I went into C5-C6 disc replacement surgery believing it would finally fix the pain, weakness, and other problems running through the left side of my upper body. Roughly 15 months later, I wish I could say everything healed and I moved on with my life.
That has not been my experience.
My artificial disc looks good on X-rays. My spine surgeon has told me that everything looks great from a surgical standpoint. Some of my symptoms improved, especially the headaches I used to feel near the base of my skull. However, I still have significant pain and weakness affecting the left side of my neck, shoulder blade, upper back, shoulder, and arm.
I recently had my third EMG. According to the doctor who performed and interpreted it, the results still appear to point toward a problem involving the C5-C6 area.
That was difficult to hear more than a year after having the damaged disc removed and replaced. At the same time, it may finally give us another direction to investigate.
My C5-C6 Disc Replacement Helped Some Symptoms but Not Everything
I do not consider my surgery a complete failure because some things are better than they were before. The headaches around the bottom of my skull improved, and the pain is not always as intense as it was before surgery.
Unfortunately, being slightly better is not the same as being well.
I continue to experience pain on the left side of my neck and around my shoulder blade. It can travel across the left side of my upper back, through my shoulder, and down my arm. My left arm also feels weaker than it should.
Carrying my child with my left arm is one of the clearest examples. After holding the baby for only a few minutes while standing, the pain can become horrible. It is not just ordinary muscle tiredness. The entire left side can feel as though it has been overloaded far faster than it should be.
I have already written about my original C5-C6 disc replacement recovery experience, but this is the part of recovery I did not expect. I thought that once the disc was replaced and the surgeon confirmed that everything looked good, the nerve-related symptoms would continue improving.
Instead, I am still searching for an explanation.
Can You Still Have Nerve Pain After C5-C6 Disc Replacement?
Yes, it is possible to continue experiencing nerve pain, weakness, numbness, or other symptoms after cervical disc replacement.
Cervical radiculopathy occurs when a nerve root in the neck becomes irritated or compressed. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, it can cause pain that travels into the shoulder or arm along with muscle weakness and numbness.
Disc replacement is intended to remove the damaged disc material, relieve pressure, and preserve movement at the treated level. However, surgery cannot guarantee that every symptom will disappear.
One important point I have learned is that a successful-looking artificial disc and complete nerve recovery are not necessarily the same thing.
The replacement can remain properly positioned while the nerve continues causing symptoms. Possible explanations can include continued nerve irritation, incomplete decompression, residual narrowing around the nerve, scar tissue, another pain source, or a nerve that was injured long enough before surgery that it has not completely recovered. Those overlapping causes help explain how ibuprofen may help mixed pain even when nerve symptoms continue after surgery.
That does not mean any one of these possibilities explains my symptoms. It means a normal-looking postoperative X-ray does not answer every question about nerve function.
My Artificial Disc Looks Good So Why Am I Still Hurting?
This has been one of the most frustrating parts of my experience.
My surgeon is a good spine surgeon, and he says the artificial disc looks great. I believe him. I am not assuming that the replacement has moved, failed, or was installed incorrectly simply because I still hurt.
The difficulty is that X-rays mainly show bones, spinal alignment, and the position of the artificial disc. They do not show every possible source of pain, and they do not directly measure how well a nerve is working.
An MRI can provide much more detail about discs, nerve spaces, the spinal cord, and other soft tissues. Even then, imaging findings do not always line up perfectly with a person’s symptoms.
I have experienced that frustration myself, which is why I previously wrote about having significant pain even when an MRI appears normal.
A scan is an important part of the investigation, but it is not the same thing as a complete diagnosis. Doctors also consider the physical examination, the exact location of the symptoms, muscle strength, reflexes, previous treatments, and electrodiagnostic testing.
What My Third EMG Means to Me
An EMG does not take a picture of the nerve. It measures electrical activity in selected muscles. Nerve-conduction testing measures how electrical signals travel through particular nerves. For a firsthand account of what an EMG feels like, including both the shocks and needle portion, see the testing experience described here.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ explanation of electrodiagnostic testing notes that EMG and nerve-conduction studies can help doctors evaluate pain, weakness, and numbness involving the neck, back, or limbs.
Doctors test different muscles supplied by different nerves and nerve roots. The pattern of abnormal findings can help them determine whether the problem appears more consistent with a cervical nerve root, a peripheral nerve farther down the arm, or another location. The reasoning behind those patterns is described in how EMG patterns localize a nerve problem.
This is how an EMG doctor can sometimes say that the problem likely comes from the neck instead of simply saying that a large nerve somewhere in the arm is damaged.
The test is not perfect, and the results still must be interpreted alongside my symptoms, examination, and imaging. However, having three EMGs gives my doctors more information to compare over time.
My latest EMG apparently continues to show findings that the doctor believes are connected to C5-C6. I am not interpreting the raw numbers myself or claiming that the test proves exactly what is happening. I am sharing what the physician who performed the test explained to me.
Why Pain Around My Shoulder Blade May Still Come From My Neck
Before going through this, I did not fully understand how a problem in the neck could cause pain that feels as though it is coming from the shoulder blade, upper back, shoulder, or arm. That specific neck-to-shoulder-blade pain pattern is explored in how C5-C6 nerve pain can reach the shoulder blade.
Nerves leaving the cervical spine travel into the shoulder and arm. Irritation near the nerve root can create symptoms farther away from the neck. This is called referred or radiating pain.
That does not mean all shoulder blade pain originates in the cervical spine. Muscles, joints, tendons, the shoulder itself, and other nerves can also cause similar symptoms.
I had my shoulder evaluated, and the shoulder doctor did not find a major shoulder problem that explained everything. My EMG examination also involved testing from my hand and arm up toward my neck and an area around my back.
That combination is part of why the cervical nerve explanation continues coming up.
I have also noticed that supporting or lifting my shoulder can sometimes change the pain. I discussed that unusual clue in my article about why my arm pain improves when I lift my shoulder.
Why My Left Arm Weakness Concerns Me More Than Pain Alone
Pain is miserable, but weakness concerns me in a different way.
Pain can make a person avoid using an arm, which can eventually reduce strength. However, cervical nerve-root irritation can also interfere with the muscles controlled by that nerve.
That distinction is one reason I do not want to dismiss my left arm weakness as soreness, poor posture, or being out of shape.
My weakness becomes especially noticeable when I have to hold weight for more than a short period. Carrying my child can quickly bring on pain and fatigue through my neck, shoulder blade, shoulder, and arm.
I previously wrote about trying to distinguish a muscle strain from a nerve problem. My continued symptoms and repeated EMG findings are why my doctors are still investigating the nerve instead of treating this as a simple pulled muscle.
New or worsening weakness deserves medical attention. Anyone experiencing sudden arm weakness, problems walking, loss of coordination, bowel or bladder changes, or other rapidly worsening neurological symptoms should seek prompt medical care rather than relying on an online article.
The Next Step Is a More Targeted Injection
The EMG doctor is recommending a more specific injection aimed near the suspected nerve root.
This is not being described to me as simply repeating the broad epidural injection I had before surgery. The purpose appears to be targeting the suspected source more precisely and observing whether my pain changes.
A targeted nerve injection may serve two purposes. Medication around the nerve may reduce inflammation and pain, but the response can also provide diagnostic information.
If the pain decreases significantly after the correct area is numbed, that may give the doctor evidence that the targeted location is contributing to the symptoms. If nothing changes, the doctor may need to reconsider whether that is actually the main pain source.
Johns Hopkins explains that nerve blocks use image guidance to place medication around a nerve or group of nerves. The exact medication, approach, purpose, and risks depend on the procedure being performed.
I still need the exact medical name of the injection from my paperwork. It may be called a selective cervical nerve-root block or another type of image-guided cervical injection. I do not want to call it the wrong procedure because different cervical injections are performed for different reasons.
What I Hope the Injection Will Tell Us
At this point, I am not expecting one injection to magically restore all the strength in my arm or permanently erase 15 months of symptoms.
What I want most is useful information.
If the targeted injection temporarily reduces the exact pain that runs through my left neck, shoulder blade, shoulder, and arm, it could help identify where at least part of the pain is coming from.
That would be progress after repeatedly hearing that my artificial disc and spine look good.
If it does not help, that information matters too. It may show that my doctors need to look more closely at another nerve, another spinal level, the brachial plexus, the shoulder blade region, muscular causes, or another possible source.
A negative result would be disappointing, but continuing to repeat treatments without learning anything would be worse.
The Doctor Also Mentioned Possible Nerve Ablation
The EMG doctor told me that if the targeted injection helps, nerve ablation may be considered afterward because the nerve could be significantly damaged.
This is the part I still need explained more clearly before agreeing to anything.
“Nerve ablation” is a broad phrase. Radiofrequency ablation commonly treats pain by disrupting selected sensory signals from small nerves. A cervical medial branch radiofrequency ablation, for example, is different from intentionally destroying a cervical motor nerve root that controls muscles in the shoulder or arm.
That difference matters greatly when weakness is already one of my main symptoms.
Before undergoing an ablation, I want to know:
- The exact medical name of the procedure
- Which specific nerve or nerve branch would be treated
- Whether that nerve carries sensory, motor, or mixed signals
- What area may become numb afterward
- Whether the treatment is intended only to reduce pain
- Whether it could affect my existing arm weakness
- How the targeted injection predicts whether ablation will help
- How long any pain relief would reasonably be expected to last
- What risks are different because I have an artificial disc at C5-C6
Pain relief would be valuable, but I do not want to confuse pain control with actual nerve healing. An ablation may reduce certain pain signals without repairing a damaged nerve or restoring lost muscle strength.
Could the Nerve Still Recover This Long After Surgery?
Nerves generally recover more slowly than skin, muscle, and many other tissues. The outcome can depend on how severely the nerve was affected, how long it was compressed before surgery, whether compression remains, and whether the nerve sustained lasting injury. Those recovery factors are examined in nerve healing after cervical surgery.
There is no single recovery timeline that applies to everyone.
Some people improve quickly after decompression. Other people notice gradual changes over many months. Some continue experiencing numbness, weakness, or pain even when the original mechanical pressure has been treated.
At around 15 months, my continued weakness and abnormal EMG findings are understandably concerning. However, an abnormal EMG does not automatically tell me that recovery is impossible. The wording of the report matters, including whether it describes active denervation, chronic changes, reinnervation, or another pattern.
That is why I want my spine surgeon or another appropriate specialist to compare all three EMGs rather than looking at the newest test by itself.
Questions I Plan to Ask at My Next Appointment
What exactly did the newest EMG show?
I want the doctor to explain which muscles were abnormal, which nerve root the pattern points toward, and whether the findings appear active, chronic, improving, or worsening.
Are the three EMGs changing over time?
One report can provide useful information, but comparing all three could show whether the nerve is recovering, remaining stable, or continuing to deteriorate.
Is there still physical pressure on the nerve?
A properly positioned artificial disc does not automatically rule out residual or recurring foraminal narrowing, scar tissue, bone growth, or another source of irritation.
What is the exact name of the targeted injection?
I want to know where the needle will be placed, what medication will be used, what the injection is testing, and what amount of temporary relief would count as a positive response.
Which nerve would be treated during an ablation?
I need a clear answer about whether the proposed procedure targets a small sensory branch, a medial branch supplying a facet joint, or another structure.
Can the proposed treatment help weakness?
I understand that controlling pain and restoring strength are different goals. I want to know whether the treatment is expected to help only the pain or whether it may make it easier to rebuild strength through rehabilitation.
Do I need another opinion?
My surgeon may be completely correct that the artificial disc looks good. Still, persistent weakness, continued pain, and repeated abnormal EMG findings may justify having another spine or nerve specialist review the entire case.
Where I Am 15 Months After C5-C6 Disc Replacement
I am better in certain ways, but I am not recovered in the way I expected.
The headaches near the base of my skull are better. The overall pain is not always as severe as it was before surgery. My artificial disc reportedly looks good, and my surgeon does not see an obvious surgical failure.
At the same time, I still live with left-sided neck, shoulder blade, upper-back, shoulder, and arm pain. My left arm remains weak, and ordinary activities such as carrying my child can make the pain miserable within minutes.
The newest development is my third EMG still pointing my doctor toward C5-C6. The next step is a targeted diagnostic injection to see whether treating that specific area changes the pain.
I do not yet know whether the injection will help or whether nerve ablation will be appropriate. I plan to document what happens honestly, including the procedure itself, how much it hurts, whether it changes my symptoms, how long any relief lasts, and what the doctors recommend afterward.
Written by Daxon Weaver, who shares his real experiences with cervical disc replacement, lumbar fusion, nerve testing, chronic pain, and spine surgery recovery on Spine Recover. This article describes one patient’s experience and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice.
