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Spring 2008 (return to main News page)
Cervical Disc Repair at PVHS by Front Range Center Spine Surgeons
Reprinted from Poudre Valley Health System:
If you have neck pain, we're here for you
If you have neck, shoulder and arm pain or weakness, you may have cervical disc disease. In fact, it’s estimated that more than half of people ages 40 and older have some degree of cervical disc disease.
A new procedure is offering hope—and long-term relief—to people with debilitating neck problems.
Cervical disc replacement is now being performed by the four neurosurgeons of Front Range Center for Brain & Spine Surgery.
Why do I have neck, shoulder and arm problems?
Between each of the 24 vertebrae in your spine is a disc—a soft, rubbery cushion that acts as a shock absorber between the bones. As you move, your discs allow your neck and spine to twist and turn easily and keep your vertebrae from pushing on the nerves in your spine.
Your cervical discs are those located between the seven vertebrae of your neck.
Like most body parts, cervical discs can be injured or deteriorate. They can be torn or wrenched out of place due to injury or heavy lifting; you’ll hear these problems called herniated, bulging, ruptured, torn, slipped or collapsed discs. Your spinal discs also tend to dehydrate and shrink over time. In some people, discs deteriorate more quickly and easily than they do in others. This condition is called cervical disc disease.
Treatments for cervical disc disease
Conservative treatments for cervical disc disease include physical therapy, chiropractic manipulation, anti-inflammatories and spinal injections.
When more conservative treatments for cervical disc disease fail, a surgical procedure called anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF) has long been the gold standard.
In ACDF, the surgeon makes an incision in the front of the neck, cuts out the diseased disc, and using bone grafts and metal plates and screws, fuses the adjacent vertebrae together. Once fused, the two vertebrae can no longer move, which keeps them from compressing nerves and causing pain.
A new alternative is cervical disc arthroplasty. In this procedure, a surgeon removes the diseased disc—just as he would with ACDF—but instead of fusing the vertebrae together, he inserts a man-made stainless steel disc between them.
The Prestige™ prosthetic cervical disc was approved for use by the FDA in July. Its ball-and-trough design allows for it to flex, bend and rotate like a normal disc. With fusion, the patient’s neck motion is hampered; with the Prestige disc, the patient’s full range of motion is preserved.
A second advantage of cervical disc arthroplasty over ACDF is that with fusion, extra stress is placed on the discs and vertebrae above and below the fusion. As a result, it’s not uncommon for a fusion patient to develop more spine problems down the road. Fully 30 percent of all fusion patients return for a second fusion within 10 years.
Post-operative pain and recovery time are also greater with fusion.
SYMPTOMS OF CERVICAL DISC DISEASE
- Neck pain, especially in the back and sides
- Deep pain near or over the shoulder blades on the affected side
- Pain radiating to the shoulder, upper arm, forearm, and, rarely, the hand, fingers or chest
- Pain made worse with coughing, straining, or laughing
- Increased pain when bending the neck or turning head to the side
- Spasm of the neck muscles
- Arm muscle weakness
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Is cervical disc replacement right for me?
The neurosurgeons at Front Range Center for Brain & Spine Surgery, with offices in Fort Collins, Greeley and Loveland, Colorado and Cheyenne, Wyoming, are available to help you determine if you are a candidate for cervical disc replacement. People who have a problem with just one cervical disc can often be helped with this surgery. However, people with very little neck motion due to extensive disc degeneration and those with marked deformity of the cervical spine are often better treated with fusion.
For more information
To find out whether cervical disc replacement might be right for you, please call
Front Range Center for Brain & Spine Surgery to schedule an appointment with one of their specialists.
Fort Collins
1313 Riverside Ave.
Ft. Collins, CO 80524
(970) 493-1292
(800) 458-0306
Greeley
Summit View Medical Commons
2001 70th Avenue, Suite 300
Greeley, CO 80631
(970) 356-4488
Loveland
South Medical Office Building
2500 Rocky Mountain Ave., Suite 360
Loveland, CO 80538
(970) 669-0470
Cheyenne
Cheyenne Medical Center
800 East 20th Street, Suite 320
Cheyenne, WY 82001
(307) 635-8388
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