I am so grateful to have discovered this forum and have already learned much. My situation is that I suffered a C5/C6 extrusion in a car accident in 2001; the first neurosurgeon I saw did not want to operate at the time; I recently saw another neurosurgeon who at first offered the option of waiting for approval of the artifical cervical disk but then changed his mind and wanted to immediately schedule a fusion and foraminotomy. My preference is to go with the artificial disk--but I am at a loss as to how to proceed in making contact with surgeons involved with these devices. I am SO impressed in reading the forum with the amount of research and consultations you have all done! How did you proceed in contacting the surgeons? It is also clear that Mark is a wonderful resource in this regard. Any advice you can provide me in how to begin the process would be greatly appreciated.
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2001 MVA; C5-C6 disk extruded
ongoing physical therapy, exercise and massage
ESI's, oral prednisone, trigger point injections
foraminal and central stenosis C5/C6 and c6/C7
2007 EMG/nerve conduction shows pattern of chronic radiculopathy
January, 2008: Prestige ST Artificial Disk Replacement, C5/6
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