@robson78 I can tell you that I am 7 years out from my fusion, and there have been no other discs that are bad. I am hearing some cracking now and then, but no pain and no other symptoms. I keep my core strength up and work on releasing tension in my neck and chest because it does pull on my spine. Sometimes surgeons add in a second fusion and there is more money in doing that, so they need to explain why they think this should be done. I kind of thought my 6-7 looked bad, but my surgeon only did 5-6. Sometimes less is more because it can promote adjacent segment disease by stressing other discs, but there are a lot of factors. The length of the fused levels can influence if other discs get more wear and tear. Hardware plates can cause more stress if they rub on other discs. The fusion shrinks as it heals and new bone is formed as it absorbs the matrix and regenerates it's own.