Neck Surgery: Your last resort...

Surgery is a last resort option to relieve pain or other symptoms resulting in a lessened state of health. All methods of relief must be exhausted before surgery is performed.

A good surgeon will only perform a surgery if absolutely necessary. Many things may exclude someone from a possible surgery. If someone’s condition is not severe then surgery may not be recommended. The reason is because surgery may only work half of the time. Hence, if someone only has a 50/50 chance of improvement and they pose certain risk factors then they may not be an ideal candidate for surgery.

Some of these risk factors include:

1. Being too young: If surgery is not successful it could mean a life that is severely inhibited, a lifetime of pain or other problems, or in fact the chance someone doesn’t survive the surgery.
2. Having other health conditions: Other health issues can make surgery much more risky.
3. Old age: As we age our healing time is much longer. Our bodies can’t handle as much trauma and stress.
4. Having already had surgery: Past surgery or surgeries leaves scar tissue in that region, not to mention possible hardware, ie: metal, screws, etc …

Ok, let’s say you qualify as a possible surgical candidate. There are a few types of surgery.

1. Discectomy- shave off the part of the disc that is ruptured.
2. Fusion- much more invasive surgery where they fuse 1 level to the next. If there are multiple problem areas, the surgeon may fuse more segments together. There are a few different ways they may do this.
3. Stenosis Surgery- stenosis is when bone and/or disc material is closing off the spinal canal (spinal stenosis) or foramen (foraminal stenosis). Similarly to surgery for bone spurs, they go in and clean out the area.
4. Laser Surgery- Less invasive, and the less invasive the better, but it’s still surgery.

Last, cover all your bases. Ok, you’ve tried absolutely everything, and I mean everything, out there. You still have severe pain that’s inhibiting your everyday life. You get 2 or 3 surgical opinions, and are confident with the outcomes of that.

Now, we need to find out the extent of rehab and medication to follow surgery, and rehab time. And don’t forget the chances that the problem can come back. Keep in mind, if this happens, you are most likely bound for another surgery, however this in turn makes the next surgery more difficult and risky.

Many people jump into a surgery, especially if they are in severe pain and then a surgeon paints a rosy picture. You must do your due diligence and make sure that you are ready, you have covered all your options, and you understand what you may be getting into.

Additional Reading Resources

• I have been told I need neck surgery by my Doctor....
• Neck traction for Neck Pain Relief
• Natural Pain Relief for the Neck that does not Include Surgery
• CLT Pillow Works Well for After Surgery Patients
• Neck Exercises

Photo Source: Peyton Manning undergoes neck surgery