@westlakechap Thanks for your response. No worries though; my spine surgery was 8 years ago and very successful and it gave me my life back. I was pain free immediately after surgery except for the pain caused by the surgical path. Prior to surgery, I had pain anywhere in my body from spinal cord compression. It was life changing in such a good way, that in gratitude, I give back to help other patients navigate through medical information and assist those who need help with advocating for themselves. I had a fusion of C5/C6 done without hardware and that has been a big benefit to me since my body rebels against foreign materials like metals. To maintain this, I also work to loosen up tight neck muscles and I try to have good posture. It helps me a lot to build core strength by riding my horse. That is mostly just at a walk for trail riding. This was my only spine surgery and so far so good. When I was evaluated for spine surgery, I was also evaluated for thoracic outlet syndrome which I had and it causes overlapping symptoms for spine problems.

If your spine issues have a past history of trauma like a whiplash, you may be interested in being tested for thoracic outlet syndrome. It can be caused by a whiplash, and typically it does cause C8 nerve issues. When a neurologist tested me, the C8 nerve root was abnormal. The catch here is most doctors don't understand TOS or know how to treat it (physical therapy with myofacial release in addition to a few surgical approaches). It has variations, but generally it is nerve entrapment involving the brachial plexus which can be where it passes through scalene muscles, under the collar bone and under muscle attachments of pectoralis minor near the armpit. If you find a place that lists TOS as a condition they treat, you can find a specialist there. If you have TOS, it may cause pain even after a spine issue is fixed, and the inflammation from spine surgery in an area very close to the TOS will increase the pain it causes.

TOS information
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thoracic-outlet-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20353988
https://mskneurology.com/how-truly-treat-thoracic-outlet-syndrome/
Our discussion on Myofascial release.
Neuropathy - "Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/