I getting my C5-6 disc replacement. I am wondering what brace do they give you and how long do you have to wear it for. I am going to conference from vegas to north Carolina 2 weeks after surgery. I heard people say wear it when walking after a month and doing desk work. Any advice and experiences. I message my surgeon and I will be waiting for their response.
Writing this post for a couple different subs, let's see what comes around.
I recently had surgery on my cervical spine. There are many limitations while it heals (~12months). Mostly, I need to be very careful with movements and not strain my neck. This includes
- Turning my head too far up or down, left or right
- Keeping my head in one position / angle tor too long
- Doing any non isometric movements (for now)
- Doing any movements that strain my neck or jaw
- Any impact / sudden movements / vibration in my head/neck/shoulders/arms
So.. HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO EAT PUSSY. Easily my favorite part about sex. Probably one of my favorite hobbies. Very good for the mental health (of everyone involved tbh).
[Also, this is the disclaimer where I say par on my french, but I really didn't find a better phrase than "eat pussy" and while technically correct, "performing cunnilingus on a vulva" just sounds weird. If any non gross terms come to mind, please drop in the comments]
We've thought about having a partner stand in front of me sitting on the floor, but I still think I would end up pushing my head forward, resulting in huge strain on my spinal column..
Sitting on my face is also out, bc too much weight on the neck & head.
??
Please share any advice, ideas, experiences.
My affected vertebraes are C5-7, with high risk of adjacent disc disease.
I am not looking for advice for blow jobs, but if you feel your experience performing those might be helpful / informative, please feel free to share.
This post is 100% serious. I have been running incredibly low on those lil feel good hormones after being in immobilizing pain for months... I really really want to make this work without jeopardizing my recovery 🤞
I've (49 Female) had 3-4/10 pain on the back and right side of my neck since early July, almost like a stiff neck. I did urgent care twice, first visit helped and I was pain free for 2 weeks. The pain came back July end after carrying weight on my left side. I did physiotherapy 1 session and acupuncture 1 session, both made the pain worse. Since August 1, I started weakness in my right upper arm that progressed to not being able to lift my right arm; forearm & hand/ grip are not affected.
MRI level by level says:
C4/C5: There is minimal retrolisthesis with disc bulge and superimposed large right subarticular to foraminal disc extrusion with caudal migration in the right lateral recess behind the C5 vertebral body to the superior aspect of the right neural foramen at C5/C6. There is effacement of the right lateral recess and severe right neural foraminal narrowing with compression of the right C5 nerve. There is effacement of the ventral subarachnoid space and abutment of the ventral surface of the cord though the canal remains adequate in caliber. The left neural foramen is adequate in caliber.
Had a video consultation with a spine surgeon last week. His findings are: C4-5 right HNP with severe right C5 motor weakness and moderate right C5 radicular pain. Because I am roughly 1-2/5 deltoid, he strongly advises prompt surgery; he recommends a Total Disc Replacement (TDR) C4-5.
EMG study done yesterday shows: Interdistal latency difference between second DI-lumbrical is normal on left, and prolonged on right. Needle EMG of selected muscles in right arm shows mild fibrillations/PSWs in deltoid, biceps, infraspinatus muscles, with increased MUP amplitudes; recruitment patterns are full/reduced on maximal/submaximal effort. There is no evidence of active denervation in right cervical paraspinal region at the levels examined, though there is CRDs at right C5-C6 paraspinal region.
QUESTIONS: I am wondering if less invasive surgery might be an option - what type? TDR seems like a big leap and obviously something I can't undo.
I barely have any pain. The weakness is the main symptom. It's been 10 days since onset, I now have numbness through the entire arm (not pins and needles, it feels like deadweight to touch). Am I delaying matters by waiting for a second opinion?
Where do people go to get second opinions? I haven't even met my surgeon in person, looks like they need me to commit to surgery before I can get an in person visit. Please share DM's for surgeons in NYC. I have Aetna through employer, it'd been pretty decent so far.
Appreciate any help please. Feeling so pressured and still reeling, it's only been a week since I walked in to meet a Spine Specialist!
I've been dealing with cervical disc issues since early 2026, severe enough that I've spent 8 months working lying down. My April 2026 MRI shows large left-sided disc extrusions at C5-C6 and C6-C7 causing mild canal stenosis, ventral CSF effacement, direct indentation of the left ventral spinal cord, severe left neural foraminal stenosis, and compression of the exiting C6 and C7 nerve roots — plus a right paracentral protrusion at C7-T1 with minimal cord mass effect. No cord signal abnormality, but the mass effect and cord deformity are described as greatest at C5-C6 and C6-C7. Completed insurance-required PT with worsening symptoms, which cleared the path to a two-level ACDR with a surgeon at Duke Health on August 12.
Duke has only two institutionally approved devices: Mobi-C and Simplify. My surgeon has done high volume on Mobi-C but noted his practice has seen endplate subsidence issues with it, which is why Duke is transitioning toward Simplify. The problem is that transition is in its infancy — Simplify case volume at Duke is low, meaning my surgeon's personal experience with the device is limited. Compounding that, recent MAUDE database analyses (2024-2025) show Simplify now has the highest osteolysis rate among currently FDA-approved cervical disc devices — the only device previously ranked higher, the M6-C, was pulled from the market in February 2025. A 2025 retrieval study separately identified PEEK-ceramic bearing wear and titanium coating delamination as likely mechanisms — a failure mode that bench testing didn't predict and that tends to surface at the 5-7 year mark, exactly where Simplify sits today.
I previously got a second opinion from Virginia Spine Institute with Dr. Jazini and was genuinely impressed with him and his team. I'm now seriously considering switching back to VSI — out of network and significantly more expensive — specifically to access the ProDisc C Vivo. Its titanium coating bonds to a titanium alloy endplate rather than a PEEK substrate, making delamination far less likely than with Simplify. Its fixed-core ball-and-socket design also means articulation happens entirely at the bearing surface rather than at the implant-bone interface, distributing load more evenly across the endplate and avoiding the subsidence pattern seen with Mobi-C's mobile core. It has 225,000+ implants globally with a reported reoperation rate under 1%, and just received two-level FDA approval in October 2025. Has anyone navigated a last-minute surgeon switch specifically over device selection, or have a negative or positive experience with any of these devices?
I really would like to do what I can proactively to avoid a revision due to a device failure if possible.
Greetings! Just wanting some insights on people with disc replacements specifically with simplify discs.
Thanks for answering my questions! Much love!
