Cervical Corpectomy — Anterior Cervical Corpectomy

Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center · Jordan Hudson DPT, Sean Meers DPT; Reviewed by Andrew Grossbach MD, Jonathan…

Weight-Bearing

Ambulatory; progressive walking program from POD 1; PT does not start until >6 weeks post-op

Key Restrictions

C-collar required x 6 weeks; no PT until >6 weeks; no cervical ROM exercises; no overhead until 2 months; no jogging/running until 6 months; weight limit <20 lbs until 3 months; collar must be worn during PT in Phase 2

Timeline & Phases

Phase 1 (POD 1-6 wks): C-collar, no PT, walking; Phase 2 (6 wks-3 months): OP PT in collar, mobilization, walking, UE strengthening (<20 lbs), cervical isometrics, scapular stabilization, no cervical ROM, scar massage at 10-12 wks; Phase 3 (3-6 months): out of collar, weight limit lifted (increase 5 lbs every other week), overhead OK at 3 months, elliptical/stationary bike, no jogging until 6 months; Phase 4 (6+ months): return to full activity, NSAIDs OK

Notes

Most restrictive cervical protocol in OSU series; C-collar mandatory x 6 weeks; creation date 2008, latest revision April 2022

Surgeon / Author

Jordan Hudson DPT, Sean Meers DPT; Reviewed by Andrew Grossbach MD, Jonathan Karnes MD, Safdar Khan MD, Varun Singh MBBS, Stephanus Viljoen MD, Elizabeth Yu MD (Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center)

Published

2022