We sometimes joke about things being “a pain in the neck,” but when that pain is real, it’s no laughing matter.

“It was hurting so bad that I couldn’t stand it,” says Charlene McGill, who lives in the Jericho community near Baldwyn. “The pain radiated up in my neck and out to my shoulders. On a scale, it was an eight out of 10.”

For about six months, performing even the simplest tasks was a chore. “It was hurting so bad that I didn’t want to do anything,” she says.

At her doctor’s suggestion, Charlene first tried physical therapy but found little relief. Then, Dr. Sharon Mitchell of Baldwyn Medical Clinic referred her to neurosurgeon Dr. Jason Stacy with North Mississippi Neurosurgical Services.

Dr. Stacy diagnosed Charlene with cervical stenosis, which was putting pressure on her spinal cord. As people age, the discs in the spine that separate and cushion vertebrae may dry out and herniate. As a result, the space between the vertebrae shrinks, and the discs lose their ability to function as shock absorbers. At the same time, the bones and ligaments that make up the spine become less pliable and thicken—which can result in a narrowing of the spinal canal.

“He told me I had two bulging discs in my neck,” Charlene says. “It was bone rubbing on bone.”

On Nov. 3, 2023, Dr. Stacy performed posterior cervical fusion surgery at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo. “The surgery decompressed, or opened up, her spinal cord so that there wouldn’t be pressure on it any longer,” Dr. Stacy explains. “Fusing together the damaged vertebrae prevents it from recurring.”

“I felt immediate relief,” Charlene says. “I was a little sore from the surgery, of course, but it wasn’t like that pain I had been having. I couldn’t have been more impressed with Dr. Stacy.”

Charlene recovered well, and her quality of life has improved significantly. To anyone struggling with neck pain, she urges, “I would recommend getting it fixed so you can get your life back like you want it to be.”