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Cervical Back Surgery

Cervical surgery is typically recommended when neck pain cannot be effectively managed with more conservative treatments. Cervical surgery is generally seen as an elective procedure, but with recent advances in endoscopic spine surgery, it has become a more popular option for addressing chronic pain.

Better understanding the need for cervical surgery requires a basic knowledge of the spinal anatomy. The cervical spine begins at the bottom of the skull and includes the seven vertebrae that connect the head to the back. In addition to supporting the weight of the head, the cervical spine is also responsible for the range of motion and flexibility of the neck, making this area of the spine more prone to injury than the less-mobile thoracic spine in the mid back.

There are a number of reasons for cervical surgery, but they most often stem from the compression of the nerve roots in the neck. While this can be caused by spinal conditions like degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, foraminal stenosis, or the presence of a tumor, nerve compression is most commonly a result of a swollen or herniated disc in the neck. These spongy discs, which rest between each vertebra, normally act as shock absorbers for the spine. However, if these pads bulge or extrude into the spinal canal, they can put pressure on the nearby nerve roots. When this happens a number of symptoms can become present:

• Chronic neck pain and stiffness
• Muscle weakness in the shoulders, arms, and hands
• Numbness and tingling
• The sensation of pins and needles or heat
• Traveling pain (also known as radiculopathy)

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A patient can typically manage these symptoms at home with more traditional treatments (like the application of heat or ice, physical therapy, and pain medication), although surgical intervention is occasionally recommended.

Depending on the specific procedure recommended, there are generally two types of cervical surgery available: open back surgery and endoscopic surgery. The more traditional option is open back surgery, but the recent advancement of laser technology has made endoscopic surgery an increasingly appealing alternative. Endoscopic cervical surgery, thoracic surgery, and lumbar surgery – unlike open back surgery – are minimally invasive, outpatient procedures which use gentle lasers to treat the problem.

Contact the award-winning staff at Laser Spine Institute (LSI), for a free review of your MRI or CT scan and to learn if endoscopic cervical surgery is the right option for you.

Please note: Laser Spine Institute currently does not perform endoscopic procedures on the thoracic spine.