Cervical spine surgery is a very common form of spine surgery over the neck region of the spine which is also called as cervical spine. Generally cervical spine surgery is recommended by a spine surgeon when there is some structural, developmental,degenerative or wear and tear problem related to the spine which is leading to either structural or neurological compromise in the bones of the vertebrae belonging to the neck.In this article we will discuss about various reasons for which cervical surgery is performed and the different clinical symptoms which come during those illnesses.

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Do I Require Cervical Spine Surgery?

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(Indications for Cervical Surgery)

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So the first and the foremost question arises who requires cervical spine surgery ? Or do I require cervical spine surgery? Well that very much depends upon that kind of problem of cervical spine you are suffering from, the extent of the problem, the kind of symptoms you are facing and last but not the least since how long you are suffering from the problem. 

 

 

Generally speaking if the symptoms are mild to moderate conservative strategies which include multiple drugs which reduce the inflammation in the spine, the various physiotherapy protocols and lifestyle modification is always the primary choice of treatment in 80% of the cervical illnesses. However if you come across the rest of the 20% of the analysis which include fractures, severe neurological complaints etc then there is a high possibility that you will be asked to undergo a cervical surgery.

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Risk factors for cervical problems

 

 

Various jobs, professional &  lifestyle make you at risk for Cervical diseases and hence make you at risk for cervical spine surgery at some time during your lifetime.

These things can be grouped as under:

1. Jobs which require keeping the neck in one position for a very long time like sitting on a computer screen.

2. Jobs which lead to wearing a heavyweight on someone’s head.

3. Accidents relating to neck trauma. 

4. Some people by heredity are also more prone to cervical problems.

 

Types of Cervical Spine Surgery

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Cervical spine surgery is a General term applied to any surgery which is performed on the neck spinal bones. cervical spine surgery c5 c6 c7 are the most common levels at which cervical spine surgeries are needed . We perform Cervical Spine surgery in Bihar which are of multiple kinds of spine surgery which are done which can be grouped as under.

1. ACDF Surgery : Anterior cervical spine surgery or discectomy and fusion surgery is a very common kind of surgery performed For Disc related problems in the cervical spine. This surgery is done from the front side of the neck with a very small incision under a microscope.

2. Cervical Disc Replacement : Sometimes Union patients if the disc is it generated doctors decide to change the disc in order to preserve the motion segment. 

3. Laminectomy or Laminotomy : Cervical laminectomy or laminotomy surgeon removes  complete or a part of the lamina of the cervical spine. In the surgery the neck is opened up from the back,that is called as posterior cervical spine surgery and the bone which is leading to compression on the spinal cord is taken out. Sometimes screws are also put after the laminectomy to me in order to stabilize the cervical spine.

4. Endoscopic Cervical Discectomy : Also called endoscopic fragmentectomy. This is a relatively new procedure and is done by a few surgeons who are trained to use the endoscope for cervical spine. However this procedure is more safe and easy as compared to acdf surgery and it requires less Hospital stay and faster recovery than acdf.

Some People confuse  spinal endoscopy as laparoscopic cervical spine surgery  however the right term is cervical spine endoscopy only .

 

Recovery after Cervical Spine Surgery

 

Most of the Cervical Spine surgery in India are done under microscope for under endoscope however some the surgeries are still done in a very classical and open manner. Cervical spine surgery recovery time varies and Your cervical spine surgeon may give you various advices after the procedure which may include following :

1. You may be asked for your spinal surgeon to wear a cervical collar for a couple of weeks after surgery.

2.  The recovery depends upon the type of mythology which has been addressed in the cervical spine.

3.  if The surgery is done for Disc related problems there is almost an instant improvement after the procedure however if the surgery is done for compression of the spinal cord then it may take a few weeks to months for improvement to show up.

4. Recovery also depends upon the extent of damage the spinal cord has suffered. 

 

 

Conclusion of Cervical Spine Surgery

 

There used to be a time when people used to fear cervical spine injuries. however with the advent of Technology cervical spine surgery in nowadays very common surgery To be performed across India. The use of microscopes has led to very minimal small incisions which are barely visible after a few months of the surgery. Also cervical spine surgery complications have been reduced a great deal because of use of Endoscopes. 

The use of minimally invasive spine surgery techniques MISS Has led to multiple improvements in the surgery which includes decreased blood loss, decrease Hospital stay, decrease number of stitches & smaller incisions and happier patients.

cervical spine surgery success rate has improved significantly in the last decade.This has led to  widespread acceptance for cervical spine surgery.