There’s lots of info in the newbies guide section about surgery, risks, what to expect etc., and also info about other treatments.
Alot of members get to the point where their quality of life is affected badly by symptoms, & they decide to take the posiible risk of surgery, usually with good results. It’s a personal decision though- the ES pain I had wasn’t so bad, I could live with it by making adjustments & taking a nerve pain medication. But the symptoms worsened & I began to get scary vascular symptoms, & then it became a no-brainer to opt for surgery. I was lucky to find a good surgeon not too far from me, & both surgeries went well. The vascular symptoms improved massively, as did most of the pain. I still get some nerve pain, but not as much as it was, & it’s still controlled with medication. I am so glad I had surgery! The recovery wasn’t as bad as I expected, a few weeks, & other than a bit of numbness & occasional tightness around the scars, all okay. (I had surgeries in 2015 & 2016)
Some members have opted for steroid/ lidocaine injections into the tonail area, which can work, but not permanently; it’s not a cure, the only real ‘cure’ is to have the styloid processes & any calcified ligaments removed. The steroid injections last for varying times, but can only be done a few times.
There’s a link to a discussion which you might find interesting:
Alternative treatments members have tried are lidocaine patches, chiropractors, myofascial release, to name a few…
There was a recent research paper which stated a 93% success rate, although in a small study, here’s a link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2637062/2
Hope this helps, hope others chip in with their experiences, & best wishes!