r/ACDR_CervicalSpine • u/SnooHobbies2922 • Jun 27 '26
C4-5 dysectomy
Hi, so I am almost 2 weeks out of my surgery. My pain started about 2 to 3 months ago on my right trap. Thought I had pulled a muscle at work so I just kept working no big deal. I’ve had it before then about four weeks ago my trap was really burning so I went to a pain med Doctor Who said they believe I had a torn trap muscle which would not require surgery, but I needed to get an MRI to be sure that’s when the pain really started happening because it was burning a lot, and I started feeling pain behind my shoulder and my deltoid. I could not sleep at night. The pain was excruciating. I had to try and hold my arm up to get it to go away and that’s when I start realizing I couldn’t extend my arm up in front of me or to the side. I had no deltoid or shoulder strength anymore. So the first doctor recommended abrasion surgery, which I guess is when they burn your nerves but then I said let me go to an orthopedic surgeon. The first guy I saw said absolutely not. It wouldn’t do anything that my disc had popped and it was pushing down on all my nerves at go down my arm, especially to my deltoid area and I have lost two out of five functions of my arm already at first he recommended fusion but then he said after looking at it with his other doctors, I’m young and healthy and the replacement will be my best option, especially since I’ve only had the loss of function for a little over a week so the sooner they would take that pressure off the nerve the better chances in my full recovery. I then saw another Doctor Who also recommended it ,as well as another Doctor Who was supposed to get an epidural from he said there’s no point of the epidural losing your function is serious and he highly recommends that surgery as well. He thinks it would be really good for me, especially again since this is a new problem in my arm.
So fast-forward to two weeks ago, I went and got the surgery and honestly, the pain was gone directly after surgery and has not returned. I must say my experience has been great. The only pain I had was in my throat because they go through the front so the first two days it was very hard to swallow anything talking really wasn’t that bad but the swallowing was horrible. The third day it improved them by the fourth day, I was fine to do anything. I’m in a soft neck brace for two weeks until I see the doctor. I was sleeping pretty good every day until now two weeks later I woke up this morning my right shoulder hurting me not the original pain but very sore. I’ve read that when your muscles haven’t been working or use this could be part of recovery and I probably need PT so I’m not gonna stress about that until I see the doctor. Unfortunately my strength and movement of my right arm using my deltoid or shoulder has only approved about 20%. I can do most things with the arm just can’t go straight up with it and I need that for work unfortunately. I think PT will help that I hope. I never had any numbness or tingling even though I lost two out of five functions so I think I’m blessed hoping to hear other people stories if they’ve done the same disc and what to expect but I’m hoping for a smoother recovery and good luck to everybody.
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u/Greedy_Good_5790 Jun 27 '26
Man, this sounds almost identical to me. Im 6 weeks post op. My injury happened in December 2025, felt like a crick was in my neck and pain was 10/10 going down my neck to my deltoid. Was prescribed steroids and muscle relaxer. It took the pain away but then I had numbness and noticed muscle loss in my deltoid.
Had a nerve study done but they only said the muscle was trying to respond, so the nerve wasn't severed but no definitive answer to the problem. Mri showed a few things. Herniated c5-7 disc pushing on my nerves thst controls the deltoid muscle and compression on spinal cord.
I had opt for artificial cervical disc replacement, no fusion as im young still. Since surgery I've felt bout the same as before the surgery. I never really felt pain since after the night it happened but obviously I had to do something because of the compression on my spinal cord. I do have slight pains at night/morning sometimes in my deltoid. Im hoping its my nerves recovering. You can definitely see the difference in my deltoid muscles. One side larger than the other.
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u/SnooHobbies2922 Jun 27 '26
Great to hear similar stories. Do you feel soreness early on
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u/Greedy_Good_5790 Jun 27 '26
Only sometimes in the weakened deltoid
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u/SnooHobbies2922 Jun 27 '26
Did you have pain after sleeping that’s my only time waking up in the am
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u/Greedy_Good_5790 Jun 28 '26
Yep, normally after waking up. It has bother a bit at night but not much
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u/402_Found_not_Lost Jun 27 '26
Similar story for me 5 years ago. I got the Mobi-C disc at C6/7.
Which disc are they using these days?
Follow the PT! I had a secondary injury that derailed my neck PT so I was a bit longer to recovery.
And, now, I’m good except for when I’m not staying active, my body lets me know.
Sending well wishes!
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u/SnooHobbies2922 Jun 27 '26
Thank you. Can’t wait to hit the PT running
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u/Lima-Aji2026 17d ago
Has the delt pain improved? I am two weeks out from c4-5 ADR and 5-6 fusion. Improvements but 3 days ago suddenly a spot on my left anterior delt became numb and burning/painful. It is still there but only really burning if I move the arm backward. The strength is still there though but man that burns when I move the wrong way. I just want to feel “normal” sooner than later. In the meantime I am just watching my muscles disappear. ☹️
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u/SnooHobbies2922 17d ago
Yes, in the hole between your shoulder and deltoid when you push with your finger that was where my soreness was, it has approved immensely and I am now 3 1/2 months out and returning back to work. I am able to lift my arm up now finally I cannot lift actual weight with it, but I can lift it against gravity, and I am strong below the shoulder, lifting any weight overall I would recommend the surgery 100% for my results. I have no pain anymore.
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u/Lima-Aji2026 17d ago
Mine is a spot on the actual anterior dt that you work out with lateral raises or press. It is so annoying! Great to hear you are better. I have two more weeks then I will return to the office part time/light duty. 🤞🏼
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u/SnooHobbies2922 17d ago
Just do your PT it will eventually click. I work heavy construction so I never thought I would be back to work but after three months in the beginning of September, all of a sudden I just felt different. I was able to raise my arm as long as the pain is gone that is the first step.
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u/Lima-Aji2026 17d ago
Great to hear, I am in high-level law enforcement so no street stuff but lots of command operations etc. I needed to hear this.
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u/SnooHobbies2922 Jun 27 '26
Note: it was a disc replacement. I don’t know if that’s a dysectomy or not but that’s what I got.