Options: Typically, with cervical spondylosis, the treatment algorithm is physical therapy, followed by epidural injections, then, finally surgery, which would include an anterior cervical decompression and fusion. This is a complicated situation because you are young and adjacent level disease could be an issue. Hold off on surgery as long as possible. Don't operate for neck pain, but arm/hand symptoms.
Answered 2/24/2013
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Neck Pain: Most neck pain in young people comes from muscle strain or weakness from disuse. A program of neck mobility and strengthening is the core of all successful spine rehabilitation. Sometimes disk degeneration can cause neck pain. Spinal fusions are successful in improving neck pain, but have a higher succes for nerve compression pain syndromes.
Answered 2/25/2013
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Surgery is an option: For patients that fail conservative treatment such as medication (nsaids), physical therapy, chiropractic, and steroid injections that have MRI evidence of disk disease and physical signs that correlate with the same levels, surgery is very effective in reducing pain. However, at your young age, the surgery can predispose other levels of your cervical spine to degenerate.
Answered 9/28/2016
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