[tigerpaw75]

JJames,

Sorry to hear about your condition. Seems you are getting what a lot of spinal patients get - the runaround!.

My wife is having a hybrid fusion ADR as we speak at Texas Back Institute in Plano (she's in the OR right now, I'm sitting the waiting room just wanting it to be over). We traveled from Alabama to have the surgery done here because they are among the best in the world at ADR and equally as expert at fusion technolgies.

Frankly we had the hybrid done because of cost reasons (insurance is paying for everything except the ADR hardware and the doctor's fee related to the ADR), and because according to Dr. Blumenthal there appears to be little difference in mobility and longer term outcome between 2 level ADR and hybrid fusion/ADR, especially at the L5-S1, L4-L5 levels.

Luckily she has not had any cervical spine issues...but hopefully these are not a problem - perhaps you just have pulled muscles/pinched nerves? But if they aren't getting better with anti inflammatories and other conservative treatments in my view you have to go have the tests to see if it is a disc related problem...

Anyway, feel free to post or PM me if you have questions about my wife's procedure, costs, etc.

Hope you find a path forward.