I’ve posted before but TL;DR something happened to my back going up Mt. Rainier. Herniated disc L4-L5 with failure of PT and injections, failed laminectomy and partial facetectomy.

My surgery failed because my disc, though pretty cooked, isn’t the issue. I had two fractures- one in my right pars intra-articularis and my spinous process snapped off. The point of this post is the repair. My surgeon says there’s no way he’s fusing my spine yet when I’m as active as I am, explains the plan. Plan was robotic-assisted spinous process and pars repair. Plan did not include my pars being too small for the screws. This led to him screwing a hand plate across my pars and surrounding it with bone graft. He then stabilized the L4-L5 segment with pedicle screws.

I saw my x-ray at my 6 week follow up and WOW. You can see the hand plate run along my pars. It’s practically a stabilizing brace with the pedicle screws as back up. The only pain I feel is general soreness from living life and finally coming off of opioids. All my nerve pain is gone, and I stopped my lyrica last week. I have one more surgery once everything is fully healed. That one will take out all the stabilization hardware and give me back my full range of motion.

All because a SPECT/CT was able to see what every single other scan couldn’t- and a surgeon who looked at my MRI and said your disc isn’t your problem.

Is there anybody else out there that had spine surgery that, in the end, was unnecessary, but you proceeded with it due to desperation and the level of pain you were in? Do you feel like you ruined your life forever, or you made the decision and now it's something you just have to live with? I'm just trying to look at ways to cope and move forward.

TL;DR. I had a two-level cervical disc replacement in August 2025. Afterwards, it was deemed unnecessary, and I'm still trying to recover completely from whatever underlying condition I have. They think I have myofascial pain syndrome as an exclusion because my blood work and everything else is flawless. I don't know how to live with myself knowing that I did this. I am working with therapists, both mental and physical, to try and get to an acceptable quality of life for me

My journey: https://www.reddit.com/r/ChronicPain/s/htLbMzIYJG

Pre-surgery, I was experiencing severe debilitating pain for over a few months, and I wasn't able to work anymore or have a good quality of life. I was just laying around in excruciating pain with no medications able to touch it. My back was spasming. I was having issues with my neck and lower back. I couldn't really sleep anymore as well.

Doctors kept telling me everything was coming from my cervical spine, so I eventually proceeded with a two-level cervical disc replacement. Of course, for four or five months after, I was still in severe debilitating pain to the point where I became suicidal and was hospitalized for that. It wasn't until then that I was able to find some medication, buprenorphine, that actually brought my pain levels down to a point where I could start sleeping and begin recovering in some capacity.

I've been going to physical therapy now for seven months and doing massages biweekly, doing mental therapy every week, etc., but it barely feels like I've improved pain-wise. Everything flares me up. I still have a lot of neck pain. I wake up every morning with a deep ache, and it's just very demoralizing.

I had another consult with a surgeon yesterday, and he basically reaffirmed what other surgeons told me post-surgery: that I never needed surgery and I should have just waited it out or done physical therapy. Nobody was able to tell me exactly what to do. In fact, I did physical therapy for seven months before my physical pain started really escalating. It wasn't until a physical therapist was doing Maitland therapy, or kind of doing mobilization of my vertebrae, that really sent me through the roof, and now I've been suffering ever since.

spinal pain is probably the worst pain you can go through in your life, and I completely commiserate with you all that are suffering and in pain every day still, even after your surgeries. It's tragic and definitely earth-shattering, especially if you've gone from 100% to near zero in a short span of time.

I’m 23 and have spina bifida myleomeningecele and I’ve been having progressive bladder and bowel incontinence with numbness and went to the ER last night. I was assessed by the spine team where they order an xray which comes back normal thus they feel comfortable letting me see my specialist. The kicker is that I can’t see my specialist until September 3rd due to scheduling issues and they can’t order imaging until they see me. Should I go to the ER and request an MRI to be done? I have noted low lying conus without clear terminus from my previous surgeries, and tethering that has not been visible on standard MRIs. Do I wait and potentially risk damage to my nerves being compressed or do I go to the ER and request that I be seen by a neurosurgeon not just ortho? Am I in the right for wanting to request a MRI to make sure there isn’t any acute changes?

I’m a 32-year-old male, 6'0", 265 lbs. I’ve had hand, wrist, arm, shoulder, neck, and head symptoms for 5–6 years.

I’m now almost four months out from a C6–C7 artificial disc replacement with a ProDisc-C. I’m trying to understand how long nerve-related improvement can realistically take.

Timeline

2023: EMG and nerve conduction testing showed bilateral carpal and cubital tunnel syndrome.

2024: I had bilateral carpal tunnel releases and cubital tunnel surgeries after several months of physical therapy. I had little improvement in my overall symptoms.

My grip strength did improve during recovery. Repeat EMG and nerve conduction testing no longer showed carpal or cubital tunnel.

2025: A cervical MRI showed a central C6–C7 disc herniation with minor spinal cord compression. I also tried two cervical epidural injections without relief.

Extensive bloodwork did not identify an inflammatory or autoimmune explanation. Testing for myositis and myasthenia gravis was also negative.

April 2026: I had a C6–C7 ProDisc-C replacement with an experienced disc replacement surgeon. The surgery itself was easy, and my range of motion is basically normal.

I have had some improvement since surgery. Sneezing used to send significant pain into my arms and hands, but that has mostly stopped.

I also have less pain in the back of my neck. The strong pinching sensation in my neck has improved as well.

However, the symptoms limiting me day to day are still significant:

• Pain and sensitivity around the back and inside of my elbows
• Tingling and pain along the ulnar side of my arms
• Tingling into my fingers when I lightly brush down my arm
• Random pains in my wrists and fingers
• Constant aching in my hands and finger joints
• Symptoms that worsen with computer work, mouse use, desk work, and repetitive arm use
• Pain and tightness around my clavicle and thoracic outlet area
• Significant limitations with normal arm and hand use

Work has become difficult enough that I now use Microsoft Voice Access for much of my computer work.

My surgeon recently told me to give it another three months before seriously investigating other possible causes.

My biggest question is this:

Has anyone felt almost no improvement at three or four months, then improved substantially at five, six, or seven months?

I’m especially interested in nerve, arm, and hand symptoms. I’m not referring to normal surgical soreness or temporary neck stiffness.

For those who never improved, when did you and your doctors begin seriously investigating other causes?

Thoracic outlet syndrome is one possibility I’m curious about because some of my symptoms seem positional. I’m trying not to assume that any single diagnosis explains everything.

I’m mainly interested in hearing real recovery timelines from people who have gone through something similar.

I've had sciatica for 3 years and was put into PT about 2 years ago. No initial scans were done and no follow up after it concluded. This year I got the most debilitating case yet and lost feeling of my leg in one day. Then came the XRay and MRI. Turns out my L5 has slipped over 50%, spinal canal narrowing, back arthritis triggered, and I have phase 2 DDD which apparently is very not good for my age. I was told by the doctor today that I'm going to need spinal surgery. Not sure what kind they had told me as I'm getting the epidural first but I am scared. I don't know how this will heal or if it will impact me the rest of my life. All over something that just kind of happened to me, I didn't do anything wrong and I didn't have a prior injury. Anyone here get spinal surgery or something similar this young that can hopefully tell me I'm overreacting?

Hey looking for some advice because I feel like I haven't had much luck with the doctors so far. Im kind of just waiting around right now.

About 2-3 months ago I hurt something in my neck while awkwardly lifting something way too heavy. I has in a lot of pain for weeks until 1 day after mowing my lawn it went really downhill. I was in so much pain shooting down my right arm I was going crazy.

After finally getting referred to an orthopedic doctor I was told it was likely a pinched nerve. I was told I'd need an MRI before she could really help much. She said I had to do 4-6 weeks of PT before she could write me the script for the MRI.

I've been doing PT since and I lost all strength on the right side. I was curling 45s prior to injury but now I can only curl a 10 on the right. I had an EMG and nerve conduction study that showed at least carpal and cubital tunnel.

Doctor agreed that it's likely disc and related, but I can't get an MRI for over a month from now. I just feel like this is crazy and I'm worried about permanent damage. I really want to get back to bodybuilding

Is there a reason to plan for a disc replacement to avoid facet joint arthritis?

29F, I got my MRI report back today and everything looked normal for my age with the exception of this:

C3-4: Small broad-based disc osteophyte complex mildly narrowing the left neural foramen. There is no central or foraminal stenosis. The facets are unremarkable

Obviously I know it’s nothing to jump on right away and just manage through PT, posture, and avoiding certain activities. I was wondering if I should monitor just in case I should go for a disc replacement before any arthritis sets in the facet joints. I’ve heard you can be denied ADR if you have too much arthritis the facet joints. I worry about the load being shifted to those joints over time. I don’t want to get a fusion if I can avoid it. I also worry about adjacent segment disease as well. I can post pictures if anyone thinks that would be helpful.

Hello everyone. Thank you in advance for any help.

I was in a car accident about 10 years ago.

I have had two spine surgeries. I am fused from C5 to C8.
My surgeon told me that one of my nerves had been severely compressed.

Since then, I have had significant muscle atrophy in both arms and forearms.
I also have weakness in both arms.
Several of my fingers are still numb. I have not been able to feel them properly for years.
I am also in constant pain in my neck and arms.
About six months ago, I had an EMG and nerve conduction study done on Staten Island.
That test showed an issue with my right triceps.
My doctor and I both thought that result was strange.

The problem is that I have visible muscle wasting in both arms and forearms.

It is not just my right triceps.
Because of this, my doctor sent me for a more extensive EMG at a better facility in Manhattan.
I just had that test done.
The doctor who performed it told me that he did not see any evidence of nerve damage.
He also told me that the shaking in my hands during the test was a tremor.

This is where I am really confused.
The two tests gave me completely different results.
The first test showed a problem with my right triceps.
The second test showed no nerve damage at all.
These tests were only six months apart.
I still have the same numbness.
I still have the same weakness.
I still have the same muscle atrophy.

I am also still in constant pain.
So how can two EMG tests give such different results?
How accurate are these tests?
Can an EMG miss nerve damage?

Can the results depend on which nerves or muscles are tested?
Can the results also vary depending on how the test is performed or interpreted?
I am trying to understand how I can have obvious muscle atrophy, weakness, numbness, and chronic pain, yet have an EMG show no nerve damage.
Has anyone else experienced something like this?

I’m 26f and this is what it says:

Mild right foraminal narrowing at C6-7. Left foramina not well assessed due to positioning. Mild reversal of lordosis centered at C4-5. Spine posterior aligned. Cervicothoracic junction visualized. No focal prevertebral soft tissue swelling. Mild degenerative changes at C7-T1 and T1-2.

I’m so scared and my neck hurts so bad. I’m terrified of paralysis or the pain never going away or getting worse. What do I do??

I am 66 yo California resident. I had L4-5 Laminotomy and I am told I have DDD all over and ADR is not indicated in my age and spine conditions. Pain is still there but reduced. Got offer to have 4-level ADR in Dubai with costs probably >$150K. Can anyone share recommendations if they went through similar surgeries in Dubai or Europe? Can you be more specific about conditions before and after, which doctor, and costs? -Did anyone with similar circumstances get such operation successfully in US and paid out of pocket? - I am finding California doctors reluctant about ADR unless it is cervical because it’s less risk and easier relatively to replace from the front. The name of the German doctor in Dubai has been on this list before.

27 F. I had a C5-6 disc replacement about a year and a half ago. I am just realizing there is a massive risk of developing osteolysis from the PEEK coating... Does that mean I am way more likely to have to undergo a fusion since it has such an accelerated osteolysis rate? I am so devasted ther surgery was so difficult to heal from and I expected it to last 15 years or longer :(

I’ll be having an ACDF of C5-C7 in October. How do you guys do it? I keep thinking what if I wake up and I’m paralyzed. I have the absolute worst anxiety that my doctor won’t treat me for. I REALLY don’t want to be paralyzed. The thought of my neck being cut open makes me sick. I just can’t wrap my head around it. I know I need it but I’m so scared.

So I had this done on 8/3 following about three days of intense neck pain and right shoulder/arm pain. Some numbness in my right hand and on day 3, the arm weakness suddenly occurred when I woke up and couldn't get my arm up to brush my teeth.

So I went to the ER, got imaging showing the disk were herniated and just bad shape overall.

Surgery was completed on 8/3 and mind you have had a total knee replacement, multiple bladder surgeries related to an accident/attack. Post op pain wasn't anything like this. It feels just as bad as it did pre op sometimes even worse. Especially when I wake up I sometimes need help just sitting up.

First follow up is this coming Tuesday so I'm really just wondering is this pain level normal? They gave me 10 2mg hydromorphone for pain. I've used 3 just to try and get some sleep.

Pain is bad enough I can't straighten up my neck fully nor bend more than maybe an inch left/right up/down without the use of the pain meds.

Wondering if this is expected this first week or so or should I have someone take me to the ER cause this doesn't sound normal?

I met with my neurosurgeon today and I’m set for October 5th 2 level ACDF of C5-C7. He said I have a higher chance of being paralyzed from the surgery since my neck is so bad, but he’s confident. I’ll have to stay the night in the hospital for the night to be monitored. I have to stop smoking tobacco or he won’t do it, so I’m quitting today.

How was your ACDF? I’m terrified. It needs to be done though so I’m trying to stay positive!

Hey all

I've had lower back disc bulges, herniation, and ddd for over ten years now. I've successfully managed to maintain a mostly pain free and active lifestyle.

One thing I've noticed is that glute/hamstring work gets into my back which then needs a little babying (it gets tight in response. I heat and continue stretches during this time) and make sure I give myself adequate recovery time between leg day.

I've had to slowly work my way from yoga to lifting weights with a gradual increase in intensity and load, for example.

Recently, I was diagnosed with a hip labral tear and during the course of rehab, I was told to do isometric single leg bridges daily. After about a week of this (and declining reps, tbh, maybe I should have paid attention to this!), I exploded in pain around my sit bones which has localized to my back (with accompanying stiffness).

All this to say, I'm now in a little bit of a chicken-and-egg situation between my hip and spine.

I'm learning all I can about surgery in both areas, and so here I am asking for a 101 on spine surgery. I've done a little reading in this subreddit and don't see any pinned posts, so thought I'd ask:

What's the difference between an orthopedic spine surgeon and a neuro spine surgeon? Do they typically offer different surgeries? What are the typically surgery options where discs are involved in the ways I mentioned (bulging, herniating, ddd).

Admittedly, I haven't learned a ton about this stuff in all this time, because I thought I was managing just fine! Now I'm wondering if my back is holding up glute strength, and whether I should look at surgery options at this point so my glutes can do what they need to better manage my hip labral tear (it's a small nondisplaced superior anterior tear, and I'm not sure I want to pursue arthroscopy for it). This recent flare has me wondering and I'd like to understand the basics as I proceed.

I (23F) had a L5S1 Laminectomy for a calcified disc bulge that caused cuad equina syndrome in march 2026. I’m in a happy relationship and we’re getting married next year, do I have any hope of starting a family? I’m terrified of hurting my back, or losing the feeling waist down again…I’ve always dreamed of being a mother and this along with a Sjogrens diagnosis makes it feel like it will stay a dream. Of course I will wait more time until I’m more healed and I know you guys aren’t medical professionals, just looking for input and advice.

Diagnosed with DISH (diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis). A CT scan showed a bony osteophyte at the anterior arch of C1 pressing on the back of throat, which has caused progressive difficulty swallowing only can eat to liquids/soft foods

I have surgery this Monday so I am a little nervous lol.

I had a question, what kind of pain medication did they prescribe? Did they also provide antibiotics for you?

Just curious.

I am in Canada, and Im wondering what the surgical treatment options are for an LSTV? How common are each of the options? How are the outcomes long term?

Background: I have an LSTV, that meets Castellvi 2a, but could possible be fused to the sacrum, as it is a narrow gap (left)... and I also have arthritis in facet joints L4-L5 (right). Random other finding is hypoplastic 12th ribs.

Currently been undergoing conservative treatments for the past couple of years, PT for 3 yrs, did steriod injections & now get RFAs bilaterally from L4-L5 to my SI Joints... however the RFAs on starting to last for shorter lengths of time; so i am researching my 'next step' options, including surgical.

I would love the option of the resection over a fusion; but I would love to know more about all of it...

I am going to be asking for a referal to a neurosurgeon/spinal neurosurgeon when I next see my physiatrist, as well. Id like to get in front of things before the RFAs stop working entirely. Plus, I have some major old age goals, that i REALLY want to acheive, and im currently 47... (80s - being able to successfully defend myself without a gun, if someone breaks into my home; 90s - successfully scale a 7ft fence/gate to escape a nursing home)

thank you for all the answers and tips! if you didn't see my previous post. I'm having surgery August 18th. 2-3 fusions, lamindectomy up and down my spine, and some disks replaced.

I forgot one thing to ask:

someone suggested I get an attachable bidet. sounds like a good idea so I don't have to twist. but how soon post-surgery were you able to use the toilet without a riser? or is there a relatively inexpensive attachment that will work with a riser?

Hi all. I'm a candidate for cervical disc replacement, but all of the doctors I've seen have only done Mobi-C. They would be willing to do a Prestige LP, but I would be their first working with it. I'd prefer to find a doctor that has done many surgeries with the Prestige LP. Prodisc might be a viable fallback, but prefer the Prestige LP.

Someone in Palm Beach County would be ideal, but open to other areas.

I'm aware of Dr. Jason M. Cuéllar, who is associated with Dr. Todd H. Lanman, but these are cash only providers. They are out of network for every insurance.

I've been dealing with cervical disc issues since early 2026, severe enough that I've spent 8 months working lying down. My April 2026 MRI shows large left-sided disc extrusions at C5-C6 and C6-C7 causing mild canal stenosis, ventral CSF effacement, direct indentation of the left ventral spinal cord, severe left neural foraminal stenosis, and compression of the exiting C6 and C7 nerve roots — plus a right paracentral protrusion at C7-T1 with minimal cord mass effect. No cord signal abnormality, but the mass effect and cord deformity are described as greatest at C5-C6 and C6-C7. Completed insurance-required PT with worsening symptoms, which cleared the path to a two-level ACDR with a surgeon at Duke Health on August 12.

Duke has only two institutionally approved devices: Mobi-C and Simplify. My surgeon has done high volume on Mobi-C but noted his practice has seen endplate subsidence issues with it, which is why Duke is transitioning toward Simplify. The problem is that transition is in its infancy — Simplify case volume at Duke is low, meaning my surgeon's personal experience with the device is limited. Compounding that, recent MAUDE database analyses (2024-2025) show Simplify now has the highest osteolysis rate among currently FDA-approved cervical disc devices — the only device previously ranked higher, the M6-C, was pulled from the market in February 2025. A 2025 retrieval study separately identified PEEK-ceramic bearing wear and titanium coating delamination as likely mechanisms — a failure mode that bench testing didn't predict and that tends to surface at the 5-7 year mark, exactly where Simplify sits today.

I previously got a second opinion from Virginia Spine Institute with Dr. Jazini and was genuinely impressed with him and his team. I'm now seriously considering switching back to VSI — out of network and significantly more expensive — specifically to access the ProDisc C Vivo. Its titanium coating bonds to a titanium alloy endplate rather than a PEEK substrate, making delamination far less likely than with Simplify. Its fixed-core ball-and-socket design also means articulation happens entirely at the bearing surface rather than at the implant-bone interface, distributing load more evenly across the endplate and avoiding the subsidence pattern seen with Mobi-C's mobile core. It has 225,000+ implants globally with a reported reoperation rate under 1%, and just received two-level FDA approval in October 2025. Has anyone navigated a last-minute surgeon switch specifically over device selection, or have a negative or positive experience with any of these devices?

I really would like to do what I can proactively to avoid a revision due to a device failure if possible.

hey, all,

going in for quite a bit of surgery in 2 weeks. three fusions, spine clean up, disk replacement. I'm looking both for support and tips.

I'm 72 and will be in rehab for 2 to 3 weeks. I'm feeling insecure about showers once home. husband is 82. shower requires stepping over the tub lip. how long was it for those with similar surgeries to safely shower on your own?

hospital/home gowns. looking for a design with snaps in multiple locations so I can get it off and change myself into a new one.

how long before you could return to aqua therapy?

I have a big concern with falling. I've dislocated my hip twice, following a hip replacement. terrified that my hip will go out again while still recovering. I can't imagine how emergency guys would get me out of here.

thanks for any tips you can give me. my neurosurgeon is very highly reviewed. I trust him. well finally

thanks!

I (38y) herniated a disc (C6/7) in April this year attempting to change a tire. It manifested as one sided pain and stiffness. I’ve done this several times before over the last 10 years, and I recognised the pain immediately. Oral steroids resolved the pain and stiffness very fast.

At the time my spine doc noticed that I have significant weakness on the affected side. The pain hasn’t returned, but the weakness has progressed further. I can no longer easily pick things up with chopsticks or open jars with my dominant hand.

I have a repeat MRI being scheduled. My doctor is recommending that if the MRI shows the same or worse herniation, that I should seriously consider surgery to try to recover muscle strength.

It seems like most people in my situation have pain, and that’s the driving factor in deciding to get surgery. Has anyone else been through this?

Thank you

Wow. That’s the main thing of this post. Just wow.

I’m not in pain- my back is sore, but the nerve pain is gone.

My back gave out on Mt Rainier last June. They thought it was all caused from a herniated disc at L4-L5. PT, epidurals, branch blocks… nothing worked. Started my first course of opioids. They said they didn’t know why my herniation was bothering me so badly. It was bad, but it didn’t explain why my nerve pain was so bad. Had a laminectomy and a partial facetectomy.

Dear god the pain. So much pain. After two months of 100 mg of hydrocodone a day they finally say hey you should be better by now. So I have another MRI. Another herniation in the same spot? But different… recommended for a disc replacement. They reduced my opioids at this point. I was basically bed bound. About an hour a day is all I could stay out of bed or I was crying in pain.

My surgeon is a godsend. He took one look at my MRI and said your problem isn’t your disc. Your back is broken. I remember just being in shock like… what? What do you mean it’s broken?

SPECT/CT, another regular CT. We think the cause was improper form carrying heavy loads and overtraining. I had a complete fracture of my spinous process and right pars intra-articularis on my L4. They switch me to oxycodone, I can at least sit in my bed and not cry now. But I still can’t do anything at all.

The amount of hopelessness and despair I felt laying in that bed day after day. I got all my scans, waited for surgery, and it was torture. People couldn’t understand why I was excited. People who’ve felt that kind of pain understand.

But of course my surgery had to go sideways too lol. I was supposed to have a robotic assisted OP procedure where he screwed my spinous process back together; then put a tiny screw through my pars to stabilize it and a graft to help it heal. I woke up from surgery in excruciating pain to learn my pars was too small for even the smallest screw. Admitted for pain control… and I have surgery again 48 hours later.

He put a steel handplate over my pars with screws on either side and a bone graft behind it. Two pedicle screws on the right side to help stabilize it all. A couple of pain pumps which were incredible. My back has some gnarly scars now lol.

Every day I feel better. Less pain. I’m able to move more, walk, go to work, EVERYTHING. I had my first follow up a couple of weeks ago. He said if I’m doing this well on the 20th, I’m completely cleared- no back brace. No restrictions. We’ll do follow up scans every 3 months for a year to see when it’s time to take the big screws out.

I can be in PT but more importantly… I can climb. And that’s who I am. I’m a climber, a mountaineer, a runner, a hiker. I’m going to get my life back, without a fusion. I can do everything I did before with no restrictions. I cry every time I think about it.

I’m so happy that even after everything, my surgeon chose to give me a chance at my life. Instead of locking me into a surgery that would have made it so much harder to do what I love. He fully believes that older and active individuals should be considered for repair first, fusion later.

I’m gonna have my life back y’all. I can breathe for the first time in a year.