Q: My father, 52 years old, suffering from neck pain and frequent dizziness. An MRI found that there is some problem in the C5 and C6 disc and the doctors asked us to go in for surgery. What do you advise?

A:Dizziness and neck pain are significant symptoms to warrant treatment. Usually a disc or cervical spondylitis at this level can be treated by conservative treatment in the form of medication and physical therapy, only when neurovascular symptoms are absent. But I think surgery can give long lasting relief. However like every surgery, there are risks of surgery and anaesthesia.