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Although surgery is frequently recommended, it should be your “last
resort.”
Medications, including nonsteroidal medications (such as Motrin and
Naprosyn) should be tried first. Other, stronger, pain relievers (such as
Vicodin) and muscle relaxants (like Flexaril, Valium or Soma), should be
used in moderation. Collars may help in the acute phase, but there is no
scientific evidence that their long-term use is beneficial. Cervical
pillows may provide comfort but do little to speed recovery. Traction may
be of benefit, if done correctly. It can be done at home. Stretching
exercises and the use of good ergonomics help in relieving pain and
preventing future attacks. Physical therapy or chiropractic may relieve
pain.
If the conservative care doesn’t help, a variety of injection
procedures (pain blocks) are usually tried next. Cervical steroid blocks
are successful in relieving the pain about half of the time. When they
relieve the pain, they give the disc time to heal and may make surgery
unnecessary.
If all else fails, a damaged cervical disc can be repaired with an
operation. The operation is most often done from the front, using
minimally invasive techniques. Complications and blood transfusions are
uncommon. For a single bad disc, the surgery takes less then an hour and
may not even require an overnight hospital stay.
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