Question
QUESTION: Hello Leslie,

I am 35 year old male who's much into fitness and workout out with weights. Last may 2006 I developed left tricep weakness and lost about 50% of my strength compared to my right arm. I had an mri and waS told that I had (DDD)cervical spondylosis with myelopathy. I decided to have surgery in august 2006 and had a laminectomy c3-c7 with fusion with lateral mass screws. Only after surgery i developed c5 bi-lateral palsy which was strange and couldn't use my arms very well. I went to physical rehab and am much better but I develpoed a left winged scapula and my tricep is still weak. My six month post mri says it looks good with plenty of room for my spinal canal and surgeons say it was a success. I am back into the gym lifting weights but My tricep is still weak. I had a EMG test done yesterday 3/23/07 and doc says my nerves are okay but maybe because of all the surgery around c5. it still needs time to regenerate? is that true? Also, will c3 and above need surgery at all because it's closer to the brain. Just wondering for some good information. Thank you very much.
ANSWER: Hi Emir-
Thanks for your question.  I'm afraid I don't have an exact answer for you, but maybe a little information will help:

Nerves do regenerate, to a certain degree.  To the best of my knowledge, this regeneration can continue for roughly a year post-trauma (surgery or injury)- so I was told after my spinal cord injury.  Personally, I noticed very little change after initial recovery, but it is different for everyone.  
CSM is considered a degenerative condition, which would make me think it is possible you will continue to have problems with it, but again I cannot say for sure- one site says "Unfortunately, the current understanding of CSM does not allow physicians to predict the course of a patient".  It also states that some people with the condition improve without treatment while some people require surgery.  Of 112 people who had surgery like yours (in one study), 19 developed CSM in the adjascent parts of their spine.  Here is the article:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W7P-4DSGJ5D-5&_user=1

It's a bit technical, but might help you think about your chances.  My best advice is to continue with exercising- stimulation helps the regeneration process- while taking care to not injure the area.  I would tell your doctors (hopefully you already have) how much you work out and how much you're lifting.  And otherwise give it a bit more time, note how it feels now and write it down, once every week or 2 weeks.  (I think it's much easier to remember how things progress when you have recorded it this way)  Regarding the other parts of your spine, watch for stiffness in your neck, numb spots on your hands or arms, or any weakness in your legs or difficulty walking.

Sorry I can't tell you for sure how it will turn out, but maybe this will help.  Always ask your doctors any questions you have, and if you feel like they aren't paying attention then get a new doctor!  Please feel free to ask a followup question if I've left anything out, and in the meantime I wish you good luck!
Leslie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your input Leslie. I really appreciate it. Evryone says I am doing fine and ahead of schedule but I am frustrated to some degree cause doctors can never tell you the "right" answer. I do feel a little stronger in the left tricep which is a good sign. I do have a winging left scapulae and am attending sports physical therapy in nyc. Do you think yoga might help me with flexibility. My neuro-surgeon said I won't need another surgery. But i hope the adjacent disks won't give out either. c7-T1 c3- above

Answer
Hey Emir-
Believe me, I know how frustrating it is to try to get your body back in the shape it was in before!  I took ballet for 17 years before I broke my neck, so I understand how injuries can set you back...
About yoga:  basically, it would likely help increase your flexibility  and it's really low risk as far as the possibility of doing any harm.  Sounds like a good idea to me!  Assuming you have some sort of warm up routine before you lift, try adding a before and after stretching routine?  (I don't know alot about weightlifting, but I've never heard of stretching in warm-up or cool-down hurting you)

Good luck, Emir, and try to be patient.  It's sort of like MENTAL flexibility, huh?  Maybe we should all be taking mental yoga!  Give your body a bit of time to heal and then your determination can take over.
Leslie