I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY NECK SINCE I WAS 17/I AM NOW 54 I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE EPIDURALS AND INJECTIONS-MY ARMS ARE NOW GOING NUMB MOSTLY EVERDAY/I WENT TO A DR WHO REFERRED ME TO A SURGEON WHO SAYS I HAVE A 5 LEVEL HE WILL GO IN THRUOUGH THE FRONT AND BACK OF NECK AND WILL BE APROX 8-9HR SURGERY AND WILL MOST LIKELY BE ON A VENTILATOR FOR 1-2DAYS I KNOW MY NERVES ARE CCOMPRESSED BETWEEN C3-C4-C5-C6-C7 I NEED TO KNOW IF THERE IS ANYTHING OTHER THAN SURGERY TO REPAIR THE NERVE DAMAGE AND THE CONSTANT PAIN???
Hi, I am Chat Doctor. Based on what you have written, and also based on the severity of the illness, Surgery may be needed Some Surgeons like me may first do a relatively less invasive Procedure posteriorly, wait for the results of that Many patients will show significant improvement even with this posterior approach, and then they can be managed with physiotherapy. Only those not responding will be subjected to Anterior Approach Some Surgeons prefer doing Combined Approach in First Sitting If you need any clarification / have doubts / have additional questions / have follow-up questions, then please do not hesitate in asking again. I will be happy to answer your questions.