Risks of Surgery on Cervical Spine

The cervical spine is what holds your head on your shoulders. It houses your spinal cord, extending through the vertebrae to provide sensory and motor input to your extremities. Pressure or compression in the cervical spine may cause nerve damage and painful posture adjustments. For the small percentage who require surgery, there are some complications and risks.

Type of Surgery

• The type of surgery will determine the levels of risks involved. Cervical spinal surgery that comes through the front of the neck has more risk factors than a procedure going through the back of the neck in a minimally invasive procedure.

Spinal Risk

• Working on or around the spine puts the spinal cord at risk. Any mistakes can lead to damaging the spinal cord and creating permanent damage or paralysis.

Access Via the Front

• Any procedure such as a frontal fusion requires that the muscles, vocal cords and carotid artery be moved in order to access the spine. Any of these have the potential to be damaged, whereas a posterior foramenotomy is minimally invasive with fewer anatomical obstacles to go through.

Healing

• In procedures where a fusion or disc replacement has happened, there is a risk that the bones will not fuse with the new hardware.

Blood Clots

• One of the risks of any surgical procedure is developing blood clots in the lungs or legs.

Death

• There is always a slight risk of death with any surgical procedure. Talk to your doctor about the risks you face when going into cervical spine surgery.