Cervical c5-c6 disk protrusion, chronic strong neck pain only no pain radiating to arm. surgeon wants to fuse the disk,
would any one recommend fusion or suggest no surgery.
on going for 3 years now...pain increase and decrease daily.
able to live 60% normal life now, worried surgery may make it worse, any help would be great.
2007-09-24 13:36:24 · 3 answers · asked by athiharan 1 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Pain & Pain Management
If you have no pain radiating to the arm (called radiculopathy) then you may not be a good candidate for surgery. I would definitely get a second opinion and be sure to take your MRI films with you when you get it.
You're right, lots of times, the neck pain may actually be worse after surgery. The goal of fusion is to either give stability to the region or to fix a trapped nerve. Doesn't sound like you have a trapped nerve since you don't have arm pain, but I would have to see the films to actually know.
2007-09-24 13:41:55 · answer #1 · answered by Sally 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
see an acupuncturist before you have the surgery. I have known many people to have conditions reversed using acupuncture. It's worth giving a try. With surgery you can never be 100 percent sure of your outcome.
2007-09-24 20:43:11 · answer #2 · answered by Cherokee Billie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you tried a drug called Neurotin? I have a similar injury and it helped me some ( not totally ) and also have you had the steriod injections in your spine?
2007-09-24 20:39:07 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋