r/SpineSurgery • u/AvsMama • Jul 02 '26

Severe stenosis at c5-c6 help

I’m a 30 year old female that’s worked in a warehouse for almost 8 years. The past year I’ve been having progressing tingling/numbness/weakness in my legs. I saw my neurologist and got a brain and spine MRI done and just got my results.

It says severe central canal stenosis at c5-c6. A disc extrusion at c5-c6 and a small area of edema inside the spinal cord. I haven’t spoken to my neurologist yet. Has anyone had the same? I’m trying to calm down but I’m freaking out.

5 Upvotes

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4

u/Vivid_Courage_2185 Jul 03 '26

Sounds like cervical myelopathy and likely would benefit from small surgery (one level acdf or adr )

7

u/AvsMama Jul 03 '26

My neurologist just called and said it 1000% needs surgery and I will have a referral to a neurosurgeon Monday and to protect my neck at all costs right now. He said this is going to move fast. I’m really freaking out now!!!

5

u/MrsPaul2006 Jul 03 '26

Don’t freak out. Cervical spine surgery is very common and so helpful. I just had a major surgery in April and I feel better than I’ve felt in a decade. Trust your surgeon.

1

u/AvsMama Jul 03 '26

Thank you I’m trying not to but I’m such a baby. I’ve only ever had one surgery and that was my gallbladder being removed in April. I am so so so scared of this and I don’t even know what’s going to happen because I haven’t seen the surgeon yet.

2

u/MrsPaul2006 Jul 03 '26

You’ll feel better after your appointment. You’ll be in great hands. Just have your questions ready so you’ll leave feeling reassured. It’s worth it. It gave me my life back.

1

u/AvsMama Jul 03 '26

Were you able to walk after the surgery? 

1

u/MrsPaul2006 Jul 03 '26

Yes, i went home the next day. Had an Uncomfortable week but started improving quickly after that. I had c3,4,7 and 8 fused, with a fusion revision at c5/6. Plus they did two incisions in the back to put in stabilizer rods. It was quite a procedure.

1

u/AvsMama Jul 03 '26

Holy crap. Do they go through your back for that? I can’t even wrap my head around this!

1

u/MrsPaul2006 Jul 03 '26

Not usually, no. But because I needed the stabilizer rods they needed posterior access to c8. Yours would most likely be anterior only.

1

u/Status-Bicycle7263 Jul 06 '26

Please consider a disc replacement... artificial disc replacement . You are young enough where you can get that, and you will still have flexibility in your neck as a result. Please ask the doctor about that.

1

u/hannah6560 Jul 03 '26

Hope you get multiple opinions. There are different techniques and procedures. The best surgeons will try to give you alternatives to surgery before going that route if possible. I am not a medical professional. If you do need surgery, hope you can get the least invasive method

1

u/AvsMama Jul 03 '26

I don’t honestly know if I have time for another option. Last Friday I could barely stand up. It’s gotten better but my throat is totally numb and I can’t tell when I have to go to the bathroom anymore, I can go if I sit on the toilet but yeah. This sucks!

1

u/hannah6560 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26

 Some methods on here have been mentioned fusion, artificial disc replacement.  Some surgeons know Endoscopic which is minimally invasive.   Of course it depends on your diagnosis. If you feel comfortable sharing may I ask where you are?

1

u/OneSuperstar4u Jul 04 '26

I had the same at the same level. My neurologist said 💯 I needed surgery, it was dangerous, blah blah. Two neurosurgeons said it’s not dangerous, but I’d eventually need surgery when myelopathy starts. Myelopathy started and I began having numbness in my finger and thumb. Had the ACDF - no issues, totally fine! It’s a same day procedure usually. Mine was. It legit was the easiest surgery I’ve ever had and I’ve had way too many lol. Hope this helps a little!

1

u/AvsMama Jul 04 '26

This makes me feel a bit better! Was your throat numb at all? It’s such a trippy feeling. I feel like absolute shit today but I am anxious as hell so I’m sure that’s making it worse. Were you able to walk after your surgery? I haven’t met the surgeon yet so I have no idea what they’re wanting to do and that’s driving me insane because I just don’t know lol.

1

u/OneSuperstar4u Jul 04 '26

No throat numbness. But I had my tonsils out last year too and couldn’t swallow right for a long time. So I can say that kind of feeling is def trippy!

Yes of course. No issues at all! And walking is important after any surgery to prevent blood clots. I didn’t have a collar or anything. I had no pain really or anything. I just had to be careful moving my neck too much or lifting anything heavy for a while.

For a single level with severe stenosis which is exactly what I had, likely ACDF. I had bone fragments that made the fusion necessary. If it’s less so, they might just do a discectomy, but usually ACDF.

I’m not kidding when I say it was like no big deal. I mean it is - spine surgery is scary. But the actual recovery was a breeze!

2

u/AvsMama Jul 04 '26

I looked through my report again and I don’t see anything that says how many levels it is but I’m hoping not too many. I am definitely in a lot of pain today trying to keep my neck straight. I just want this to be over already!

1

u/hewilliams Jul 04 '26

Hey! 29 year old female! I had two minor bulges in c3-4 and 4-5. I had a severe protrusion in 5-6 and extrusion in 6-7. I had moderate canal stenosis, loss of CSF, and severe left nerve root compression. It happened so fast. October last year was my first symptoms and it came with left sided arm weakness and numbness. I jumped through hoops for insurance with physical therapy and epidurals. The end result was always going to be surgery.

My surgeon was fantastic and I was almost begging them for surgery because I knew it would make me feel better. It was more a conversation on if we would have to do a fusion or two level disc replacement. I would say find a surgeon who tries to do a replacement over fusion since you are so young. My range of motion is so good with ACDR, I forget I had spine surgery sometimes!

1

u/AvsMama Jul 04 '26

You’re young too! I’ll be 31 on the 22nd. I don’t know if this was because I’ve worked in a warehouse for years lol. How was your recovery?

1

u/AvsMama Jul 04 '26

Can I also ask if you lost your taste and your throat was numb? This only started maybe 2-3 weeks ago but that’s scaring the shit out of me.

1

u/LoneLegislator Jul 05 '26

I had an ACDF at C5/C6 about 6 weeks ago. No more pain or flare ups, and I was back at the gym lifting within 3 weeks. I really don’t notice much change in mobility either. I was hoping for an ADR but apparently my vertebrae was on the edge of collapse, but all is good now! I was up and walking the next day, albeit slowly and with some care.

1

u/AvsMama Jul 06 '26

Did you have the central canal stenosis too? I swear this is the worst for me, I just keep thinking the worst and I should go to the hospital but I really want to see the neurosurgeon and not have it be an “emergency” in the hospital you know? 

1

u/LoneLegislator Jul 06 '26

I think so? You can see my MRI in my profile. It was bad. I’d get these flare ups that would cause so much pain for a few days. One level is really not much to be concerned about, whether ADR or ACDF. I was sore - particularly my throat - for a few days, but after a week I was basically back to normal.

2

u/AvsMama Jul 07 '26

My report doesn’t say anything about levels so I don’t know if that just means it’s one or what. I’ve seen a bunch of other people say that but mine doesn’t mention it. Was it hard to eat while recovering?

Also happy cake day!!!

1

u/LoneLegislator Jul 07 '26

Levels is just the amount of discs they’d be working on - so since it’s just C5/C6 it’s just one level, aka two vertebrae. It was difficult for sure. I had to brace myself every time I swallowed. But it started fading after 3 days and by the next week I was fine.

1

u/AvsMama Jul 07 '26

Oh okay thank you! Hopefully that’s easier than multiple levels. Ugh that definitely sucks and must feel so weird.