“Sitting and driving was before the surgery and my arm would have numbness and tinkling. I still have the same symptoms and pain after having surgery”. This makes me suspicious of thoracic outlet syndrome. Please see this: ‘https://neckandback.com/conditions/thoracic-outlet-syndrome/ or even this https://neckandback.com/conditions/cubital-tunnel-syndrome/
“what I didn’t have before the surgery is the sharp pain that goes up into my head and temple area. I also have a constant ringing in my ears that never goes away this I did not have before the surgery”. The ringing of the ears (tinnitus) could be from a number of disorders but spine surgery would not be one of them (although anesthesia could theoretically cause this). Sharp pain that radiates into the head can originate from the neck generally through facet disorders in the upper cervical spine.
“I was told that after having the surgery I would be a 100 percent better”. No patient should ever be told that. Even in the best of hands, there is still a failure rate for any surgery.
“There appears to be step off welding at the C5-6 disc level”. I think this is a miss dictation as I would expect it should say “spot” welding but a step-off might indicate a slight step off of the graft (slightly displaced). This might be of no consequence.
Dr. Corenman
PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
