I have NOt had experience with this, but I'd like to comment if I may. I have a herniation at C3-4.

Have you tried every single thing that's conservative that you can? I mean EVERY thing you can??? Have you gone thru pain management? Have you tried injections? Have you worn a cervical collar for awhile? Have you tried a spinal cord stimulator? What have you tried? Physical theerapy???

Surgery should be a LAST RESORT, after all conservative methods have failed. Surgery is only for mechanical problems. It does NOT solve the pain issues because more often than not, you're left with the same pain or worse after surgery. Also, the levels above and below the surgery sites will fail because they have to take on more of the load after surgery. So you end up neediing more surgery due to those levels failing. Surgery begets more surgery. Recent studies have shown that people who have had surgery get the same results as people who have had physical therapy!!!!

So have surgery at your own risk, but chances are you're going to wish you hadn't. I had 2 open surgeries before the internet came into being --and I wish I'd never had it. I also had the spinal cord stimulator -- and that had to be removed due to problems. I now have scar tissue where that was that's causing me problems.

I wish you the very best. PLEASE keep us posted as to what happens and how you're doing, ok? We'd really like to know! God bless & take care. Hugs, Lee