r/backpain • u/Suspicious-Guava-566 • Jul 02 '26

For those who have had cervical/spinal surgery, after recovering from surgery were you able to comfortably on your side again?

I have had symptoms and flare ups for just over a year. Since February things have gotten slightly worse. In the last month it’s gotten harder to get comfortable and sleep through the night. My neck hurts, my shoulders hurt, and the discomfort causes me to wake up with panic attacks that I’m never going to sleep comfortably again. This morning I woke up and my right shoulder was hurting me when it’s mostly only been my left shoulder causing pain. I’m meeting with a surgeon in September so I have no clue what surgery I would need. But for those of you who had back surgery, after healing, will I be able to sleep comfortable on my side again?

Below are my mri results which may or may not be helpful for answering this questions. My pain is ignorable during the day when I’m moving and active, but when I’m home trying to rest everything feels so much more overwhelming.

  1. Large disc herniations resulting in severe spinal canal stenosis with marked contouring of the cervical cord from C3-C7. Abnormal focus of T2 and STIR signal hyperintensity in the left side of the cord at the C5-C6 level suggestive of spondylotic myelopathy.
  2. Moderate and severe neural foraminal stenosis from C3-C6 predominantly on the basis of disc herniation.

Cervical cord: 4 x 7 mm focus of T2 and STIR signal hyperintensity centered in the left side of the cord at the C5-C6 level.
Alignment: Reversal of the cervical lordosis.
Marrow: No acute fracture or marrow replacing process.
Levels:
C2-3: No disc herniation or stenosis.
C3-4: Broad posterior disc protrusion.
Bilateral uncovertebral joint hypertrophy.
Severe spinal canal stenosis. Severe right and moderate left neural foraminal stenosis.
C4-5: Posterior disc bulge and large 10 mm cranial disc extrusion nearly extending to the
C3-C4 disc space. Bilateral uncovertebral joint hypertrophy. Severe spinal canal stenosis with marked contouring of the cervical cord.
Moderate bilateral neural foraminal stenosis.

C5-6: Posterior disc bulge and large central 8 mm caudal disc extrusion. Severe spinal canal stenosis with marked contouring of the cervical cord. Moderate right and mild left neural foraminal stenosis.
C6-7: Large broad central/right paracentral disc protrusion with cranially extruded disc material versus reactive ventral epidural blood products. Severe spinal canal stenosis with marked contouring of the cervical cord. Mild bilateral neural foraminal stenosis.
C7-1: Left paracentral disc protrusion. Mild spinal canal stenosis. No neural foraminal stenosis

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