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Specialty of Neurosurgery

Cervical Disc

There is a structure called a disc that absorbs shock between neck bones. When the disc comes out and compresses on the nerve, it is called cervical herniation. The cervical vertebra is anatomically small and the surrounding muscles and ligaments are relatively weak, so there is a high risk of the disc coming out after it is shocked even with a small impact.

Symptoms of Cervical Disc

Along with a back pain, you can feel radiating pain or numb in your leg.

Treatments of Cervical Disc

  • Conservative Treatments

    At the early stage, a local fixation using braces, medication, or physical therapy
    with traction treatment can be performed to reduce pain and nerve edema.

  • Non-Surgical Treatment

    ● Nerve Blocks
    A surgeon finds the nerve branch that causes the pain and injects a drug to treat the pain.

    ● Epidural Neuroplasty
    A surgeon finds the cause of pain by inserting a 1mm small catheter and injects special medication.
    Performed under local anesthesia, it takes less than 30 minutes. A thin catheter does not leave a scar.

    ● Nucleoplasty
    A surgeon inserts a thin needle into the disc and applies low-temperature and high-frequency heat
    to it so that the protruding disc can be recovered.

  • Surgical Treatments

    ● Microdiscectomy
    It is the most frequently performed surgery among cervical disc surgeries. It is a safe surgical method
    with minimal incisions using a microscope. A patient can be sure of fast recovery and little chance of recurrence.

    ● Artificial Disc Replacement
    It is a surgery to remove a damaged disc and replace it with an artificial disc similar to a normal disc.
    There is no pain, no restriction of neck movement, and no need to wear orthosis. You can go
    back to your daily life immediately after surgery.

Forward Head Posture

While a normal neck has a C-shaped curve, a patient with forward head posture has an I-shaped or an inverted C-shaped neck after the neck is deformed. The neck can be bent like a turtle. This disease is also called turtle neck syndrome because its forward posture resembles a turtle's neck. It compresses the muscles around it and causes various symptoms including stiff shoulders, numb hands, and chronic headaches. When the movement of the body is restricted due to the tension of the surrounding muscles, the affected area is weakened and there is a risk of cervical disc herniation, myofascial pain syndrome, and neck disc.

Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament

Ossification happens to the posterior longitudinal ligament, which maintains the cervical vertebrae and hardens due to various causes. And then it causes pain, compressing the nerve which passes through the spinal canal. As the posterior longitudinal ligament becomes hard and gradually enlarges, you can feel numb or loss of sensation in the arms and hands. In severe cases, paralysis may occur. At the early stage, pain and pressure in the neck area can appear, and the symptoms are similar to those of a neck disc.

*Rarely, there may be bleeding, infection, or blood clots during surgery.