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

Here we are, almost 8month after sugery. In 4 months I will have my (hopefully) last appointment with the doctor. He expects that the fusion will be complete by then. I hope so! :)
I`m doing weights and cardio 3-4 times a week, so I`m in a okay shape again. Still the left chest and trizeps is a little bit weaker than the other side. But I only feel that in training not in the everyday life. I tried some shadowboxing with small weights a month ago, but my body kind of did`t like it....had some pain afterwards at the shoulder blade, so I stayed off of these kind of things. If the x-ray shows real fusion, I will try shadowboxing, hitting the heavybag and eventually take (fitness) boxing classes again. And from there on I will see.
 
@Aastra

What exactly happened in training that you injured yourself this serious? A throw?
 
@Aastra

What exactly happened in training that you injured yourself this serious? A throw?

It was an arm triangle i was trying to fight off....i should have tapped earlier but i tried to defend it and my training partner increased the pressure. But in the end, my doctor suggested that it was the cumulation of doing a lot of sports/martial arts and the event itself was just the trigger.
 
Aastra,
Thanks for keeping this updated. I'm sure a lot of people going through similar things will learn from it.

On a side note, your repliers from the past seem unreasonably skeptical of the competency of your physicians. I've noticed, both in real life and online, that a majority of people in the USA seem to share a similar cynical view regarding physicians.

It is bewildering to me that untrained individuals feel that their ability to google search somehow trumps formal medical training. What's worse is that when people are told something they don't want to hear, they go looking for a second opinion that will align with what they want.

I am all for people exhausting options and taking an interest in their own health but I have found the general, cynical attitude towards doctors to be disturbing. Most blue and white belts would never question their black belt instructor, who likely went through no formal education or certification process (we will ignore any kind of weekend certification course). I don't understand why these same people feel it appropriate or reasonable to doubt physicians.

Is this cynical attitude towards doctors shared where you are located?
 
Aastra,
Thanks for keeping this updated. I'm sure a lot of people going through similar things will learn from it.

On a side note, your repliers from the past seem unreasonably skeptical of the competency of your physicians. I've noticed, both in real life and online, that a majority of people in the USA seem to share a similar cynical view regarding physicians.

It is bewildering to me that untrained individuals feel that their ability to google search somehow trumps formal medical training. What's worse is that when people are told something they don't want to hear, they go looking for a second opinion that will align with what they want.

I am all for people exhausting options and taking an interest in their own health but I have found the general, cynical attitude towards doctors to be disturbing. Most blue and white belts would never question their black belt instructor, who likely went through no formal education or certification process (we will ignore any kind of weekend certification course). I don't understand why these same people feel it appropriate or reasonable to doubt physicians.

Is this cynical attitude towards doctors shared where you are located?

1. Medicine is more complicated than BJJ with errors commonly experienced, all while the stakes are higher.
2. Conflicts of interests exist.
3. Low levels of checks and balances and service level accountability.
4. Opaque system and lack of free market forces.
5. Last but not least, formal training ends early in a doctor's career and can be outdated by the time you see him.

Bonus: Elephant in the room is that not all doctors are all that smart. Entry and passing medical school requires more read and regurg than critical thinking. So if your case isn't clear cut you absolutely can get the wrong advice.

Also I question grappling instructors all the time.
 
Is this cynical attitude towards doctors shared where you are located?

I have this "cynical" (more realistic if you ask me) take on doctors because I work with them every day for years now. NO surgeon will advice you a better surgery option if he cant do it! Really I know exactly one who does that out of a lot. So in this case a surgeon who is proficient in fusing will just not recommend artificial disk operation no matter how beneficial that is for the patient. In most cases he will not even have done any research on the topic.

Second: There is a very real danger for patients nowadays to get unnecessary surgeries because a) in a hospital contrary to the past economical professionals lead and they often create direct pressure on surgeons to deliver a certain amount of surgeries per year no matter the patients benefit. If there is a choice the more expensive surgeries should be focused on which NOT always is the best for the patient.
b) greedy doctors in private clinics and networks of doctors who recommend each other out of financial profit.

These are all real threats to our health and you need to assess them if you want to look out for yourself. Regarding hospitals and unnecessary surgeries

The classic diagnostic example for that is hip replacement. We have quite a good ratio getting patients better without an operation or slowing down the need for one for many years, but many patients dont even get non surgical treatment. Its "patient has pain in this region" = X-Ray = hip replacement = several thousand dollars richer. No consulting with other experts...etc.

So getting multiple advices from different surgeons imo is vital to ones own health in assessing what is the preferential treatment.
 
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It was an arm triangle i was trying to fight off....i should have tapped earlier but i tried to defend it and my training partner increased the pressure. But in the end, my doctor suggested that it was the cumulation of doing a lot of sports/martial arts and the event itself was just the trigger.
How are you doing today? I am supposed to have the same surgery in less than a month for the same injury of C6/C7
 
How are you doing today? I am supposed to have the same surgery in less than a month for the same injury of C6/C7

Howd it go man? I went to the ortho doc Tuesday and he said I need this surgery asap. Its scheduled for Friday.
 
I'm interested as well. I have alot of stenosis at C7 in particular that I'm dealing with. Getting an MRI soon to see about impingement and then go over options.
 
I'm interested as well. I have alot of stenosis at C7 in particular that I'm dealing with. Getting an MRI soon to see about impingement and then go over options.

It's my C7 as well. Went to the gym on saturday and rolled like normal, nothing really happened, no neck cranks or anything, in fact I dont think i got submitted once, closest was an armbar attempt. Noticed a small kink in my shoulder, didn't think much of it. Then on the car ride home my neck tightened up and i couldnt move it. Then my shoulder and tricep started aching and my pointer finger on my right hand went numb.

Did not get better over the weekend so i went to the orthi clinic tuesday. Oddly enough he asked me to push him away with my right arm and i couldnt budge him, my tricep is conpletely unresponsive and I hadnt even noticed. Anyways' herniated c7 was the diagnosis and now im getting c7 replaced and im out for 3 to 6 months if not forever. Sucks man, I am just closing in on my brown belt, what a hell of a time for the journey to pause. Good luck with your mri, hopefully its something you can work on without surgery.
 
I was diagnosed with bulging discs at c5-6-7 about 10 years ago, ever since blue belt. Stenosis of the foramen and the spinal column too. I chose not to have the surgery and treated with everything under the sun. Name it I've tried it. All the stretching tools and contraptions too. Pain specialists, weed, cbd, tremadol etc. I've had tricep and bicep weakness, twitching, wrist pain, hand numbness over the years. I had nerve pain in the hand overnight on 3 seperate occasions in the last 4 years to the point I wanted to cut it off... like 11/10 kind of pain. Each time I would end up in the emergency room and need a high powered anti inflammatory injection to subside the constant pain. I trained through most of this with a week or 2 off here and there since diagnosis. I was told by the first doctor that I was risking being paralyzed by continuing training. It scared me so I took it pretty easy, but training ramped up and the pain was manageable. After my second MRI about 7 years after the first, I was told the spinal column was not as impacted as the first doctor thought. That yes, the dics are bulgy and the foramen tunnels are narrow squeezing the nerve and that is where most of my symptoms are coming from. That I should continue to listen to my body and train at the level that feels right to me. Reduce inflammation.

So that's what I'm doing and though I've suffered through a lot of pain over the years I'm glad I didn't get the surgery. I have good and bad days but I'm able to roll about 3 times a week and teach 3 classes. The hot tub, stretching, diet and sleep are important. I'm a pillow princess for sure!

Some people have had great results with the fusion and some people have not. MRI's are tricky to read even for trained doctors.

More and more people are going to have this as mine was cumulative of a lifetime of sports and martial arts. Kids today are performing at a higher level way earlier in life and they are also going to run into issues.
 
I got an Artificial Disk and been back training for over a year. I still have nerve damage but since returning I was promoted and won Silver at Master Worlds at my new belt (Brown). My biggest regret was not getting the surgery sooner.
 
I got an Artificial Disk and been back training for over a year. I still have nerve damage but since returning I was promoted and won Silver at Master Worlds at my new belt (Brown). My biggest regret was not getting the surgery sooner.
The artificial disc seems to be the way to go. I looked into it and it was crazy expensive. It's not offered here in BC, so ai got a quote from a doctor in Washington. It was way above my pay grade.
I still wouldn't do the fusion, but if I wasn't able to cope with my pain and I had the funds, I'd try the fake disc. Glad it worked out for you.
 
I got an Artificial Disk and been back training for over a year. I still have nerve damage but since returning I was promoted and won Silver at Master Worlds at my new belt (Brown). My biggest regret was not getting the surgery sooner.
hello

You had M1 disc ? got C5 C 6 last year due to judo shit... C6-c7 due to adjacent degeneration due to ACDF has worsen (already herniated before acdf c5 c6). I risk maybe new surgery, i have all motivation to do artificial disk for c6 c7
 
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