Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire neck surgery and rifle or shotgun shooting?

OK, looking for personal experience, not he said she said stuff.

I have neck surgery Feb 3, to remove a cervical synovial fluid filled Facet cyst that has formed twixt T1 and C7 and squeezed the C8 nerve root and pushing into spinal canal...discovered and surgical plan developed as 71 year old spine trying to lift heavy object.. pain was intense, steady, for 32 days and then poof, pain gone... lasting numbness and muscle wasting on right hand pinky and ring fingers since Oct 16..

no sympathy or karma please.

I want to know of others with neck surgery how long the doctors said no shooting, rifle or shotgun.... and if pain was ever brought back by such actions?

personal experience only please, the doctors and I have made our plan.
pre surgery no more shooting....

I too have had a cervical laminectomy and fusion at C4-5. I laid off shooting anything until at least 6 mo post surgery and X-rays confirming the fusion was ok. Only then did I start shooting again with only .22 lr rifles and handguns. Slowly over the next 6 months did I start with bunny fart .38 special loads in revolvers. During this whole time no shotguns or heavy rifles at all. You gotta be careful and take your time. After almost a year I slowly started on lower caliber center fire rifles. I did find AR15’s in .223/5.56 very easy to shoot with no effect on my neck at all.
Of course, your mileage and pain levels may be different. Just be careful and take it slow! Peace.

I had L 4-5-6 fused all at once. Dr. told me no shooting for 1 year, waiting for the bone to grow over the fusion and fasteners. I did what he said and have had no problems at all. I have a 300 RUM and have not shot it at all. I cut back to smaller calibers for deer hunting. Like 25-06 and 243. I am now up to 7 mm mag with no problems after 5 years healing. I am very glad I had this surgery. It relieved my constant pain and suffering. I should have had it sooner. Good luck aand do what the Dr. says. My weight restriction was 1 lb and then 5 lb the 15 lb then 30 lb for the first 2 years.

Good luck with your surgery. Hope you heal up fast!

be careful with the 7MN Mag. have a friend that had fusion in his neck like you did, he stayed with 223 and 243 for hunting till it healed or he thought with 6+ years healing. He went on a deer hunt out in Kansas and thought he needed something bigger and took his 30-06. shot it in before he went, on the hunt he shot a deer and broke his neck, they found him after a day of lookng.

I had a fusion c4-5-6 back in July. I was incredibly careful with my recovery and took my therapy seriously but I’m still trying to recover fully any have constant numbness and tingling in my hands and arms. The pain comes and goes from my left shoulder and bicep. The surgeon has warned me that it will take a solid year for the bone to make a good fusion with the metal implants and to avoid any even moderately kicking firearms. I tend to believe him and I’m not chancing it. I’ve just started shooting an AR some and my 9mm rifle.

thank you all for the first hand reports...

my surgery is not fusion, just a laminectomy for removal of tissue. it was either caused by overextension and exertion, or already there and aggravated by overextension.

Be sure to ask your surgeon about it. Like big bores and associated retinal detachments, you don't want to screw up your neck!

will do that for sure... thanks again to the input...

I have stenosis in my neck and require spinal shots every 6 months or so. I got rid of my 45-70, tune down my 30-06 loads, and get good recoil pads. Even then I'm a bit cautious. I found out the hard way that heavy recoil was my enemy. I suggest if you have any hard thumping rifles or shotguns, proceed with caution, or switch to lighter calibers/gauges.