrophy. There is mild left neural
foraminal stenosis.
*
C4-5: There is a small disc osteophyte complex measuring approximately 1 millimeter. There is
mild uncovertebral hypertrophy and facet hypertrophy. There is no spinal stenosis. There is
moderate right neural foraminal stenosis and mild left neural foraminal stenosis.
*
C5-6: There is a small diffuse disc osteophyte complex measuring 1 or 2 millimeters. There is mild
uncovertebral hypertrophy. There is mild to moderate right neural foraminal stenosis. There is mild
left neural foraminal stenosis.
*
C6-7: There is mild disc desiccation. There is a diffuse disc osteophyte complex which is more prominent at the right posterolateral and foraminal disc space measuring approximately 2
millimeters. There is mild ligamentum flavum hypertrophy. Spinal stenosis measures 9 millimeters
in AP diameter. There is mild facet hypertrophy. There is mild to moderate right neural foraminal
stenosis and mild left neural foraminal stenosis.
*
C7-T1 : There is small posterior bony spurring. There is no disk herniation. There is no spinal
stenosis. There is no neural foraminal stenosis.
*
IMPRESSION: There are diffuse degenerative endplate changes throughout the cervical spine with
osteophyte formation and posterior bony spurring with multilevel degenerative disc disease and
diffuse facet hypertrophy and uncovertebral hypertrophy causing multilevel neural foraminal stenosis.
*
At C3-4, there is mild left neural foraminal stenosis.
*
At C4-5, there is moderate right neural foraminal stenosis and mild left neural foraminal stenosis.
*
At C5-6, there is mild to moderate right neural foraminal stenosis and mild left neural foraminal
stenosis.
*
At C6-7, spinal stenosis measures 9 millimeters in AP diameter with mild to moderate right neural
foraminal stenosis and mild left neural foraminal stenosis.

C7-T1 C2-3: There is no disc herniation. There is no spinal stenosis or neural foraminal stenosis.
*

[NJ Gene]

Dylan,

I had spinal stenosis amongst other things. I had two endoscopic foraminotomies. Ironically, they were both at the the same level C6/C7, but not at the same time. One was done on the left side in 2008. The other was done on the right side in 2013.

You should get the opinions of several surgeons and see what they suggest. I don't know if you can have foraminotmies on multiple levels at the same time. While the surgery is minimally-invasive, it is painful at the incision site for about two-weeks post-op.

I am not a doctor, but since the results repeatedly say foraminal stenosis, that's what I'm thinking you need. I think what you have is way too mild to even consider fusion or ADR. I would consult with a few spine surgeons here in the U.S. I know several good ones in the NYC/NJ area. I'm sure others on this board can help you with other locations.

I think you'll be ok. No need to even think about going to Europe for something that is done well here.

Good luck!!

Gene

[dylantatemgordon]

Originally Posted by NJ Gene

Dylan,

I had spinal stenosis amongst other things. I had two endoscopic foraminotomies. Ironically, they were both at the the same level C6/C7, but not at the same time. One was done on the left side in 2008. The other was done on the right side in 2013.

You should get the opinions of several surgeons and see what they suggest. I don't know if you can have foraminotmies on multiple levels at the same time. While the surgery is minimally-invasive, it is painful at the incision site for about two-weeks post-op.

I am not a doctor, but since the results repeatedly say foraminal stenosis, that's what I'm thinking you need. I think what you have is way too mild to even consider fusion or ADR. I would consult with a few spine surgeons here in the U.S. I know several good ones in the NYC/NJ area. I'm sure others on this board can help you with other locations.

I think you'll be ok. No need to even think about going to Europe for something that is done well here.

Good luck!!

Gene

Thank you. Improvement after your foraminotmies? I am a dascor recipient in Los Angeles for the L5-S1 (Dr Regan), so no stranger to surgery. Regan was saying therapy for this one, but i have already done 6 months and still wake up in pain. I have a meeting with DR Babak Barcohana next week.

[NJ Gene]

Dylan,

Yes, I feel 99% better after my foraminotomy, particularly the most recent one. I felt much better after my 1st one as well.

Gene

[RobertM]

I did it once and will never do it again. When they took the harnesses off I could barley move. Then finally rolled of the table (literally). I went to stand up and couldn't stand straight I looked like an old man, then I tried to take a step and could only take old man step, think feet shuffling. It wasn't until 4 hours later than I started to be able to stand up a little straighter. I went to bed and woke up the next day unable to move because the pain was so bad.

The next time I went to PT I told the therapist I would break his legs if he put me in that much pain again. Thankfully we had a good working relationship so he knew I was joking.

[dylantatemgordon]

Originally Posted by RobertM

I did it once and will never do it again. When they took the harnesses off I could barley move. Then finally rolled of the table (literally). I went to stand up and couldn't stand straight I looked like an old man, then I tried to take a step and could only take old man step, think feet shuffling. It wasn't until 4 hours later than I started to be able to stand up a little straighter. I went to bed and woke up the next day unable to move because the pain was so bad.

The next time I went to PT I told the therapist I would break his legs if he put me in that much pain again. Thankfully we had a good working relationship so he knew I was joking.

yeah i would not and did not go down that road for lumbar. Supports a lot of weight down there and taking material out did not seem like a good option. I went for a L5-S1 disc nucleus replacement and it worked well. But the cervical just holds about 10 pounds of brain matter and i feel like a little removal could be better tolerated.

[jss]

Dylan,

Rather than a foramenotomy, many surgeons access the bone spurs by removing the disc and then fusing once the spurs are gone. I know I'd prefer the foramenotomy over an ACDF.

I did the decompression machine and traction for many weeks. It always helped for a while. But my compression was from bulging discs. I don't know how helpful it will be for bone spurs.

Good luck, Jeff

[dylantatemgordon]

Originally Posted by jss

Dylan,

Rather than a foramenotomy, many surgeons access the bone spurs by removing the disc and then fusing once the spurs are gone. I know I'd prefer the foramenotomy over an ACDF.

I did the decompression machine and traction for many weeks. It always helped for a while. But my compression was from bulging discs. I don't know how helpful it will be for bone spurs.

Good luck, Jeff

Barcohana does micro decompression's. My only fear is that the C6-C-7 is the culprit, guess only a discogram can tell