Joe,

to the site and sorry you have to be here. Back pain is no fun, nor is arm pain (I have been dealing with that lately and no one can figure out why). Then, being young adds another layer of complexity to it.

I saw 3 surgeons prior to surgery, 2 of them being top-notch surgeons in the US. They all agreed that I was too young to have a fusion and that it would most likely lead to more fusions down the road (I was 28 at the time). I would ask the doctor who is suggesting a hybrid surgery, why not 2 levels? Is it because of the FDA approval or for some other reason? If it is only because of the FDA, then I would highly suggest trying to get approved for surgery in Germany. For more opinions in the US, the only 2 surgeons I have heard great things about on the East Coast are Dr. Bitan in NYC and Dr. Yue in New Haven, CT (he is the co-inventor of the Active L, the disc I have). I would definitely get as many opinions as possible and ask why they are giving that opinion (ie. a doctor who has no ADR experience is going to reccomend a fusion, not because they think that is the best treatment for you; but because that is the one they do. Just like a surgeon who only uses the Charite disc is going to recomend the Charite, even though that might not be the best disc for you).

Good Luck in your search and ask us any questions you may have.
Kathy