Fusion C6/C7....will I be able to train BJJ again?

Dear diary.. ;)

Day 3 after OP:
swallowing is continuesly getting better. I can almost eat anything. Still not allowed to turn my head in any direction. The painlevel is ok....still got some pain beside the shoulderblade (thats where the pain startet initially after the accident) from time to time.
Left arm feels a little bit weaker and the indexfinger is still numb at the tip of it (before op the whole indexfinger was numb).
So, little improvments. Still waiting for the doc to discuss the x-ray.

Update:
So doctor says x-rays look good, everything is where it should be. After 2-3 months the the vertebraebones should have grown and be one bone.
 
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Day 6 after fusion:
Was released from hospital today. feeling quite good, was allowed to turn my head in any direction as long as i got no pain. Still some little pain between the shoulderblades, but that might also come from the muscles. Finger is still numb and muscleatrophy is still there, but I`m optimistic. Nerves just need some time to recover. In 4 weeks I got the next appointment with my doctor to see if everything is doing fine.
In 10 days I should reduce my painkillers and by the 3rd week I should be painkiller free :)
 
Sounds about right on the bone growth. Mine was 4 months which I past with flying colors two weeks ago.

Get off the Opioid pain meds as soon as you can take the pain! That shit is super dangerous! I only did the 81mgs of anti blood clot aspirin and Tylenol.

Did you see a physical therapist yet? And if you can move your head to the limit of your pain threshold, is there any limitations on how often?

The reason I'm asking is I quizzed my doc very carefully about my limitations so I could get to maximum PT right out of the gate. The more you use your neck safely the less atrophy you'll have to recover from later. I'm still doing the 2hr PT regiment I built and have added back static low posture standing, slow and medium speed Nage No Kata solo movement drills and basic throw technique.

Good luck, keep us posted and flush those meds!
 
4 months? that`s kind of long, isn`t it? my doctor told my 2-3months until the bones grown together.

I never took opioids, so no worries, just the "normal" stuff like Ibu etc.
Tomorrow I got my first PT. There I will try how far I can turn my head. Right now I`m still a little bit hesitant, do not want to force anything.

Do you still train BJJ?
 
Aastra said:
4 months? that`s kind of long, isn`t it? my doctor told my 2-3months until the bones grown together.

I never took opioids, so no worries, just the "normal" stuff like Ibu etc.
Tomorrow I got my first PT. There I will try how far I can turn my head. Right now I`m still a little bit hesitant, do not want to force anything.

Do you still train BJJ?
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Judo, I'm rehabbing solo till March. There's still a ton of weakness on my left side. I still have to hold on when I bend for Uchi Mata just solo so there's a lot of deep range of motion strength I have to rebuild. I can trot run short intervals but I'm focused on light jump roping and supporting with my strong side. I went to dynamic lunges on both sides which was a personal victory. I'm looking to jog around a block Christmas morning and see how much farther I can stand before exhaustion failure. That's my next goal.

Man, the amount of pain you won't be in is just incredible after a month or so. I'll always remember that 6weeks mark where the pain I was feeling just sitting was less than Pre op. Now it takes a couple of hours of hard PT and light solo training to be in half the pain I was in everyday!
 
Iirc you should not take any ibuprofen or blood thinners after fusion.

Good luck.
 
anaconda said:
Iirc you should not take any ibuprofen or blood thinners after fusion.

Good luck.
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Well, my doctor just said the opposite...you should take blood thinners because of the risk of inner blood swelling. But just for the first couple of days after the fusion.
 
Day 8 after fusion:
Had my first PT. She showed me some isometric drills I should do at home. Took a 30minute walk home. I feel no real limitations but still hold myself back for the better.
 
JustTheTip said:
Don't get a Fusion. Get an artificial disc.In the long run a Fusion will pretty much guarantee that you have to get another Fusion at a later date. Because you live outside the US, you are a candidate for the M1 Disk which is the same one that Braulio Estima got. Your BJJ career shouldn't be over but get the surgery ASAP before your nerve damage gets worse.
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I know Tito has at least 1 artificial disc in his neck which I found amazing. I didn't think this was even something that existed. Do u have any idea how prevalent this procedure is? I don't think too many docs are doing it. I am going to need it myself.
 
Aastra said:
Thx guys for your replies.
First, i hurt my neck ( c6/c7) so i'm talking about a fusion on this level.
I also did some research about artificial discs for the neck. I found a study that comes to the conclusion that after 5 years the 2 methods ( fusion vs artificial ) both treatment groups have the same level of pain/no pain/benefit. The one plus for artficials are that the patients recovered quicker from the surgery and could do quicker daily activities again. One big minus however is the lack of longterm expierience with artificial discs.

Hmmm i hoped there were some jiujitseros whi would say "had fusion in the neck, no probs to train again"....but that is maybe just me daydreaming....;P
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I think youll be able to train again on some level. You obviously just do things the right way which means get it fixed, strengthen the neck, keep up with the prehab/rehab exercises and such, and eeeeaaase into training again. Tito has had countless neck surgeries and still fights at a pretty high level. He may be a total freak of nature but it gives me hope as someone with multiple degenerative discs in my neck.
 
Aastra said:
Well, my doctor just said the opposite...you should take blood thinners because of the risk of inner blood swelling. But just for the first couple of days after the fusion.
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Definitely listen to him then and not me! Good luck with your recovery.
 
2,5weeks after fusion:
-Yesterday was the first day without any medications since 3,5 months. I felt good!....a little uncomfortable here and there but no real pain. So, this is good news. I hope it stays that way :)
-On the mental side I feel kind of sad/depressed everytime I see some posts on facebook from my team mates....how they are training and how they get new belts and so on. That really gets me down....so I decided to avoid these kind of things and I do not follow any jiujitsu related things on facebook anymore. I even avoid the christmas happening/party from the team bc I couldn`t stand it to meet all these happy training people....it`s sad bc everybody keeps asking about my whereabouts.
 
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Aastra- You are doing everything right. After each one of my fusions I stopped following bjj news since it would become too frustrating. Find something else to focus on for the next few months. PT, yoga, weights. Whatever you are allowed to do. Let the body heal. Jiujitsu is not going anywhere.
 
My coach broke his neck in a few places riding BMX when he was 15. He has fused discs and all sorts of stuff going on in there. He still managed to train BJJ well enough to get to black and run his own school. He just built his game around minimizing risk to his spine. Anyway - if he can, you probably can too. Just make sure you get the correct medical advice, and do the right rehab and train the right way etc.
 
1 month after fusion:
I had my 1 month after fusion-checkup. Everything is fine so far, the cage is still in place although there is no bone visible on the x-ray. The doctor said that can take up to 3 months.
 
Awesome progress man!

I beat Christmas for my first run and have done 3 so far.

Muscle sore as shit is he next day, but no structural pain!

Happy holidays and keep us posted!
 
dsdoubled said:
I know Tito has at least 1 artificial disc in his neck which I found amazing. I didn't think this was even something that existed. Do u have any idea how prevalent this procedure is? I don't think too many docs are doing it. I am going to need it myself.
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Eddie Bravo got one in his back
 
10,5 weeks after fusion:
Everything looks ok on the x-ray. Everything is where it is supposed to be. But no fusion of the bones yet.
Started training last week, did some spinning, rowing and light weights. Man, my cardio is so baaaad haha. So my plan is to workout every other day for 60-90Minutes. 30-45 Minutes Cardio and the rest light weights, body weights drills.
Feels mentally good to be back in the gym. If everything works out well I will add some swimming in 4 weeks and after that some boxing on the bag or on the mits (If my PT allows me to do so).

After the bones will be fused completely I will think about trying out Jiu again. But that will still take 9-12 months, i guess
 
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