Jon, Carol & Bob,

Thanks for the suggestion, but I see NUCCA address the cervical spine, which is unrelated to my severely degenerative and arthritic lower lumbar spine.

I have been dealing with issues in my lumbar spine for the past 30 years and talking with surgeons for the past 20+ years. I only talk with surgeons to know my options to avoid surgery and to know when surgery is necessary. For the past 30 years I have exercised, iced every day, seen an excellent chiropractor, done epidural injections, had facet rhizotomies and been on very expensive drugs to control a systemic inflammatory condition. I have finally reached the point where decompression surgery is the only option if I don’t want to eventually become a cripple and wear a diaper. I am trying to avoid fusion if possible and will know if that is an option after I talk with the surgeons.