I am being steered towards injections despite progressive symptoms…

RF ablation would make more sense if the surgery didn't provide adequate relief. Ablation and injections treat the symptoms and not the cause. Sometimes doing them first can provide adequate relief. It seems that for a lot of folks RF ablation doesn't provie long term relief. I'd give an injection 2-3 weeks to strut its stuff.

Heather,

You are very young. I’m sure the doctors want to exhaust every possible non-surgical solution possible. Once you start down the road of fusions, you will be faced with more fusions eventually. I had my first fusion at 42, I have had four more since then. My last surgery failed. I’ve been living in hell since then. I am scheduled for a FULL SPINAL fusion, from T10 to Pelvis, including the S1 joint. It’s a huge surgery. I honestly wish I had just held out through the first bad disc for it to fuse on its own. Maybe it wasn’t possible, but our bodies eventually fuse on its own. I read they used to put people in a brace for a year so the bad disc would just fuse on its own.
All my rambling to say, you’re so young, please try everything other than surgery for as long as you are able!
Prayers for your pain relief,
Jack

New guidelines recommend against spinal injections and ablation procedures because the benefits are minimal and the risks are significant. Please see this article: https://www.paintreatmentdirectory.com/posts/new-guidelines-on-spinal-injections-and-ablation-procedures. That does not mean that surgery is the answer. There are many other non-surgical treatments that can be helpful. Findings of degenerative discs are extremely common even in people with no pain. Please see this article on the faulty rationale for most spinal surgery, which also includes information on alternatives: https://www.paintreatmentdirectory.com/posts/the-faulty-rationale-for-most-spinal-surgery.

Being conservative is the safest approach. I would encourage you to try all of those first. I did that for a good 30 years and put off the surgery. Some seasons were worse but I always felt I’d know when those were exhausted. Massage, PT, chiropractic, acupuncture, dry needling. I didn’t want pain management with drugs. I paid for all those things out of pocket. Pain management my insurance would pay for - but they dictated the treatment. After one injection on the path to ablation the doctor wisely, and thankfully said I was not a candidate that it was time for surgery. Insurance did not agree. They wanted scans to show more damage. Try several cycles of injections, more physical therapy, then ablation. If - when that fails then surgery. All that to say it could be an insurance decision. Wishing you find relief the easier way.
K

I have similar symptoms and have been diagnosed with cervical myelopathy. They have steered me to spinal surgery and I have appts. with two spinal surgeons next week at two different organizations. Have you been examined by a neurological specialist? This is progressive and in some instances can worsen rapidly.

I started with the back injections. And they worked very good for several years. Each shot lasted about 10-12 months. The last 2 shots worked OK but not as good as the first shots. The last MRI I did show a severe curvature of the spine.
I tried to go the surgery route but it seemed other health issues stopped me from the surgery. In 2023 my wife had a stroke and I had to postpone my surgery to care for her. In 2024 I was hospitalized for a heart condition. The surgeon would not do the surgery and said come back in 9-12 months with clearance from the cardiologist. In 2025 I came down with cancer. Once again the surgeon said to wait several months after all the surgeries and treatments are over. I talked to my pain med doctor and he said he would do another series of shots but after a couple months past my cancer treatments. That is where I am now. I have an appointment with the pain med doctor in January 2026.

@cperlin the information you are posting is from a clinical social worker who does biofeedback. At the end of the article is her contact information for services. I would like to see the actual data from a medical journal that supports what she is saying. She did not list a bibliography citing her sources.

@mikena
Thank you so much for sharing this — I’m really sorry you’re dealing with it, but I truly appreciate you responding. It’s validating to hear from someone with such similar symptoms who was diagnosed with cervical myelopathy.

I did have an initial surgical consult and was told it wasn’t considered “dangerous” yet, but my MRI shows multilevel degeneration with central canal narrowing, loss of CSF around the cord, and cord crowding/flattening. My symptoms have continued to progress, which is why being steered toward injections has made me uneasy.

From what I’ve been reading, cervical myelopathy is often missed or underdiagnosed early on, with many patients initially treated for radiculopathy or muscle issues before cord involvement is recognized.

If you don’t mind sharing — what helped lead to your myelopathy diagnosis? Were there specific exam findings or MRI details that made the difference?

Wishing you the best with your upcoming appointments, and thank you again for speaking up.

@peter51f
Thank you so much for sharing all of that. I’m really sorry for everything you and your family have been through — caring for your wife after her stroke, then dealing with your own heart issues and cancer is an incredible amount for one person to carry. I truly admire your strength.

I appreciate you explaining your experience with injections and how they helped for a while. Hearing your story really puts into perspective how complicated this can be when other health issues get in the way of surgery.

I’m wishing you continued healing and hoping your January appointment brings some relief and clearer next steps. Thank you again for being so open — it really does help others who are trying to navigate this too.

@jksawyers
Thank you so much for sharing this with me, Jack. I’m truly sorry for everything you’ve been through — that’s an incredibly difficult road, and I can understand why you’d want to warn someone else from going down the same path. I really appreciate your honesty.

I absolutely hear what you’re saying about surgery and fusions, and I don’t take that lightly at all. My hope is to avoid surgery if it’s truly safe to do so. At the same time, my concern has been whether there’s spinal cord involvement, because from what I’ve learned, that can change the conversation from pain management to preventing neurologic loss.

I’m trying to make sure I ask the right questions and fully understand my options before committing to anything — surgical or otherwise. Your perspective is really helpful, and I’m grateful you took the time to share it with me.

I truly hope you find some relief and peace moving forward, and I’m keeping you in my thoughts. Thank you again for your kindness and prayers.