Hello and welcome to Neuro Talk. I am sorry you have to go through the spinal issues. You found a great site that can help you muddle through some of the issues. There is where I landed when facing my own fusions.

With your MRI, there is one thing really good about it. None of the language used says "SEVERE". Most cases that describe the particular vertebra as severe, have the outcome of having to have surgery.

I do have a concern about the "reversal" of the normal curve of your spine at C5-6. What you don't want, is the vertebra, above that site and below that site, to continue to "lean over" on one another. Has your doctor mentioned anything about stabilizing that area?

From C5-6 to C6-7, you have a moderate hernia. That means a disk that is pushing against the nerves that run on the inside of your spine. I guess the issue is, if your doctor thinks you need surgery or not.

Do all you can do with PT and other methods of help, before you decide on a surgery. Surgery is always a last resort. The structure of the neck can be fixed to stop the reversal. I had this happen to me, and with hardware and all, much better than I was. I hope that a good resolution can be found to where you get the right treatment. I am here to listen anytime. ginnie