Post-Surgery Numbness and Pain After Cervical Disc Herniation: Causes and Solutions - Orthopedics

After cervical disc herniation surgery, is it normal to experience numbness and pain in the arms and legs? What could be the cause? Is the surgery ineffective?

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Hello, Doctor: My father is 70 years old and currently resides in Kaohsiung City.
Since March 2018, he has experienced intermittent numbness, pain, and weakness in both his hands and feet.
Initially, he visited a municipal hospital where the physician diagnosed him with cervical disc herniation and recommended physical therapy along with medication.
However, after some time in therapy, he still felt inconsistent improvement without significant relief.
Unfortunately, in early July, he contracted pneumonia and was hospitalized for nearly a month.
After his discharge, the numbness, pain, and weakness in his hands and feet returned, causing him to be quite distressed, which worried our family as we felt helpless.

In early October, through a friend's recommendation, he visited a well-known cervical spine surgery hospital in Kaohsiung.
After evaluation, the attending physician diagnosed him with herniated discs at levels C3, C4, C5, and C6, which were compressing the nerves and causing the symptoms in his extremities.
The doctor advised that surgery was necessary to prevent potential paralysis (photographic documentation was taken before and after the surgery).
Subsequently, my father opted for two dynamic artificial discs out of pocket and applied for a health insurance subsidy for a fixed artificial disc.

The surgery was successful, and my father felt some improvement in his symptoms, but after a week or two, the numbness, pain, and weakness returned, albeit not as severe as before.
During a follow-up visit, the doctor informed us that recovery would not be quick and that due to my father's age, he would not fully return to his previous health status.
The doctor administered an injection (presumably to alleviate the numbness and pain) and prescribed medication for further follow-up.
Since the surgery, my father has felt better than before, but the numbness and pain persist, and he has not returned for further follow-ups, as he believes those visits would only result in more injections and prescriptions.
I would like to ask the doctor the following questions:
1.
Does the surgery only relieve the risk of immediate paralysis and partially alleviate the numbness and pain in the extremities? Will the numbness and weakness ever fully recover?
2.
My father is considering seeing a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, but I feel it might be a waste of time if it doesn't address the underlying issues (though I'm not entirely sure).
What are your thoughts? Should he try acupuncture therapy?
3.
Is it advisable for him to seek a second opinion from another cervical spine specialist to explore other potential causes for his symptoms?
4.
My father has had poor sleep quality for a long time; he notices that when he sleeps well at night, his symptoms are less severe, but when he has a bad night, the numbness and pain return.
Could this condition be related to his sleep quality? Should he consult a sleep center?
5.
Additionally, I have noticed that my father's posture is sometimes poor (for example, resting his head on his hands while sitting or slumping on a hard wooden chair).
Could this affect the positioning or integrity of the artificial discs?
6.
Since my father was discharged from pneumonia, he has had a hoarse voice and feels weak when speaking.
Is this due to the prolonged coughing from the pneumonia, the cervical surgery, or possibly both?

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cestlavie, 40~49 year old female. Ask Date: 2019/04/01