Your Guide to Cervical Disc Replacement Surgery

Patients with a deteriorated disc in the cervical (neck) spine may experience pain, numbness, or tingling in the neck, arm, and fingers. This continual pain, if left untreated, could result in a restriction of activity and quality of life. 

At BEST Health System, we understand the frustration you are experiencing from your chronic pain. Searching for treatment options for your neck pain without a specific action plan can yield confusing and unhelpful results. Our team at BEST Health System evaluates each patient with a comprehensive medical review before surgery to ensure that our minimally invasive spine surgery is the best option for your spine condition. 

Patients who suffer from chronic neck stiffness, pain, and headaches, and who have not responded to conservative treatments, might benefit from our cervical disc replacement procedure. 

What is Cervical Disc Replacement 

Our cervical disc replacement procedure is minimally invasive. During the procedure, your surgeon will remove the unhealthy vertebral disc is replace it with a new, artificial disc. The purpose of this procedure it to relieve the pressure surrounding nerves and help stabilize the spine. 

The neck area (cervical) of your spine is made up of seven bones stacked on top of each other. The cervical discs are found in between each vertebra. They act as a cushion to help the neck move and bend without affecting the surrounding nerves. However,if a cervical disc becomes diseased, the vertebrae might lose support and impact a nerve along the spine. This then results in pain and discomfort. During our cervical disc replacement procedure, we remove the diseased disc and replace it with an artificial disc to add cushion between the vertebrae and stabilize the spine. 

Our cervical disc replacement procedure is a minimally invasive alternative to traditional neck fusion surgery. 

Common Symptoms Caused by a Diseased Cervical Disc 

Symptoms caused by a diseased cervical disc can vary based on the individual and the intensity of the spine condition. The most common symptoms treated by the cervical disc replacement procedure include:

  • Neck pain and/or stiffness
  • Headaches
  • Radiating pain in the shoulder and arm
  • Muscle weakness in the shoulder, arm, and/or hand
  • Tingling or numbness in your arms or fingers

If you are experiencing some of these symptoms and you have been diagnosed with or suspect you have a diseased cervical disc, please contact us today. At BEST Health System, we can evaluate your situation and determine your candidacy for our cervical disc replacement procedure or one of our other minimally invasive procedures by reviewing your most recent MRI and medical history. However, if you have not received an MRI over a long period of time, BEST now offers MRI imaging services. 

Advantages of BEST Health System

Our team at BEST Health System now offers physical therapy as a treatment option. Physical therapy is a conservative treatment method that has helped many people get back to their lifestyle. In addition, to physical therapy, our minimally invasive procedures are a much more beneficial alternative to open neck and back surgery. The following are a few of the benefits of our minimally invasive procedures.  

  • No lengthy recovery 
  • Board-certified surgeons, Dr. Girton and Dr. Abbott
  • Outpatient procedure
  • Less than one-inch incision

If you would like more information about our cervical disc replacement procedure or the other minimally invasive spine surgeries we offer, contact us. Take the next step to find relief from your chronic pain and recapture your quality of life.