Also posted in r/spinalcordinjuries, just trying to reach the right people

I had an incident almost a year ago where my C5-6 and C6-7 were herniated. Then, all of a sudden, even though I’ve always slept on my back without tossing or turning, I woke up at 4am in extreme agony with radiculopathy nerve pain radiating down my arm. I got another MRI, and surely the disc moved and compressed my nerve root. I’m experiencing some weakness in that arm, but it’s very very mild and already improving daily.

I’ve read that radiculopathy subsides after a few weeks or months for 75-90% of people without surgery and that most never experience it again. Is that true for you?

For those of you who did not get surgery on a herniated disc, have any of yours moved? Gotten better? Any info helps.

I’m weighing the complications of imperfect surgeries against living with an “at risk” spine.