ACDF recovery time

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

Cycler, if you haven't learned by now physicians, are trained to preserve patients' quality of life and relieve their pain and suffering. They must use all available resources to achieve these goals for their patients.

But also the facts. Chronic Pain needs to be addressed as quick as possible. If left un-treated for to long or even only a few weeks, the patients chances of recovering from it are then slim. This means that Ethics play a major part in trying to find the Pain source before all of the injury site has gone away. But, not all doctor's are trained in Chronic Pain compaired to many being trained mostly in Acute Pain. Chronic Pain training is it's own medical course, for training on just that issue only. It also from my understanding offers a Degree once training is completed.

Oh, one more thing, as I said before I was forced to wait 15 years for a painful knee before I could get it replaced. Well, just so you know, I beeged my Ortho to get in there and replace that darn thing. Yes, I begged him. That knee wasn't a fun ride, and I don't wish that pain on anyone neither.

[Cycler]

So, regardless of all the discussions.

Tom wanted to know if his recovery from a second ACDF surgery would be more or less than his first and I believe BBBB etc have made a very good point that it will likely be somewhat longer because of the difficulties of going back in more tissue trauma and scarring and I have to agree.

Wish you a steady and uneventful recovery and return to work Tom.

[Still in Limbo]

Thanks for the Update on You and Your Injuries, I Appreciate it. I Missed it when Posted, that's Why I had Asked Countless Times. Now I Understand a bit Better Your Format, doing Research and The HR Support Work!

[UndercovrAngel]

Bad Boy Bad Boy Wrote:Cycler

I have read some Dr. R. Deyo work. Oh, I understand he is a so called Expert for the Work Comp Insurance companies too. I also know this guy He feels in his mind, no person, should be treated with any thing more then simple asprin for the first 4 weeks after an injury.

Come on get real. You read this guys crap.

Cycler Wrote: #59 RE: ACDF recovery time

I think we will have to agree to disagree about Dr. Deyo. I find his writings, statistics and papers compelling evidence and damning of what is being sold to patients in pain, all more or less in line with Weinstein's SPORT study when it comes to fusions absent significant slippage or listhesis and that's the best study to date.


UndercovrAngel Wrote:
Let me get this straight Cycler,

Your saying for a central/left paracentral herniated nucleus pulposus at T8-T9 with severe spinal canal stenosis,causing the AP canal diameter to shrink to 4mm from a norm of 10mm and the HPN coming into contact with the spinal cord..that according to this Deyo person you speak of, all I need to get better is a 4 week course of aspirin ?? Wow that is amazing, seeing as how I have had 3, count'em, 3 Drs...one pain management, one neurologist and one neurosurgeon tell me I need treatment ASAP and to be careful what I do as I could end up paralyzing myself.

I will have to let all three know how wrong they are and tell them that I was told this by someone on the internet who will not identify himself nor anything about himself and expects us to take his word as gospel.

Angel ^j^

RE: ACDF recovery time

No. I didn't. I can provide you with the references to understand the context of what BBBB and I are talking about or Google Richard Deyo MD, Alf Nachemson, MD etc.

Oh trust me Cycler, I understand exactly what you are saying. And so you know the circumstances under which the thoracic MRI was run..

I have RSD in both legs from toes to upper hips, front and back. I was looking at having a trial SCS implant as LSB's were no longer any help for the pain that I was feeling. My pain management Dr, who I would now trust with my life, decided that he needed to do a thoracic MRI prior to trying the trial. Had he gone ahead and proceeded with the trial, he more than likely would have paralyzed me, as the leads needed to be implanted right at the T8-T9. I had no other signs of having an HPN at that level prior to his ordering the MRI.

Here is the kicker. A week before he ordered the MRI, my Dr. had attended a continuing ed class in which they touched upon thoracic MRI's before SCS trials. They had a lengthy debate over whether a thoracic MRI should be ordered prior to such trials, as the cost is prohibitive to what the results might find. Most of the Dr's in the class stated they would never order one. I guess I was lucky in that my Dr. decided to go with his instincts and used me as a lab rat per se. He may order thoracic MRI's for future patients and not find a thing..but as for me, I will forever be thankful to this Dr.

Angel ^j^

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

Cycler, maybe you should do some Research on the DX 9000 Machines, and even the newer models.

http://www.spinemed.com/?gclid=CLT20qjdw...xgodDWQ0uQ

I've seen it work, I've seen it save people from surgery. Oh, my treating doctor had this machine...

[Cycler]

You know what ? I have, quite a bit actually. I wouldn't recommend them based on the reviews I've seen, traction si traction, but some people must certainly get better from it. Of course most people will get better if they get no treatment at all so you have to factor that in to the glowing reports. I'd liek to try one myself to see but remember the inversion gravity boot fad ?

Bad Boy Bad Boy Wrote:Cycler, maybe you should do some Research on the DX 9000 Machines, and even the newer models.

http://www.spinemed.com/?gclid=CLT20qjdw...xgodDWQ0uQ

I've seen it work, I've seen it save people from surgery. Oh, my treating doctor had this machine...

[Cycler]

Angel, I'm glad you had such an astute Dr. but what you are talking about has no relation to the point I was making which was concerned with the low yield of expensive imaging early on in the course of injury, really a different matter altogether and one which every indication seems to be that there will be limitations imposed under future health care changes. Nothing was in any way questioning the wisdom of your own physicians.

Because I do not have a devastating injury nor have had poor surgical outcomes resulting in relentless daily pain I view workers comp through a different lens. My interest in Workers Comp and Disability is more of a big picture interest simply because I am not involved in a particular dispute, not angry or feel tossed aside by the system. My interests have to do with medical care management, the disconnect between science and medical practice, physician induced ( iatrogenic) impairment/disability and the fragmentation of care that never really seeks to answer the question of what the patient needs to go back to work.

Boards such as this, and there are others, offer real life examples of the kinds of things that happen to people through no fault of their own, when they involve themselves in the WC system and so inform the larger picture.

You have to understand the context, that frequenters of support boards represent statistical outliers. They ( you ) are injured workers who didn't get better and may have gotten worse for all manner of reasons. These ( you ) are the people being referred to whenever the statement is made that 5% of the patients represent 95% of the costs in workers comp.

The subtext to that statement when made by insurance companies or attys is that fraud must be involved but researchers know this is not the case. What researchers do know is that non-work related factors including genetics are a significant contributor to outlier cases. That makes it an interesting topic given the amount of money being spent and the huge costs to industry and employers trying to compete in a world economy. So it should be no surprise that my view on matters does not match-up with an individuals view or experience.

Angel; Deyo et al agrees with your own Drs on the matter. Don't believe everything you hear and verify, verify.

UndercovrAngel Wrote:

Bad Boy Bad Boy Wrote:Cycler

I have read some Dr. R. Deyo work. Oh, I understand he is a so called Expert for the Work Comp Insurance companies too. I also know this guy He feels in his mind, no person, should be treated with any thing more then simple asprin for the first 4 weeks after an injury.

Come on get real. You read this guys crap.

Cycler Wrote: #59 RE: ACDF recovery time

I think we will have to agree to disagree about Dr. Deyo. I find his writings, statistics and papers compelling evidence and damning of what is being sold to patients in pain, all more or less in line with Weinstein's SPORT study when it comes to fusions absent significant slippage or listhesis and that's the best study to date.


UndercovrAngel Wrote:
Let me get this straight Cycler,

Your saying for a central/left paracentral herniated nucleus pulposus at T8-T9 with severe spinal canal stenosis,causing the AP canal diameter to shrink to 4mm from a norm of 10mm and the HPN coming into contact with the spinal cord..that according to this Deyo person you speak of, all I need to get better is a 4 week course of aspirin ?? Wow that is amazing, seeing as how I have had 3, count'em, 3 Drs...one pain management, one neurologist and one neurosurgeon tell me I need treatment ASAP and to be careful what I do as I could end up paralyzing myself.

I will have to let all three know how wrong they are and tell them that I was told this by someone on the internet who will not identify himself nor anything about himself and expects us to take his word as gospel.



LOL, yes, context is everything isn't it ? Deyo recommends surgery for stenosis and HNP. Maybe read it again ?

Angel ^j^

RE: ACDF recovery time

No. I didn't. I can provide you with the references to understand the context of what BBBB and I are talking about or Google Richard Deyo MD, Alf Nachemson, MD etc.

Oh trust me Cycler, I understand exactly what you are saying. And so you know the circumstances under which the thoracic MRI was run..

I have RSD in both legs from toes to upper hips, front and back. I was looking at having a trial SCS implant as LSB's were no longer any help for the pain that I was feeling. My pain management Dr, who I would now trust with my life, decided that he needed to do a thoracic MRI prior to trying the trial. Had he gone ahead and proceeded with the trial, he more than likely would have paralyzed me, as the leads needed to be implanted right at the T8-T9. I had no other signs of having an HPN at that level prior to his ordering the MRI.

Here is the kicker. A week before he ordered the MRI, my Dr. had attended a continuing ed class in which they touched upon thoracic MRI's before SCS trials. They had a lengthy debate over whether a thoracic MRI should be ordered prior to such trials, as the cost is prohibitive to what the results might find. Most of the Dr's in the class stated they would never order one. I guess I was lucky in that my Dr. decided to go with his instincts and used me as a lab rat per se. He may order thoracic MRI's for future patients and not find a thing..but as for me, I will forever be thankful to this Dr.

Angel ^j^

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

Cycler, DX9000 or DRX9000

I seen an watched a truck driver that was in an accident (Roll Over Also) that could not walk. He was brought in by Medi-Transport for the first two weeks. He had several Disc problems, Thoraic, Lumbar, and S1. After those 2 weeks, he was brought in by wife, and a wheel chair. For a month. After that month, he drove himself in and was using a cain. 3 weeks later he was walking on his own. No surgery at all, and my treating doctor saved him from surgery. He was not list disabled, and after 4 more months he (RTW) Return to his work. The trucking accident was deemed not his fault also.

My treating Doctor allowed me to inter-face with a lot of patients. He said I gave them hope and helpped them build up the faith they needed. In return, my doctor let me learn a lot about the DX9000, gave me the training books and everything. Plus let me watch hook-ups with patients. You name it, I was trying to learn it.