Anyone had disc replacement surgery?

[GaryK]

Have been troubled by 2 compressed discs that are protruding in my neck (C6/7) for several years and have so far gone for root block injections which give relief for anywhere between a few months and a year, but dont address the underlying problem. It seems that as time has progressed over the past 3/4 years, the root blocks seem less effective and dont last as long.
My spinal consultant has offered disc replacement*, but obviously this is a big step up from the injections.

My thinking is that:

• I'm not getting any younger (47 years old)
• Currently have private medical through my employer, so make use of it whilst it is available
• There are risks involved, but such treatments have come on in leaps and bounds in recent years
• I will probably be facing a couple of months out of the game, so maybe January/February would be good timing

So, have any other forum members been faced with similar, and if so, how did it work out for you?
Maybe you bit the bullet and went for surgery - how was it, how long before you were swinging a club again, any regrets?
Maybe you chose to do nothing and put up with the pain/discomfort - do you regret not having surgery?

* The disc replacement was offered in April this year, but I told my consultant that I didn't want to miss out on the golf season!

Cheers
Gary

 

[PhilTheFragger]

I've had lower back disc issues for a number of years , in 2006 I had a really bad reaction to an epidural for pain relief and so had no option but to have surgery.

Mine was a simple Discectomy where they slice off the bulging disc and that relieves the pressure on the sciatic nerve.

My surgery was a success although I have now got other smaller disc bulges, it's nowhere near as bad as before.

Back / neck surgery is never offered as a first treatment, (unless it's a trauma case)
If they are suggesting it, it's because they have run out of other options.
There is a risk to all surgery, you can't have surgery without some collateral damage , albeit hopefully only temporary.

My choices were to live in constant pain , supping morphine and being a catatonic zombie. Or to take a risk and have the surgery.

Disc replacement wasn't available for me, all things medical have moved on so much in recent years and it's getting better.

So my advice is to talk to your consultant, make a list of the pros and cons and decide. Get a second opinion if you like

Good luck

 

[DCB]

Better getting it done when it can be done rather than waiting until it really needs done. I had an accident in 2014 which gave me a whiplash type of injury. I ended up with 3 disc compressing the spinal cord. I needed all 3 taken out and a titanium cage fitted between C4&C7. Discectomy and anterior corpectomy with a nice 90mm cage fitted The longer the compression on the cord the more likely that there will be long term damage. Because I had an underlying issue that hadn't been treated I wasn't aware of the slow degeneration the compression was causing. A slight accident left me almost paralysed from the shoulders down. My surgeon did a great job and I have recovered well. Whilst I can play golf again, it is a different game. I lost upper body strength and still can't hit the ball as far as I used to. A colleague at work who had an elective surgery like your describing had a much quicker recovery than I dd and he too has managed to get back to playing golf. We both have some side effects after the surgery, so worth talking it over with your consultant and asking everything you need to ask. I would say though, have the op as the alternative is not a pleasant option at all. Three surgeon looked at my MRI scan and only one wanted to do the higher risk op on me. My notes show the reason for op to be "to give some beneficial use of the hands". Don't leave it too long, get back in touch and speak to them and get the best option for your condition agreed and go ahead with it. At 47 you've still got a long way to go.

PS the op is just the start point, you need to keep up regular exercise afterwards, I swim every week day to keep the body moving and to try to keep some strength. It's a hard fight but it needs to be done.

Hope you get sorted out soon.

 

[duncan mackie]

Whilst my issues were with the more normal L3/4 - L4/5 replacements werent an option then, primarily as the lifespan of the materials wasn't long enough or defined enough for either the medical teams or insurers to consider them viable.

I understand the progress made over the last decade is sufficient to change that significantly!

I would echo the observation that getting such things done whilst you are otherwise fit is a very sensible approach. Consideration of the impact on any individual golfing season is probably a much lower priority!

Finally, follow the medical advice and if the insurers are prepared to pay it's because the long term prognosis from that treatment is the best one.

 

[xreyuk]

As mentioned above - they wouldn’t be recommending surgery if they didn’t have to.

I have syringomyelia, which is a cyst in my spinal cord, around the C5/C6 discs. This results in pain, loss of function from my shoulders down to my fingers.

The doctor told me the only way he would operate was if I lost the ability to use my hands, and as it’s no where near that it’s pain management.

One thing I will say, if you get the surgery, once you’ve recovered, get a gym membership.

I know you’re in pain etc, but the gym will do wonders for you just moving a bit of weight around in a functional manner, and it will help relieve pain overall.

 

[GaryK]

Just revisited this thread and am very disappointed with myself for not acknowledging the very helpful advice given, so a big belated thank you to you all.
It has gotten to the point now whereby every day I am experiencing at best discomfort, at worst severe pain, to the point that I am having to take the odd day off work here and there.

I have discussed this with my manager and whilst work should come near the bottom of the list of considerations, we both hoped that I would be able to defer until January as that would work best for both me and my job. I updated him this week, saying that I may not be able to hold out until then - he was fine and supportive with this.

Anyway, I shall be speaking to BUPA in the next day or so and once approved, will speak to my consultant.
At least if I get the operation in the next month or so, I should be ready to start practicing for next season late Jan/Feb!

 

[TheBlackCat]

I started on IDD therapy yesterday. I've had back problems for 30+ years with a bulging disc at L4/5, arthritic facet joint and unstable pelvis. I've had all sorts of treatment and not much has helped. A friend mentioned a physio near me had an IDD machine so after speaking to the physio I decided to give it a go. I don't know if it will work for me and I don't know anyone who has had it, but I decided to give it a go.

 

[GaryK]

I started on IDD therapy yesterday. I've had back problems for 30+ years with a bulging disc at L4/5, arthritic facet joint and unstable pelvis. I've had all sorts of treatment and not much has helped. A friend mentioned a physio near me had an IDD machine so after speaking to the physio I decided to give it a go. I don't know if it will work for me and I don't know anyone who has had it, but I decided to give it a go.

I've never heard of IDD, so thank you for mentioning it and I will ask my spinal surgeon about it when I see him in a couple of weeks.
It would certainly be a better option than surgery.

 

[TheBlackCat]

It has made a difference for me. Slow progress to start with but gradually made my back more robust and better able to cope with setbacks. I used to go regularly before the pandemic but only need it occasionally now. It's something I would definitely try before thinking about surgery.