Neck/Spine Injury

Hi, I’m a professional cellist who was in a serious car accident 1.5yrs ago. Rear-end collision on a major highway; not my fault. While I did walk away relatively unscathed, I have injuries to my low back and herniated disks in my neck (the worse being c5-c6). Without going into all the therapies and medications I’ve tried or am currently using, I have been unable to play for any extended period without getting numbness in my arms and/or spasms and joint tension throughout my arms/shoulders/back. If I get surgery, I would have a bone graft done which would have its own limitations for my neck.

I am fully aware that asking strangers for medical advice on the Internet is a dumb idea but I will take anything that could help and run it by my doctors first. I’m also looking for similar stories in the community to help me mentally.

I’m reaching out into the ether to see if there are any other players with serious neck injuries that have found solutions to get back to playing. Did bone graft surgery solve your problems or make them worse? Was it 3 years of physical therapy before things improved or just 3 months? Is there a doctor I should seek out that specializes in helping musicians? Are there new surgical options that could be available in the coming years? Did weekly acupuncture/massage/Alexander technique help? How often do you work out to keep pain/spasms at bay? Or maybe like me you can’t play now and you’re finding other artistic outlets? This has been a very hard journey so far with lots of tears over the loss of control of my body. Chronic pain and long depressive episodes from this accident have been very life altering. I look forward to hearing others experiences, however different or similar. Many thanks in advance for your comments.