Friday at work my back pain flared up....a line of searing pain from my shoulder blade down to the middle of my forearm (is intermittent and not constant)....throw in some mild numbness in my index and middle finger. Went to the family doc on Friday and got some lightweight pain meds and muscle relaxants...may as well have been popping M&Ms. Went to the Orthopedic guy today and it appears that my C5 and C6 vertebrae are a little too close are are irritating the nerve that pops through there. He has me in a neck brace to keep my neck immobile and on a course of steroids for the week...Got some better pain meds to help get me through.....if this dose not fix it I could be facing surgery.

Hoping the hive can put some good vibes out into the universe for me that this clears up with the steroids and that I do not need to go under the knife.

If they recommend physical therapy. DO IT, and don't be a bitch about it. The harder you work at PT, the better your outcome.

Same applies if you go under the knife. The surgery is the easy part and only makes positive results possible. Without busting your ass in PT, the surgery will have been a waste.

Interesting comments. I never thought about it that way. It also applies very well to Cardiac Bypass Surgery.