All you need to know about Cervical Spine Surgery

Cervical spine is composed of seven vital bones which are referred to as ‘spinal vertebrae’. They are separated and held together by ligaments known as ‘discs’.  These discs are stuffed with a soft gel-like substance that protects and cushions our neck. They provide range of motion to neck and keep it flexible. Any instability that results in neck or back pain is said to be a cervical spine disorder. Prevalence of cervical spine disorders in adults is increasing day-by-day. Majority of working professionals experience cervical problems like neck and radiating arm pain at some point. According to latest health survey, cervical problem affects two-third of the worldwide population. Spine or neurosurgeons usually treat the symptoms with medications and physical therapy. However, if these treatment options fail to alleviate the pain, then cervical spine surgery may prove favorable.

Are You a Candidate for Cervical Spine Surgery?

Not all patients with spinal conditions are suitable candidates for cervical spine surgery. Enlisted below are some conditions that makes you a suitable candidate for the surgery:

• Chronic Back and Neck Pain - When patients are experiencing severe back and neck pain from a prolonged period of time.
• Failed Conservative Treatments - Patients who have tried conservative treatment methods like medications and physical therapy and did not achieve pain relief.
• Poor Quality of Life - When neck or back pain has become a hurdle in living a normal life.
  
  Patients with the following conditions may not be suitable candidates for the surgery:
  
  
• Severe Infection - Patients who are suffering from severe infection are not usually considered to be suitable for undergoing cervical spine surgery.
• Underlying Medical Conditions - Patients suffering from dreadful diseases like cancer, cardiovascular problems and liver problems are required to undergo a complete medical checkup first. These illnesses may create complications during surgery. Therefore, patients should discuss these problems with spine surgeons in the beginning.

Surgical Options for Cervical Spine Disorders

The enumerated points elaborate the most common and highly effective cervical spine surgery procedures.

• Artificial Cervical Disc Replacement - Also known as ‘total disc arthroplasty’, artificial cervical disc replacement is a surgical intervention used to replace the damaged cervical disc with an artificial disc for restoring range of movement of cervical vertebrae. It prominently treats the harsh neck and arm pain that has not responded to conservative methods.
• Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion - This procedure involves removing impaired cervical disc and fusing spinal vertebrae for preserving stability and relieving agonizing pain. It alleviates pain in nerve roots and aligns the spine properly.

Depending on patient’s medical history and overall health status, neurosurgeons will decide a suitable surgery.

Risks and Complications Associated with Cervical Spine Surgery

As with any type of procedure, there are certain risks and complications involved with cervical spine surgery. Some of the most commonly observed complications following a cervical spine procedure are explained below.

• Heavy Bleeding
• Severe infection
• Neck pain
• Fever or headache
• Tingling sensation in neck
• Damage to esophagus or vocal cords
• Adverse reaction to anesthesia
• Damage to spinal cord and nerves
• Blood clots
• Poor wound healing

Patients should reach out for a prompt medical treatment if they experience these issues. These complications can be handled smoothly under the guidance of an experienced surgeon.

Major Benefits of Cervical Spine Surgery

Cervical spine surgery may help patients to get rid of neck and back pain completely. In addition to this, it provides the following benefits:

• Proper alignment of spine
• Significantly improved chronic neck and back pain
• Stabilizes spine
• Faster recovery
• Enhances mobility of spine

Cervical spine surgery cost in western countries like Australia and United Kingdom is extremely high. Whereas, patients can avail highly reliable spine surgery in India at economical prices. India offers finest spine surgeries and treatments to international patients at just a fraction of total amount which other developed nations may charge.

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Spinal Fusion or Artificial Disc Replacement: Which Option Is Better For You?

When a patient is suffering from continuous low back pain and if six months of aggressive conventional (non-surgical) treatment has failed to help and especially if other symptoms, including pain, is making it hard to complete everyday activities, then back surgery is an option to bring about pain relief and restore ones’ potential to function. For patients in this condition, this article will give the patient a summary of about the two types of back surgery currently available:

1. Spinal Fusion
2. Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR or Total Disc Replacement or TDR)

Lumbar Spinal Fusion 

Normal approach to treat pain and/or disability from lumbar degenerative disc disease is spinal fusion. This surgery involves making a direct bony connection between the vertebrae surrounding the painful discs; by stopping motion of the painful discs & which can give the patient relief from pain. There are plenty of options available with spinal fusion, each one having its own advantages and disadvantages. Surgical methods include fusion approached from the front, back or both. Spinal instrumentation in the form of pedicle screws and/or intervertebral cages provide internal structural help while bones fuse, and bone graft can either be harvested or one of a number of synthetic bone graft surrogate or extenders can be used from the patient themselves.

Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement 

With artificial disc replacement, pain relief is brought by removal of the painful disc and motion is maintained by using a prosthetic implant made of metal, without or with a plastic bearing surface. This is somewhat more similar in theory to the artificial hip, knee and the shoulder joints that the Orthopaedic surgeons have been using it for more than 35 years to maintain the range of motion and to get relief from the pain of arthritic extremity joints. But there is a significant difference that only one of the three joints is present at each vertebral level is being replaced, whereas in a knee or hip joint the total joint is replaced.

Fusion Surgery is Most Prevalent

By far till now, fusion surgery is still the most prevalent surgery, and patients should be aware that most of them won’t be eligible for disk replacement as it can treat only limited types of disc pathology. Some are considered same for certain types of artificial disc replacement and fusion. Like, for example, an anterior approach is used for both artificial disc replacement and for an anterior lumbar interbody fusion, which means that risks and potential complications are similar for both the surgeries. Well, for most of the part, there are unique considerations for every type of surgery, and the patients are well advised to get as much educated as possible when considering these two surgeries and analyze their options thoroughly with their treating or consulting physicians.

Determining the Right Treatment for Back Pain

Prior to, considering any type of surgery, patients with chronic low back pain should remember that not all pain are treatable by surgery. The collapse of non-operative treatment doesn’t mean that surgery is necessary to be the next step. Estimation with X-rays and MRI scan may be enough for the surgeon to give an opinion, but other tests including provocative discography and CT scan may be required to determine if surgery is suitable and if both artificial disc replacement and spinal fusion are options.

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