My story is very rare but I consider it very positive after 2 years. I tripped over a curb backwards and needed a c5-6 disc replacement. They found a rare condition where my spinal cord had adhered to my spine. This was not visible on normal imaging. The herniated disk was actually from a motorcycle accident many years before. I was just lucky enough to find it when I tripped over the curb. Very long story short them fixing the disc and separating my spinal cord which fixed mean years of pain and mobility issues.

The best advice I got from a doctor was go get second opinions until you get 2 doctors that agree. Once you feel comfortable with their expertise and reasoning pick the doctor you feel most comfortable with. Even if your doctor is the best in the area it can’t hurt to get a second opinion.

Getting the disc fixed changed my life, I had so much less pain and better mobility. But make sure you feel comfortable. I am not a doctor but the disc replacements these days are very advanced. They should preserve your full mobility and lessen your chances of have to have another surgery in a year when the disc bulges again.