Cervical Disc Arthroplasty
Cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) may be an appropriate surgical treatment option for patients diagnosed with Cervical Disc Disease. It is also known as disc replacement surgery. You may have a herniated or ruptured disc in your cervical spine that is compressing one of your spinal nerves and causing radiculopathy, a shocking, burning, tingling sensation or numbness in your neck, upper back or arm. You may have been diagnosed with a condition called spondylosis, which is degenerative arthritis of the spine. This condition can also result in severe neck, upper back and arm pain, accompanied by muscle weakness and/or dysfunction.
When these conditions cause significant pain and limit your ability to perform activities of daily living and when more conservative treatment options have not provided relief, your OSC Spine Specialist may recommend this surgical option to relieve your symptoms and to restore function. Not all patients will be good candidates for CDA, so your back surgeon will have to ascertain if you meet the criteria for this surgical procedure.
Cervical Disc Replacement is an alternative to Anterior Cervical Disc Fusion (ACDF), which is commonly used to treat this procedure and is highly-effective. In both procedures, the unhealthy disc is removed. In ACDF, the spine height is restored and cadaver, autologous or synthetic a bone graft is used to fix the spinal bones into position. With ACDF, the movement in that level of the spine is permanently lost as the bones fuse and heal. In CDA, a prosthetic disc is inserted into the space where the unhealthy disc was and fixed into placed with screws. No bone graft is used and no motion is lost at that level, as the prosthetic disc allows for forward, backwards and sideways motion of the neck.
Who Should Not Receive CDA?
Patients who have cervical disc problems at more than one level
- Patients who are less than 22 years old or whose bones have not stopped growing
- Patients who have bone weakness from previous injury or poor bone quality caused by osteoporosis or osteopenia
- Patients who have any type of infection, especially of the spine
- Patients who have a weak or unstable neck
- Patients who have spinal arthritis
- Patients who have allergies or sensitivities to metals or plastic (Consult with your surgeon.)
Which Patients are Candidates for CDA?
Patients who do not have spinal arthritis
- Patients who only have one problematic cervical disc
- Patients who are at least 22 years of age
- Patients who have had symptoms for at least 6 weeks who have not responded to non-operative treatments
As with any surgical procedure, CDA has potential risks and complications. Long-term benefits and risks of this procedure are not known at this time. Talk about your options with your Spine Specialist from Orthopedic & Spine Center (OSC) to decide the best orthopedic options for you.
Specialized Surgical Training
OSC is proud to be home to two fellowship-trained orthopaedic spine surgeons. Drs. Jeffrey R. Carlson and Mark W. McFarland are fully trained in performing cervical and lumbar disc replacement surgery, as well as surgical procedures for pinched nerves in the neck and lower back.
Orthopaedic & Spine Center provides the latest medical innovations and techniques in both orthopaedic and spine surgery to improve the quality of life for our patients. Visit our virtual Patient Center to learn more about our practice.
Back Surgery: Cervical Disc Arthroplasty Visit our Contact Us page for information on office hours. Our office is located in Newport News, VA. We are 40 minutes from Virginia Beach and an hour from Richmond, VA.
Make an appointment for a Back Surgery / Cervical Disc Arthroplasty Consultation at OSC
Call (757) 596-1900 to schedule an appointment with OSC for a back surgery consultation. Visit our Contact Us page for information on office hours. Our office is located in Newport News, VA. We are 40 minutes from Virginia Beach and an hour from Richmond, VA.
What Our Patients Are Saying
- On September 27, 2017, Dr. Jeffrey R. Carlson performed a Cervical Discectomy at the Surgical Pavilion, Mary Immaculate Hospital. Dr. Carlson cut under my neck (less invasive) which was an outpatient surgery. I had no complications thanks to the great team under Dr. Carlson’s direction. I have to say because Dr. Carlson is a Christian (for me that’s important), so many Christians in the community know of him, and raved about his work in the surgery. I felt at ease and wasn’t a bit scared… Read More
Brenda Bannister – Cervical Discectomy
- I’ve had the sincere pleasure of knowing Dr. Mark McFarland for the past 15 years. In that time, he performed a lumbar microdiscectomy of my L1-L2, a cervical discectomy and disk replacement of my C6-C7, and repaired a torn meniscus in my right knee. In addition, he’s performed several epidural steroid injections and been my general ‘go to’ for all things orthopedic. I’ve experienced nothing but excellent outcomes, and Dr. McFarland has always exceeded my expectations. Back &… Read More
Christopher Davis – Lumbar & Cervical Spine Surgeries, Spine Care & General Orthopaedics
- I have had neck pain for about 15 years. It got worse with each passing year. I tried the Chiropractor doctor and also did PT. I found Dr. Jeffrey Carlson through a friend. He suggested a Cervical Discectomy on C5, C6 & C7. As soon as I came out of surgery, the pain was gone! I just had the normal recuperation from surgery and that was it! I have to say, this was a very easy surgery to recuperate from. I wish I had done this years ago. I am still pain free and my neck feels… Read More
Karen Levy – Cervical Discectomy Surgery
- I injured my neck 30 years ago and lived with pain and numbness in my left arm, hand and neck every day. I went to multiple doctors, to include two other orthopaedic offices, and no one offered any help or relief until I visited Orthopaedic and Spine Center. My first visit with Dr. Jeffrey Carlson offered me hope, he immediately explained why I had the pain and numbness and explained what my options were. I had cervical spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and an herniated nucleus… Read More
Barbara Summers – Epidural Steroid Injections, Cervical Discectomy Surgery & PT
- Excellent group of doctors, assistants, and wonderful physical therapy team! I had been referred to see an orthopedic surgeon. So I did some research online and came across a few in Hampton Roads. After reading the reviews and testimonials from the different practices, my decision was made and I chose to go with OSC. On my first appointment, options were discussed and the worst case scenario was given. Dr. Jeffrey Carlson requested a better imaging scan done so that he could fully assess… Read More
J. Joseph – Cervical Disc Fusion Surgery & Physical Therapy
- For years, I have heard horror stories about failed spinal fusions and how some patients were never able to walk again after the procedure, so I was very hesitant to agree to any type of spinal surgery. However, I had cervical fusion, performed by Dr. Jeffrey Carlson several years ago, which was a total success and with no complications or symptoms since that time. After spinal x-rays and a subsequent MRI confirmed significant narrowing of the lower spinal canal which was causing significant… Read More