Fusion in the neck used to be one of the only ways to relieve pain and pressure on the nerves.
But today, there are other ways that won’t cause a loss of motion. Board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Jay Jagannathan, with , says new technology is helping more and more patients.
The old technique involved fusing two cervical, or neck, vertebrae together.
“It was a very effective technique in terms of treating pinched nerves and stuff, but the major downside of that was patients often lost a bit of their neck motion,” Jagannathan says. “The rule of thumb is 10 to 15 percent of the neck motion per level, which when you are talking about more than one level it can be a pretty significant amount of neck motion and can lead to stiffness.”
Artificial discs are a newer treatment that help preserve the neck’s flexibility, and is easier on patients after surgery, Jagannathan says.
“The overall goal of the surgery is to go in there and remove the disc or arthritis that is causing pressure in the nerve instead of putting a bone down or the patient’s own bone in the disc space,” he says.
Watch the video above to hear one of Jagannathan’s patients describe what he went through before, and how he is now that it’s been two years since his surgery.
For more health information, contact for neurosurgery, neurology and interventional pain management.
Northern Michigan: 989-701-2538
Upper Peninsula: 906-253-1341
Southeast Michigan: 248-792-6527
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