i have to put in my 2 cents, so here goes......
i don't think any surgery should be taken lightly, especially spinal surgery.
And consideration of artificial discs, should be taked very seriously, all options should be explored as well as you surgeons abilities. Me and my situation, i am in the trials here in the U.S. i was one of guinea pigs so to speak, and paved the way to this remarkable situation so as to get the Prodiscs approved by the FDA, any 2 surgeries are not alike, everyone has different results, weather with implants or not. Given the correct situation with the right options, anyone can become pain-free or not, it's almost a crap shoot.
I am lucky, my before surgery back pain is gone, however i am not pain-free.
I still have a few times a year when i am dealing with a bad muscle spasm, or it feels like my sciatic pain is back and i walk the walk of a spiney in pain. But i am so much better off than i was before. We must measure our results from within and not compare with others. i do love this forum, as it is a great group of people who all share our experiences. I wish it was around before i had my prodisc surgery
