Quote:
Originally posted by hucky:
Unless you are experiencing serious neurological symptoms that are getting worse, it is wise to wait and see.
Hucky
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I have to voice one modifier. I've said before that this is a rather cold statement but pain is a quality of life issue. In addition to deciding if your pain and/or neurological symptoms warrant immediate actions, you also need to understand the trend of your ongoing damage. Most people according to website I've seen go through period of lessing pain, almost a remission, as their damage increases. It's almost as if the spine goes through regions of increasing and decreasing stability as the damage increases. If you simply react to pain and other symptoms, your damage level may increase to the point where there is little that can be done once the pain returns.
DON'T rush off and get surgery. DO understand what is going on with your body and react to both what you are feeling today and what you will be feeling tomorrow. For more specific advice general to everyone, find a surgeon you like. Establish a relationship with him/her. Agree on tests necessary to monitor your condition. Live your life and occasionally do the tests you've agreed upon. At some point, your pain, symptoms, or condition will pass a point where you decide that it is time to act. Don't rush into it but don't close your eyes to your total condition.
I don't mean to contradict Hucky, but American surgeons are used to thinking of fusion, where holding off until the last minute is advisable. ADR means that you can intervene before damage to other structures gets too bad, which occasionally means intervening before the person's pain become intolerable but it is clear that the disk is quickly losing height.