After being involved in an automobile accident, I had severe headaches, muscle spasms that wouldn't stop, nerve pain in my arm, and extreme pain on a daily basis. Muscle relaxers barely helped, and I was allergic to most pain medication. 

After two months of complete misery, which included physical therapy that only made my headaches and pain worse, I was referred to Oren Gottfried, MD, at Duke.  

Dr. Gottfried took the time to explain the cause of my pain and discomfort. Although he was confident he could surgically correct the problem, I wasn't sure I was ready to have cervical surgery. The thought of "neck surgery" scared me. 

After a few epidural injections to alleviate some of the pain and a few months of taking tons of medication, I was ready to let Dr. Gottfried do his magic -- and magic he performed.

He replaced my C5/C6 and C6/C7 vertebrae with donor bone, fused, and plated the spine. 

Immediately after surgery, I felt significantly better and once the post-op pain disappeared, I had my life back thanks to Dr. Gottfried and his professional team. I have already and will continue to recommend Dr. Gottfried to anyone with spinal difficulties.