by surgery i'm assuming your neurosurgeon would do an ACD or ACDF (anterior cervical discectomy w/ or w/o fusion). depending on how he was trained he may decide an approach from the posterior side (through the back of your neck PCD or PCDF)...
typically the incision is made through the throat and the disection occurs along the trachea and esophagus down to the collapsed discs. At that point he/she would remove all disc fragments or maybe even the entire disc in each level depending on the severity of each level specifically.
once the disc is removed the next process is to decompress the nerve root which is causing most of your pain. theres a couple ways to do it which also depend on his training.
one way is to use bone graft to hold the space open for your nerve to pass through. they can use synthetic bone graft which is a coral derivative, cadaver graft (allograft), or your own bone (autograft). each have their own benefits. Autograft is typically the best for your body to use and bond with because its your own bone (usually harvested from your illiac crest of the pelvis, so that means two wounds to heal post op). Allograft also works well however it is literally taken from a dead persons bone and ground up. the allograft goes through a cleaning procedure but if it is sterilized it loses its osteoconductivitity (meaning your body may not accept it). so you can see why some individuals get kind of freaked out about the thought of someone else's tissue being implanted into their bodys.
Another option is a fairly newer approach called a PEEK (polyetheretherketone) spacer. the surgeon opens the disk space that was being compressed and inserts the PEEK spacer. after the spacer is implanted the surgeon uses a plate and usually 4 screws (2 into each vertebre and the plate spanning the opening to hold the spacer in place). According to testing they typically last 20-25 years.
heres some clinical results from the Mayfield Clinic in Cincinatti:
Anterior cervical discectomy is successful in relieving arm pain in 92 to 100% of patients [3]. However, arm weakness and numbness may persist for weeks to months. Neck pain is relieved in 73 to 83% of patients [3]. In general, people with arm pain benefit more from ACDF than those with neck pain. Aim to keep a positive attitude and diligently perform your physical therapy exercises.
<CODE>Achieving a spinal fusion varies depending on the technique used and your general health (smoker). In a study that compared three techniques: ACD, ACDF, and ACDF with plates and screws, the outcomes were [3]:
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- 67% of people who underwent ACD (no bone graft) achieved fusion naturally. However, ACD alone results in an abnormal forward curving of the spine (kyphosis) compared with the other techniques.
- 93% of people who underwent ACDF with bone graft placement achieved fusion.
- 100% of people who underwent ACDF with bone graft placement and plates and screws achieved fusion.
so you can see there are options to fix the collapsed disks and get you back into the gym. although i would guess that your surgeon would recommend that you stay away from weights for a minimum of 12 weeks following your surgery if you chose to go that route.
before you take the plunge into the operating room i'd give it at least 6 weeks from your original injury with muscle relaxants and maybe some physical therapy. lots of people get relief that way w/o getting cut on.
