Reasons for Cervical Spine Surgery

If you have neck problems, you know how much it can affect your everyday life.  You don't be able to move as well or cleanly as other people because you'll be afraid of getting a neck ache.  Not only is the actually pain a bother, but it can affect other aspects of your life as well.  For instance, most people who experience chronic, consistent neck pain also experience many headaches that come along with them.  If your neck pain is particularly bad, you may be able to get it fixed by going through surgery.

Depending on the reason for your neck pain, you may benefit from going through cervical spine surgery. This is a type of surgery that helps many different people.  One of the reasons that you may need the surgery is because of degenerative disease in the discs of your neck vertebrae.  This happens when the discs shrink, which leads to herniation.  This can also happen if you have arthritis in the vertebrae of your neck as well.  Degenerative disorders can be very painful, so it's helpful to go through with the spine surgery.

Another reason why you may need surgery is because of a cervical deformity.  Your cervical spine is the vertebrae in the upper neck region.  If you have a deformity there, you may have swan neck or hyperlordosis. The surgery will help by straightening out and stabilizing the spine, allowing for easier movement and much less pain.  Spinal stenosis is another reason why you may need the surgery.  This happens when the spinal canal within your vertebrae is narrower than normal.  Surgery can help with this condition. 

While these are great reasons to go through the surgery, one of the biggest is because of injury.  When you get hurt, such as in a car accident, the vertebrae in your neck can become damaged.  If this happens, cervical spine surgery is often the way to go, or you may find that you will have constant neck pain from then on.  Whatever your reasons, it is up to your doctor to decide whether or not this kind of surgery is right for you.  Like with any form of surgery, there is some risk involved.  You could get sick or hurt, and possibly even die.  That's why you should only go through with the surgery if your condition is very bad.  On the plus side, over 90% of the people who go through with the surgery will feel complete or nearly complete relief of all of their symptoms.

Before you decide to go ahead with the surgery, you should first learn what happens during the procedure.  The surgeon will remove the offending disc or bone, and then fuse the vertebrae together with a bone graft.  Although it sounds scary and painful, this procedure has helped scores of people who have had severe pain in their necks.  That is the goal, after all.

If you do have severe and chronic neck pain, it's a good idea to visit your doctor.  They may refer you to a spinal doctor in order to determine if you are right for the spinal surgery.  Even if they highly recommend the procedure, it is up to you whether or not you want to go through with it.  Be sure to look over all of the material that your doctor gives you.  Pay close attention to the side effects and possible complications of the surgery.