After two spine surgeries, Ari was still getting worse.
She had almost lost faith that another surgery could help. Then Kimberly Ashayeri, MD, took another look at what was happening in Ari’s cervical spine.
Pain had become part of her life.
Ariela “Ari” Venezia-Zahemski had been living with neck and upper-back pain since two car accidents in her early 20s. For years, she found ways to push through it while raising her daughter and building her life. Massages, Tiger Balm and eventually yoga helped her manage pain that never fully went away.
Then, in 2017, something changed. While lifting a suitcase, Ari felt a severe pain shoot through her neck. Imaging revealed significant cervical stenosis, and surgery was recommended.
What followed was not the recovery Ari expected. Even after surgery, the pain continued — and over time, new symptoms appeared.
By 2023, her symptoms had worsened enough that she underwent another spine operation. But instead of finally moving forward, Ari found herself dealing with increasing pain, weakness and neurological symptoms.
Years of pain. Two surgeries. One more search for answers.
Her path to revision surgery was not a straight line.
Two car accidents leave Ari with persistent neck and upper-back pain.
After a sudden increase in pain, cervical stenosis is identified and Ari undergoes surgery.
With symptoms worsening, Ari has another operation — but her pain and neurological symptoms continue.
Progressive symptoms eventually bring Ari to Kimberly Ashayeri, MD, for a fresh look.
Two months later, Ari is traveling in the Bahamas and returning to the activities she loves.
Two operations — and she was getting worse.
After her second surgery, Ari’s confidence in surgery itself was shaken. She had already gone through major procedures and recovery, yet she was still struggling. The symptoms were no longer something she could simply work around.
As pain and neurological problems progressed, Ari needed more than another recommendation for surgery. She needed someone willing to look carefully at what had already been done, what was happening now and whether another operation could actually change the trajectory.
For Ari, the question was no longer simply, “Can this be operated on?” It was, “Why am I still getting worse?”
A different conversation about what came next.
When Ari met Kimberly Ashayeri, MD, the conversation felt different. Dr. Ashayeri reviewed Ari’s history and imaging in the context of two prior operations and her worsening symptoms.
The evaluation identified a problem related to Ari’s previous fusion and hardware. Rather than treating her as a routine first-time spine patient, the plan had to account for altered anatomy, prior surgery and the work required to stabilize and decompress her cervical spine.
For Ari, that clarity — along with Dr. Ashayeri’s willingness to advocate for the care she believed was necessary — helped restore some of the confidence she had lost.
A complex revision — with a different outcome.
Revision spine surgery can be fundamentally different from a first operation. Prior hardware, fusion, scar tissue and changes in anatomy all become part of the surgical decision.
For Ari, Dr. Ashayeri performed a posterior cervical decompression and fusion from C2 to T1, designed to address the instability and create more room for the spinal cord.
The procedure was significant. But this time, Ari began to experience the recovery she had been hoping for.
Pain-free in the Bahamas.
Just two months after surgery, Ari and her husband were in the Bahamas — a milestone that represented far more than a vacation after years of living around pain.
Recovery became about what she could do again.
As Ari recovered, the changes showed up in ordinary moments — and in the things she had learned to measure carefully because of pain. Yoga, once part of how she coped with her symptoms, became a way to recognize her returning strength and range of motion.
After years of adjusting her life around her neck and back, Ari could focus less on what hurt and more on where she wanted to go next.
Her experience did not erase the difficulty of the surgeries that came before it. Instead, it reinforced the value of a fresh evaluation when symptoms persist or worsen after previous spine treatment.
Still hurting after spine surgery?
Persistent or worsening symptoms after a previous spine operation may warrant another look. Atlantic Brain & Spine evaluates complex and previously treated spine conditions to help determine what — if anything — should come next.
