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Cervical stenosis: Wait or treat?

Spine Health | Last Active: Sep 24, 2021 | Replies (22)

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@jenniferhunter

@ray666 Thank you for your kind words. Spine surgery changed my life completely and I learned a lot about myself and overcoming adversity, and it gives a lot of meaning to me to share what I can because spine surgery is something that needs a lot of discussion to make an educated choice. Balance is good and finding the right surgeon. I'm sure your conversation is helping others who are reading the discussions.

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Replies to "@ray666 Thank you for your kind words. Spine surgery changed my life completely and I learned..."

Hi, Jennifer. I met with the surgeon last Wednesday. Having had a chance to look over my latest imagining (another MRI and some next flexion X-rays) he advised no surgery at this time. He repeated saying my case is "borderline." He went on to say since my sole complaint is a wobbly walk (with no pain) that we put my case on a watch-and-see basis at least for six months, that I continue with my cervical PT and, should I have the slightest downturn in my symptoms I go back to see him immediately. To be honest, he said, if we did the surgery, there'd be no guarantee that my wobbly walk would go away, that my "borderline" C 5-7 problem is the cause of my unsteady gait. I'm reasonably content with a six-month wait-and-see approach, although the next day I thought, 'Mmm, this is both good and bad news.' The good news: no surgery, at least not now. The bad news: I can no longer be sure that cervical stenosis is the cause (or sole cause) of my walking difficulty. So, we'll see. As always, Jennifer, thank you a millionfold for all of your advice! Best wishes, Ray