Neck fusion

Looks like I'm going to have my neck fused shortly. Dr. removing 2 discs and fusing 3 vertebrae C4-5-6. I'm just wondering if anyone here has had that done and are you still able to ride comfortably. Right now the pain in my neck and numbness in my left arm has kept me off my bike. I'm 71 and ride a 2005 R1200ST that I bought new. Thinking this might be the time to hang it up. Any thoughts?

Best wishes for a positive outcome.

Previous site owner had neck issues.

AFAIK he had to stop riding, eventually.

What does the surgeon say?

Could never ride more than 20 minutes on my K100RS. Combined disc and carpal tunnel. Fused C5-6 in 2001. Woke up with no nerve pain. Sold the KRS not too long after. Got back on a R1100RT maybe in '07. Just couldn't stand to be away from bikes anymore. No issues riding.

Range of motion was only slightly impacted for Dunlap inspection.....when I see if I've dunlapped over my belt. Right looking only starts to cause some neck pain after several minutes. Mine was an autogenous graft plus a plate. The hip was more uncomfortable than the neck from taking the bone graft. I don't think they do that anymore. I just talked to a guy who had, at least, 5-6 done and he was good to go in a few weeks where mine was wear a plastic collar for 8 weeks.

OY! Sorry to hear the bad news...

I can't say much about fusion, or neck problems, but I blew out a disk in my lower back, and had a microdiskectomy (twice). What I've learned since then, talking with other folks with similar problems, is that everyone is different. Some people think the surgery was the best thing since sliced bread, some folks say they're in constant pain (before and after surgery). Just like the decision to have the surgery, you're the only guy who can tell if the problem was solved, and to what degree (and then what activities are possible).

For me personally, I'm glad I did the surgery as it solved maybe 90% of the problem. But that 10% that remains can be frustrating. For me, it's a little counter intuitive. It hurts all the damn time, but strangely the more active I am, the better it feels. Or put another way - sitting on the couch for months on end, never did have the desired effect. It reminds me of a friend's dad, who had his hip replaced in his 70s. He said if he didn't walk 4 or 5 miles a day, he'd get all stoved up and could hardly get off the couch. Anyway, the lesson, I guess is be patient (especially at first), but do get up and get out there and see what different activities, and at what levels, that you're able to do. I'm no doctor, but keep pushing the envelope a little.

Best wishes to a speedy recovery!

Thanks for the replies. Doctor wants me in a hard collar (cone of shame) for 3 months then no activity that has sudden jarring for another 3 months. I've been off the bike since September think I'll try to do a short ride tomorrow and see how things go. Thanks again

I'm joining the neck fusion club on the 27th. Same level C-3 thru C-6. I talked with a neurosurgeon who rides and had his done. He says the stiffness is an inconvenience and you learn to rotate your body to make up for the loss in the neck which he claims is minor. Good luck.

I had something different done. My issue was that the channel for my spinal column was too narrow, due to misalignment caused by combat damage. Instead of fusing, the doc cut each of c3-c6 open from the back. He then pried them open and plated them so the channels were lined up and open. Long, painful recovery. No movement issues now, and I have control of my left foot (horrible drop foot), and have feeling back in my hands. The recovery is long, as they have to pull the muscles in your neck and back out of the way to do the work. The surgery was in December of 16, and I was unable to do more than about 2 hours of riding that summer. In 2018, my riding is not limited by any neck issues. This type of surgery might be for you. Might be worth checking into.

Of course, now we need to work on the lower and mid back.

Hope everything goes well with you MT Wallet. The wife and I were talking at lunch today about selling the R1200ST and on her own she suggested getting something that sits more upright like an RT. Love her lots.

I think your wife is a wise woman with a great solution-keep her.

neurosurgeons who ride are relatively rare in my experience, good for him.

I had C4-C6 done 7 years ago. I've ridden 125,000+ miles since then. The issues post recovery were limited to reduced flexibility by maybe 15 degrees on head rotation, so not at all hard to compensate for. The biggest issue for me is that I was told I would lose about 10% of the meninge (disc) per year and would begin to see symptoms reappear. Alas, that has now begun. My right hand goes to sleep pretty easily, so now I use the cruise control a lot.

As I had lost the use of my right arm prior to the surgery, I count all of it as a gain, as I was unable to ride prior to surgery.

Oh, and I'm full time on the bike, year round and have been since before the operation, so the surgery doesn't mean you can't ride. I can, and do!

Just a quick question. How old are you? What kind of work do you do? I'm nearly 71 and mostly retired. The subsequent deterioration of the remaining discs has been a concern.

I just ran across this conversation. I have a five level fusion in my neck after four surgeries. The first was a two level fusion in 1998 C4/5 and 5/6. 2000 was a single level C 3/4. 2002 was a laminectomy on C 6/7. In 2011 a two level fusion at C 6/7 and C7/T1. Before each surgery I had a lot of tingling and numbness in my right hand and forearm. I've lost a little movement in my neck, but not a big deal. When I pull on the shoulder of the road on my bike I have to pull on an angle so I can see behind me to be able to pull out again. I can't turn my head far enough to see directly behind me when I'm stopped. It doesn't bother me while riding. I have to have a bike with an upright riding position. I have a 1200GSA, and I have ROX risers on it. After each surgery I had to wear a soft collar for three weeks, and take it easy for another four weeks after removing the collar.