Cervical Fusion Surgery for Houston

When many people think about the spine, they automatically envision a column of vertebrae running through the back. While this image is correct, your spine also extends up through your neck, supporting the skull and containing joints that make normal neck motion possible. When an injury or disorder damages this part of the spine, you may find the relief you seek through cervical fusion surgery in Houston.

What Is a Cervical Fusion?

A cervical fusion is a type of spinal fusion surgery that focuses on the vertebrae and vertebral discs of the neck. A spinal fusion intentionally and permanently prevents two or more vertebrae from moving. Cervical immobilization may be necessary for people who experience severe pain and other disabling symptoms whenever they try to turn, raise, or lower their heads. It can also help relieve neurological symptoms caused by compressed nerve tissue in the neck.

Why Undergo a Cervical Fusion?

Many cervical spinal conditions can interfere with normal, comfortable neck function. Examples include:

• A traumatic neck injury that fractures the vertebrae, herniates the discs that lie between vertebrae or makes the cervical spine unstable.
• Degenerative spinal issues such as osteoarthritis that produce painful friction in the joints that connect and articulate the vertebrae.
• Spinal stenosis, in which bony overgrowth narrows the spinal canal and pinches the spinal cord.

Spinal fusion surgery is usually performed only after non-surgical treatments have proven ineffective. If you’ve tried physical therapy, drug therapy, lifestyle changes, and other conservative remedies without success, your doctor may refer you to an orthopedic specialist to see if you’re a good candidate for cervical fusion surgery in Houston.

What Should You Expect From Cervical Fusion Surgery?

You will receive general anesthesia for cervical fusion surgery. Your surgeon will have already pinpointed the area of the cervical spine that requires surgery through a series of diagnostic techniques. In some cases, the surgeon will run a thin tube through small cuts in the neck to view the damage via a camera.

Depending on the location of your cervical spinal issue, you might require either an anterior interbody fusion or a posterior fusion. In anterior interbody fusion, the surgeon approaches the cervical spine through an incision in the front of the neck. In posterior fusion surgery, the surgeon makes the incision at the rear of the neck.

Next, the surgeon will take out the disc that lies between the two vertebrae that require fusion. A bone graft fills in the empty space left behind. This bone may come from your own pelvis or hip, or it may come from a donor. You might even receive a synthetic substance that encourages bone growth. The implanted bone will grow to join the two vertebrae together as one component.

This part of your cervical spine may require complete immobilization throughout the healing process. Your surgeon can accomplish this by attaching metal rods, plates, or screws that hold the vertebrae in place.

Anterior interbody fusion most commonly treats degenerative spinal conditions in the neck. Posterior fusion surgery usually comes into play for treating neck fractures.

Your surgeon may restrict certain activities during the early weeks of your recovery. For instance, you may need to wait a couple of weeks before you can safely drive a car. you may also need to avoid showering until the incision heals.

Let NW Surgery Help You

Surgery on the cervical spine, or any part of the spinal column, requires considerable skill and expertise in the latest techniques. That’s why you should turn to the experts at NW Surgery, Houston’s most well-established and trusted orthopedic surgery center. We have assembled a world-class team of specialists who can provide a variety of services, from spinal and extremity surgery to ketamine therapy for severe chronic pain.

NW Surgery doesn’t reserve these advanced services for individuals with health insurance. While we happily accept a variety of insurance plans, we also offer competitive pricing for uninsured individuals.

Contact the Houston Neck Pain Experts Today

A serious neck problem calls for serious solutions. You’ll find those solutions here at NW Surgery. If you need to talk to an expert about cervical fusion surgery in Houston, reach out to us today so we can connect you with a top-quality specialist in this delicate procedure.