My cervical surgery went fairly well. I still have some residual cervical spondolitic myolapthy due to the bony overgrowths that had been cut away. The lesions have not spread since the surgery but I do have some left over balance issues and am on baclophen four times a day and cymbalta at night for nerve pain. But, in the three years since it was done (May 1, 2007) I have returned to all activity exceptn horseback riding and bike riding, stationary bike is okay. The neck has c-3 hrough c4 fused with two cadvor bones in place of discs, a titiamium plate and six screws spanning the vertebrae. I was back to work and enjoying life again within four months of the surgery,
I defintily noticed a hugh difference for the better in terms of arm pain, hand shaking, dropping things, They entered in through the front and the scar is barely noticible and even my yoga instructor last year could not tell that I had a fusiion.
The jury is still out on my lower back surgery, it was just two weeks ago today and much more extensive. But I can say that I've noticed a 50% improvment already in the sypmtoms that drove me to having the surgery done. But in this case they went in through the back, cut away veretbrae and replaced things with a cage, two rods and tweleve screws, saw the xrays yesterday.
BTW, prioir to both surgeries i went through a year of physical therpay, meds and nerve blocks to try and get some control without surgery.
Everyone is different. My father suffered and refused surgery and I watched him become more and more crippled. I was diagnosied with the same issues at 17 and had my first joint surgery at 24. My daughter had her first joint surgery at 17. ironically for both of us it was the left knee.
As a final note a co-workers husband put off having his neck done until the surgery was emergency and it took him almost a year of rehab to return to near normal. Waiting can hurt.