@ab6540183
Alfred, when you already have spine injuries, it's common to aggravate it by doing something and cause a muscle spasm that increases pain. I can do that too with bad posture or sleeping with my neck in a bad position. A spasm can start shifting the vertebrae alignment and increasing symptoms from the condition that already exists. You can try a heat wrap on your neck to try and calm the muscles. Soaking in a tub with epsom salts might help too because your skin will absorb magnesium and that can help muscles relax. There are over the counter things like Arnica gel that help with inflammation and pain. I use that when my ankle hurts and it helps. A massage therapist or physical therapist can help a lot too, but there would be a cost for that.

Jennifer

Hi Alfred, Looks like you're pointing to the SCM muscle. It goes from back to front.Probably strained it. Some lite self massage and some ice would be my go to for that.
I hope the injections help reduce your inflammation. The transforaminal injection helps me the most over other types of injections.
In the US many are having success with radiofrequency ablation for their stenosis. There is also a procedure call MILD, for laminar decompression. These are less invasive than fusion. I hope the new neurosurgeon will address your concerns and possibly some less invasive solutions. It could be the insurance company dictating your care . Sometimes they make you wait a time period you mentioned , and sometimes the disc recedes, it doesn't necessarily "heal," altho annular tears can close as the inflammation recedes, so I wouldn't call it repair or heal, bad choice of words on his part. Hope this helps.