As luck would have it, I am scheduled for ACDF surgery on C5+C6 at the end of December.
I thought I’d throw it out here, as this community is quite medically aware - perhaps someone has some pointers or advice about preparing for the surgery and post surgical recovery, care and rehabilitation.
Obviously I intend to get into reasonable shape exercise wise as there will be a period of time post surgery where strenuous exercise will be impossible, so I want to get on a higher level before the inevitable decline.
I don’t intend to change my diet too much as it’s already pretty optimized - I might switch to decaf for coffee for the first three months after surgery, as regular coffee apparently tends to leach out calcium. For supplements, I’m thinking of adding small amounts of calcium with meals and apart from meals. Also, add some soy isoflavones from NOW. I’m already doing vit. D and K2 (MK-4 and MK-7), zinc and astaxanthin (12mg/5 days a week), daily magnesium, boron.
For medication: I’m stopping rapamycin 14 days before surgery and empagliflozin 3 days before surgery. I’ll keep telmistartan 80mg/day as usual, and pitavastatin 4mg/day, BA 180mg/day EZ 10mg/day. I intend to resume empa immediately after surgery and rapamycin perhaps 3 months after surgery, though I’m unsure and possibly sooner than that. For now, it looks like I will have to postpone any thought of introducing pioglitazone for at least 12-18 months (pio is a prominent bone negative).
Before surgery I intend to get a teeth cleaning as dental work will not be possible for the first 3 months or so.
I purchased a cervical pillow for sleep and some “slip-on” shoes so I don’t have to bend excessively.
To add to your potential list for post surgery bed rest, my PT recommends a wedge for your legs (link included for the one he personally uses in his office) to take pressure off your lower back, and to put little rolled up towels (or better yet, toddler pillows) under each arm in order to raise them a touch. I don’t know why, but he feels it’s important. Through this method, he has taught me to be comfortable sleeping on my back, which I’ve never been able to do.
Thank you, Beth. I feel that sleep is going to be the trickiest adjustment here. I need to adjust the best I can. My idea is to try all of this before the surgery to work out the best system.
@CronosTempi
Also sorry you have to have surgery and endure the rehab. My comment mostly to try to transmit some positive energy to you having recently been out from surgery myself for 6 weeks. I’m now back at the gym recovering losses. I think your list is really great and I agree with all of it. You’ve been much more deliberate than I at carefully selecting a regimen that will help you heal most effectively.
Surgery seems particularly hard for us healthy conscious individuals. The lack of activity/exercise and stopping meds/supplements that we deem beneficial seems to be the hardest part.
Again good luck, I hope the surgery lessens your pain and increases your quality of life!
Thank you, 59vw (btw. my dad’s first car was a 63 bug ). I have long had a feeling that whatever will ultimately transpire to be the most immediate cause of my demise is something that was never on my horizon. This surgery was not on my horizon, nor the disc degeneration and subsequent nerve damage (I’ve never had back or neck pain or any spine issues!). I was unaware of it even a month ago. So while I take care of my cholesterol, glucose, BP etc., there’s something brewing that I have no clue about and that will be what does me in when my time comes .
But for now, I’m fighting the good fight. Thank you for your words of encouragement, it means a lot - this is a great community!
One can additionally use it in “aerobic” mode to increase intensity of walking while one recovers from surgery without the impact of running.
One could also use it on an elliptical, X-countrty ski machine, or stationary bike.
The Katalyst routine videos take one through calisthenic like movements, but one can get almost the entire benefit by just turning on and sitting in a chair. So, great for recovering from neck surgery or a whole range of injuries.
Doesn’t load the skeleton.
I plan to have a chat with my surgeon and physical therapist about how to do so safely while the bone grows between the 2 vertebrae.
Thank you for the tips! That’s amazing. I’m quite intrigued with the suit. I’m going to check it out.
Right now I’m watching a bunch of videos to prepare for the surgery and aftermath, and gathering stuff that will be helpful, like non-stick bandages and tegaderm waterproof bandages.
Ozone injection therapy for cervical disc herniation has demonstrated effectiveness and a significantly lower complication rate compared to surgical interventions like microdiscectomy. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that ozone disc nucleolysis significantly reduces pain and disability associated with cervical disc herniation. In a 2022 study, patients with cervical radiculopathy treated with ozone injections experienced a reduction in neck and arm pain scores from an average of 7.8/10 to 3/10 within one month, and less than 1.4/10 at six months and one year, with an 85% success rate and no complications reported.
When compared to surgery, ozone therapy is markedly safer; the complication rate for microdiscectomy ranges from 3% to 6%, whereas the complication rate for ozone injections is only 0.064%.
A 2010 meta-analysis of 12 large studies involving 8,000 patients found that ozone injections successfully reduced or eliminated pain and improved function in approximately 80% of patients. Furthermore, a 2014 study reported that only 18% of patients treated with ozone required surgery within five years, and no additional surgeries were reported up to ten years, with 88–90% of patients avoiding surgery and maintaining improvement.
Combining percutaneous microdiscectomy with ozone injection appears to offer superior outcomes compared to ozone injection alone. A retrospective study found that at the 6-month follow-up, 89.2% of patients receiving the combined treatment achieved effective results (excellent or good), compared to 73.7% in the group receiving ozone injection alone, with a statistically significant difference (P = 0.033). The combination therapy also led to lower visual analogue scale (VAS) scores during follow-up.
No major complications were reported in either group in this study.
Overall, ozone injection, particularly when combined with microdiscectomy, presents a safe and effective alternative to cervical disc surgery with durable results and minimal risk.
Thank you, Joseph for that info. It certainly seems like a viable option to surgery for many. However it is important to note that it may not be indicated for all or more complex conditions. At present ozone therapy is not FDA cleared, which may present problems for getting coverage from most insurance companies.
In a situation of simple spinal stenosis or herniated disc, this may be a good option. However, if the case is more complex (like mine), you can have already extant myelopathy and hiperintensities, which need more invasive measures, and in that case surgery is the gold standard. Also, disc replacement is an option to ACDF, but again, in more severe cases, such as mine I am not a candidate - I discussed this with the surgeon who explained that whenever he can he prefers disc replacement, but in some cases (mine) that’s just not an option.
@Alpha, I wish you all the best with your upcoming surgery, and may Lady Luck smile on you! Please let us know how it goes and any thoughts you may have from your experiences. Just as an FYI, yt is a great resource for additional information about these conditions and treatments, and you can find good info from a variety of perspectives, from surgeons, neurologists and other healthcare providers such as PT practitioners, nurses and caregivers, to patients and their family members. I personally have found all the information pretty helpful and generally educational. I believe in being an active participant in your own medical treatments, and am grateful that I live in a time where the internet has provided all of us with unlimited access to immense informational resources - however much I complain about the slow progress of science and technology, I always keep in mind that things were much, much worse within (my) living memory, so I am still incredibly grateful for the progress thus far. Again, my best wishes and I’m crossing my fingers for you:crossed_fingers:.
FWIW: Odds are in your favor. I asked ChatGPT 5 to review patient satisfaction:
1. Do patients generally feel ACDF (including C5–C6) is worthwhile?
Large US registry – 1–2 level ACDF (mostly C5–C6/C6–7)
Quality Outcomes Database study of 4,148 patients undergoing 1–2-level ACDF for degenerative disease (radiculopathy/myelopathy):PubMed
At 12 months:
67%: “Surgery met my expectations.”
20%: “Did not improve as much as I hoped, but I would undergo the same operation for the same results.”
So ≈87% of patients were broadly satisfied and would choose the operation again.
Satisfaction was strongly influenced by pre-op disability, symptom duration, Workers’ Comp status, etc., rather than by the exact cervical level.PubMed
Single-center registry – 1–3 level ACDF
Danish series of 318 ACDF patients (1–3 levels) for cervical radiculopathy:PubMed
At 1 year, 74.3% reported a positive change in health status.
Neck Disability Index, pain scores, and quality of life all improved significantly.
Outpatient ACDF series
A study of outpatient ACDF (1–2 levels) reported 95.6% of patients were satisfied with their outcome.IJSSurgery
Ultra–long-term follow-up (>20 years)
More than 20-year follow-up of ACDF patients for degenerative disc disease:BioMed Central
88% rated their neck problem as “improved” on a global rating scale.
68% were “pleased” or “mostly satisfied” with the outcome, even decades later.
Take-home: For appropriately selected patients having 1–2-level ACDF (including C5–C6), roughly 80–90% report that the surgery was worthwhile and would choose it again. A smaller group (~10–20%) has limited benefit or ongoing issues.
I had a two-level fusion of my c-spine as well. I had the surgery Thursday morning, was home by noon. My surgeon gave me instructions, such as no driving x 2 weeks, etc. I had no pain except a sore throat on Thursday night from the endotracheal tube. I drove to work the following Monday. I would rate it as easy on me as my inguinal hernia repair.
). I have long had a feeling that whatever will ultimately transpire to be the most immediate cause of my demise is something that was never on my horizon. This surgery was not on my horizon, nor the disc degeneration and subsequent nerve damage (I’ve never had back or neck pain or any spine issues!). I was unaware of it even a month ago. So while I take care of my cholesterol, glucose, BP etc., there’s something brewing that I have no clue about and that will be what does me in when my time comes 
.
.
Take-home: For appropriately selected patients having 1–2-level ACDF (including C5–C6), roughly 80–90% report that the surgery was worthwhile and would choose it again. A smaller group (~10–20%) has limited benefit or ongoing issues.