What can older people do about neck pain?
A. Avoid surgery at all costs. If you need an operation, pick the shortest and safest procedure. For example, cervical spinal stenosis is treated with decompression alone. This is a short procedure that is safer and less invasive than either laminoplasty or fusion. The time needed for the surgery greatly increases the risk in older people. Older people almost never need a fusion. The risk associated with fusion surgery are too great. For Still More Information. For more information on neck pain, see the North American Spine Society Web Site of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Web Site.
