@celia16
I think it depends on what is going on in the spine.

Spine specialists and insurance companies always want non-surgical treatments to be tried first. If physical therapy/exercise, pain medications, spinal injections, massage, acupuncture, pain patches/creams, psychologists that specialize in chronic pain, home health aids, heat/ice, sleeping pillows/positions, etc. don’t help improve symptoms or quality of life after 6 months, surgery may be the only option to address the compressed spinal cord, nerve roots, nerves and the pain/weakness/numbness caused disrupted communications from brain to spinal cord to muscles/skin/organs.

To me, it comes down to mechanical stressors/pressure caused by degeneration of discs, overgrowth of bone, shifting of vertebrae, cysts/tumors, etc. that need to be addressed for longer term relief of symptoms. Many non-surgical treatments are offer only the possibility of temporary relief. As we age and our spines age with us, we need to choose if we want to continue with the non-surgical treatments that may/may not help or improve our quality of life or take a calculated risk of getting surgery with a good surgeon we trust after we do our due diligence finding a good and experienced surgeon with good reviews/ratings/experience.

For me, I am glad I had cervical and lumbar surgery. My spinal cord was being compressed and injured causing slow paralysis. I was born with a congenitally narrow spinal canal and no amount of non-surgical treatments would change that fact and how degeneration was affecting me. Symptoms improved after surgery (not all due to some permanent injury due to delayed diagnosis). I need a new cervical spine surgery at another level due to new degeneration and herniated disc at a different level. My lumbar surgery helped relieve a good amount of my symptoms (pain/weakness/numbness from back/hips/buttocks down to my feet).

@celia16
My current symptoms tied to my cervical spine herniated disc at c6-c7 that is bulging into my central spinal canal and pressing on/flattening my spinal cord/blood vessels (similar to those tied to c5-c6 level before ACDF surgery), include neck stiffness, shoulder/arm/hand muscle/joint weakness, bladder control issues, balance issues and difficulty walking/weakness in hips/legs. I need to be careful not to fall and feel unstable quite a bit of the time.

This is not fun to deal with at 55 years old. Not what I expected to be dealing with at my age. Many days my body feels 75-85, not 55. I am a single parent of a teen son and his sole provider. I have no family and now disabled (needed to retire earlier than I had planned…I really liked working and being mentally challenged).

My spine issues and congenitally narrow spinal canal will most likely require a life of surgery in my future. I may be in a wheelchair sooner than I would like due to permanent spinal cord injury/degeneration/progression of myelopathy.

I take one day at a time, have hope for tomorrow, have my faith that keeps me strong, love my son and dogs/cats, and find joy in the small things. Despite all of my struggles, I feel blessed and loved by God.

I won’t do surgery on my back. But I thank you for your reply and wish you the best.