[Maria]

My experience has also been that if one has a certain set of symptoms and findings on films then at least in the past criteria for surgery would have been satisfied. Generally a surgeon that is ethical will at least want a person with non emergent symptoms/findings to wait about 6 months at least before committing to surgery. Try the conservative route with rest, ice/heat, PT, biofeedback, injections for the spine perhaps, etc.

If things persist and findings are unchanged or worsened then pursue surgery.

Truly I think often we as the patient are all to quick to want our lives to change. To be like it was before the injury or better. My own experience is once having surgery things do change. Sometimes things are improved, sometimes something is improved and something worsened or another problem created. Sometimes there is way more pain and problems and surgery just has failed and created more problems.

IMHO people really need to take their time and check things out thoroughly before committing to spine surgery IF NOT EMERGENT IN NEED.

One spine surgery usually begets another, sadly. I would advise not to act on desperation.

Get to know your options first and make sure to get more than one opinion.

Surgeons do what they went into practice to do.. surgery. That's their livelihood. I think if someone offers a remedy without at least cautioning that it may or may not work .. then beware. Spine surgery may be precise with regard to surgical technique and all that but it's not precise with regard to how the body responds.

Good luck to anyone seeking spine surgery and any other surgery. We may not be masters of our own fate when it comes to what insurance will approve and such however we are masters of our own fate making a decision for ourselves. Ultimately if things turned out terribly it is me that signed that consent form and brought myself to the surgical front. And I did and I learned...