I am having an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion. what can i expect?

Neck soreness: Most anterior cervical fusions are tolerated very well. There wil be some neck pain and stiffness. If you have arm symptoms, those should resolve after surgery- some right away and others over time. The stiffness and soreness improves in a few weeks. You'll have some throat soreness and maybe a "catch" in your throat when you swallow. Overall, it gets better quickly. Good luck!

Hopefully success!: Depends if this is primary or revision surgery & whether one level or more. Also, are you having bone graft taken from pelvic region? Have you had prior neck area surgery or do you have an enlarged thyroid or had any radiation treatment to this region? Do you smoke? Do you have alot of medical issues like diabetes? If 1level & 1st time with no graft from hip, overnite stay & healed 8-12 weeks.

Common procedure: An anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with instrumentation is a common procedure to address cervical disc herniations, degenerative spondylosis and occasional to treat instability from trauma. A fusion will eliminate the motion at the involved joint segments. Most patients do well. For very good information and videos, check out spine-health.Com.