Neck Surgery (Cervical Spine)

Neck pain may be caused by disc degeneration, narrowing of the spinal canal, arthritis, and, in rare cases, cancer or meningitis. There are times when surgery is the best option for treating the medical condition responsible for the neck pain. Neck pain has a variety of causes. Poor body mechanics, herniated discs, spinal fracture, muscle spasms, spinal deformity, and osteoarthritis are few reasons.

Indications of Neck Surgery:

Neck surgery is generally performed to relieve pain and to reduce pressure on the spinal cord. There are different types of surgical procedure to treat neck pain and these surgeries involve a hospital stay of up to a week. Patient has to wear a neck brace or other protective equipment to support the neck for healing and complete recovery. Complete recovery usually takes about five weeks. It could be more than 5 weeks in few cases.

Types of Neck Surgery:

There are two main techniques in neck surgery: arthroscopic and open surgery. The type of procedure and exactly how it’s done depends on the cause of your symptoms and your doctor’s experience and preference.

After surgery the patients return to quickly to normal activities; however, they are adviced to wear a cervical collar for approximately four weeks after surgery after which time the patient can begin to drive and undergo a course of physical therapy to return to normal activities.

Although the results depend on the spinal condition involved, neck surgeries tend to have a high success rate with low risk.