Tina's story
Radiculopathy, artificial cervical disc
Artificial disc helps Tina return to active lifestyle
When Tina says she likes to stay active, she's not kidding around. Running. Hiking. Jiu-jitsu and Taekwondo. Even horseback riding.
When those activities were curtailed by severe pain in her neck and extending down her left arm into her fingers, Tina was focused on getting fixed and back to her active lifestyle. While consulting with spine surgeon Dr. Ryan Godinsky at Mayfield Brain & Spine's Springboro office, she may have mentioned it a few times.
"I kept bringing it up," Tina says. "I like to be moving all the time."
Post-op imaging showing Tina's two artificial discs
Dr. Godinsky's recommended solution was surgery to insert two artificial discs into Tina's neck, replacing the damaged natural discs at two levels of her cervical spine. Artificial discs are an alternative to fusion surgery, when the surgeon removes the natural discs and fuses the two vertebrae together, secured by screws and rods. Tina wasn't interested in fusion surgery.
"Tina made it clear to us that her top priority was getting back outdoors with all of the activities she loves to do," Dr. Godinsky says. "Any treatment that we recommend, including surgery, we always start with the patient's goals and tailor our care plan to their needs."
"I wanted to have as much mobility as possible," Tina says. "I'd rather have new discs than have all that hardware in there."
With the pressure off the nerves, Tina's relief after surgery was immediate. The pain radiating down her left arm into her hand was gone. The neck pain was gone. She still has some numbness occasionally, but nothing like it was before. After surgery in the morning, she was home by mid-afternoon.
"Time will tell," she says, "but right now, everything is perfect."
'This isn't your shoulder. It's your neck.'
Tina remembers the mid-April day when she first felt the pain around her neck and shoulders. She through she had strained something in her shoulder. She consulted with several doctors, including an orthopedic specialist who told her, "This isn't your shoulder. It's your neck."
The pain started shooting down her left arm, all the way into her hand. She tried everything to ease the pain, including lidocaine patches, physical therapy, a chiropractor and the constant rotation of ice and heat, ice and heat.
Tina was focused on getting fixed and back to her active lifestyle
"I'm not usually a crier, except for the National Anthem," she says. "There were days when I would cry on the way home from work because it was so painful."
She even tried epidural pain injections, which didn't provide sustained relief. She said there were periods when it was better, but the pain always returned.
"I had two babies without an epidural because I didn't want someone sticking a needle into my back," she says. "This pain was so bad all the time that I let them stick a needle in my back. Nothing really helped."
Eventually, a friend recommended that she call Mayfield, and she met Dr. Godinsky. Her MRI scans showed degeneration in the discs at three levels of her cervical spine. This was causing radiculopathy, where the pressure on the nerves causes pain that radiates down an arm or leg. In Tina's case, the most significant damage was at the C5-6 and C6-7 levels of her neck.
Dr. Godinsky says two factors led into him recommending surgery. First, the symptoms had worsened to the point where it was affecting Tina's daily function. And second, the damage at multiple levels of the spine raised the risk of more lasting effects. His plan was to decompress the nerves and insert two artificial discs.
"The progression in Tina's symptoms was evident, and we discussed surgical options," Dr. Godinsky says. "She had tried all sorts of conservative treatment without sustained relief. She chose the artificial disc option, and that choice has served her well."
Artificial disc
Tina says she appreciated Dr. Godinsky's encouragement throughout her care.
"I just really liked his mannerisms, and he struck me as being a very positive person," she says. "If he was a Disney character, he'd be Tigger."
Today, Tina is grateful she found a solution that worked for her.
"I just wish I would've had the surgery so much sooner," she says. "It has worked out really well."
Hope Story Disclaimer -"Tina's story" is about one patient's health care experience. Please bear in mind that because every patient is unique, individual patients may respond to treatment in different ways. Results are influenced by many factors and may vary from patient to patient.
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