I am pushing off surgery as much as I can. It went out on me about 3 years ago and traction and an epidural got me back to normal like. I had a pretty intense year competing in bjj last year and was severely overtrained when it went out on thanksgiving. Traction has helped so far but I am getting impatient and going to get the shot soon.
Like I said, the shots providing temporarily relief may result in your only option being a crippling fusion, this is the procedure that gives spine surgery it's terrible
reputation.
An artificial disc functions just like a natural one, they're tested to have a lifespan of 100 years of heavy use, vs a fusion which wrecks your spine geometry by locking two vertebrae together with metal hardware, placing unnatural stresses on other discs, resulting in a cascade of further surgeries.
I know they don't warn patients of this, and you don't want to find out after it's too late for disc replacement to be an option, so start asking now.
It wasn't long ago this was only an option for millionaires, now insurance that covers fusion will cover disc replacement, you just have to find a doctor that's trained on cutting edge procedures.
Plenty of pro athletes are running around with disc replacements, while fusion is a death sentence for their careers.
I was so convinced I wanted this vs what I was being told, that a fusion was the only option, I found a neurosurgeon researcher and volunteered to be a subject in the clinical trial that brought 2 level disc replacement to the US.
I went from near paralysis with a bleak future of being crippled by fusion surgery to having completely unrestricted physical activity. It saved my life.
Getting a tooth implant takes longer than this.
View: https://youtube.com/shorts/CERmBLxQpS8