|  | Conditions Treatments | Neck Pain

Reasons for Needing a New Disc in the Neck

Your neck hurts clear down into your arm from a pinched nerve and your doctor recommends surgery. You have a choice: have two of your neck bones fused together or have a new disc put between them. Which is better?

  1. Preserves Motion

    • According to Science Daily, patients who have cervical disc replacement end up losing less motion in the neck. If you fuse two of the seven bones in your neck together, you end up with only six and your neck doesn't bend as much as it used to.

    Speeds Recovery

    • Patients with artificial discs recover faster than fusion patients. Fusing two vertebrae together uses screws to hold them in place while a bone graft makes it permanent, and bone heals slowly. Disc replacement doesn't require any screws or bone grafting.

    Saves Money

    • According to a study funded by Medtronics, a maker of cervical replacement discs, implanting an artificial disc into your spine "may cost more initially...but it saves the patient almost $6,000 within two years," because you can go back to work faster and you're less likely to need more treatment for problems fusion can cause, like degenerative arthritis in your neck because the fused bones put more pressure on their neighboring bones.

Neck Pain - Related Articles