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Degenerative Joint Disease of the Neck

Degenerative joint disease of the neck is a fairly common condition because years of wear and tear take their toll on the vertebrae, intervertebral discs, and joints of the cervical spine. The disease causes the cartilage that surrounds facet joints to deteriorate, both due to water loss and the breakdown of collagen fibers. As bone begins to rub against bone, osteophytes, or bone spurs, can develop and compress nearby cervical spinal nerves. Symptoms of weakness, throbbing, and tingling can spread through the shoulders, arms, and hands. In severe cases, inflammation of the synovial sac (the lubricating agent of the joints) can cause additional nerve compression or joint deformity.

Surgery for Degenerative Joint Disease

Cervical degenerative joint disease can be addressed surgically. Options include:

• Laminectomy – This surgery is aimed at removing bone spurs that may have developed in the joint space. Osteophytes are produced by the body in an attempt to strengthen degenerative joints, though the spurs often cause neural compression.
• Spinal fusion – This surgery uses a bone graft and stabilizing hardware to fuse a section of the spine into one segment of solid bone. Ideally, the fused section prevents joint movement, which eliminates mechanical pain.

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Is Surgery My Only Treatment Option?

Before considering surgery, you will likely be recommended to try a variety of conservative treatment options. Different treatment combinations will be effective for different individuals, but pain medication, hot-cold compresses, behavior modification, and gentle stretching are all viable options. If weeks or months of these therapies prove ineffective and your doctor suggests that you consider spine surgery for your cervical facet disease, you should keep in mind that there are alternatives to highly invasive, open spine surgeries.

Laser Spine Institute offers a variety of minimally invasive procedures that are performed on an outpatient basis. For instance, facet thermal ablation is a safe, effective, laser-assisted procedure that is performed using endoscopic technology. With an extremely small incision we are able to desensitize the local nerves of a diseased facet joint, thereby eliminating pain caused by compression and movement. Contact Laser Spine Institute today for more information, or for a complimentary review of your MRI or CT scan.

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