Can I Benefit from Cervical Spine Surgery If I Have Degenerative Disc Disease?

Thanks to cervical degenerative disc disease, a disc in your neck has gone from occasionally problematic to something that’s interfering with every minute of your life, day and night. While surgery may not sound appealing when dealing with pain and discomfort, it may be your best solution for getting your life back.

And you’ve come to the right place. At Miami Neuroscience Center, our own Dr. Aizik L. Wolf is board-certified in neurosurgery, which means he has the training and expertise you want for your cervical spine surgery.

This month’s blog looks at the role cervical spine surgery can play when dealing with degenerative disc disease that’s holding you in a prison of pain.

The road to degenerative disc disease

The 33 vertebrae that make up your spine are separated by 23 intervertebral discs, which act as spacers and shock absorbers, and they enable a good deal of movement in certain areas of your spine, chiefly your lower back and neck.

This mobility comes at a cost, as the discs in these areas tend to succumb to wear and tear more quickly and easily, which explains why 30% of people show signs of disc degeneration by the age of 35, and this number jumps to 90% by the age of 60.

Your discs comprise a fibrous outer layer called the annulus, which covers a soft, jelly-like interior called the nucleus pulposus. As you age, your discs can lose moisture and become more brittle, allowing them to flatten and rupture, which can irritate nearby nerve roots.

When this happens, the nerve compression often leads to pain in the immediate area and symptoms that radiate down the length of the nerve. With a compressed disc in your neck, you may experience pain, numbness, and tingling down into one arm and hand.

Relieving your pain through decompression and fusion

If you have cervical degenerative disc disease and you’ve exhausted conservative solutions, it might be time to consider a surgical one.

In most cases, Dr. Wolf approaches disc issues in your neck with a combination of decompression and spinal fusion surgery. Also called an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, this surgery aims to remove the diseased and misplaced tissues that are compressing your nerves — your cervical disc. 

Once Dr. Wolf removes the disc, he fuses the two vertebrae, eliminating any future problems with degenerative disc disease in this section of your spine.

The term anterior refers to how Dr. Wolf accesses your cervical spine to perform the decompression and fusion — through the front of your neck. This approach allows Dr. Wolf to minimize collateral damage to your neck's muscles and other soft tissues.

We acknowledge that the above is an overly simplified explanation of a complex procedure, but we assure you that our experience has shown us that cervical spine surgery can help you take back your life. Just think — you’ll be able to move your neck without feeling pain, and any numbness and tingling in your arms and hands will be a thing of the past.

For a more complete explanation of this type of cervical spine surgery and to determine whether you’re a good candidate, contact our office in South Miami, Florida, to schedule a consultation.