Most patients familiar with cervical spine problems think of disc herniation, nerve compression, or stenosis. Cervical kyphosis is less widely known but represents a distinct and clinically important problem: the neck loses its normal inward curve and develops a forward bend instead, placing the spinal cord under progressive stretch across the kyphotic apex and creatingContinue reading “Cervical Kyphosis: A Different Kind of Neck Problem”
Category Archives: Cervical Spine
Cervical Disc Replacement Recovery: What to Expect Week by Week
Recovery from cervical disc replacement is one of the most commonly searched topics by patients who have decided on surgery and are trying to understand what the weeks ahead will look like. This post covers the realistic recovery trajectory — what most patients experience, what the activity restrictions are, and where cervical disc replacement recoveryContinue reading “Cervical Disc Replacement Recovery: What to Expect Week by Week”
The Hybrid Cervical Construct: Disc Replacement After a Prior Fusion
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is among the most commonly performed and most successful procedures in spine surgery. But like any fusion, it has a known long-term consequence: the segments directly above and below the fused level are exposed to increased mechanical stress, and over years to decades, a portion of patients develop symptomaticContinue reading “The Hybrid Cervical Construct: Disc Replacement After a Prior Fusion”
Two-Level Cervical Disc Replacement: When Is It an Option?
Cervical disc disease most commonly affects a single level — and single-level cervical disc replacement is by far the most studied and most commonly performed configuration. But disc degeneration does not always confine itself to one level. For patients with significant disease at two adjacent levels — C4–5 and C5–6, or C5–6 and C6–7, forContinue reading “Two-Level Cervical Disc Replacement: When Is It an Option?”
Why I Was Told I Don’t Qualify for Cervical Disc Replacement — A Second Look
One of the most common reasons patients reach out for a second opinion on cervical spine surgery is a version of the same story: they researched cervical disc replacement, asked their surgeon about it, and were told they don’t qualify. Sometimes the explanation was detailed. More often it was brief — a mention of arthritis,Continue reading “Why I Was Told I Don’t Qualify for Cervical Disc Replacement — A Second Look”
Cervical Disc Replacement vs. Fusion: What 10+ Years of Data Actually Shows
When patients are told they need surgery for a cervical disc problem — a herniated disc, a pinched nerve, or early signs of spinal cord compression — two procedures are typically on the table: anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and cervical disc replacement (arthroplasty). Both decompress the nerve or spinal cord through the sameContinue reading “Cervical Disc Replacement vs. Fusion: What 10+ Years of Data Actually Shows”
Signs You May Have Cervical Myelopathy — and Why Early Recognition Matters
Cervical myelopathy is one of the most commonly missed diagnoses in spine medicine. It is caused by compression of the spinal cord in the neck — not just a pinched nerve, but the cord itself — and it produces a characteristic pattern of symptoms that develop so gradually, and overlap so much with other conditions,Continue reading “Signs You May Have Cervical Myelopathy — and Why Early Recognition Matters”
Cervical Disc Replacement vs. ACDF: How to Choose
ACDF and cervical disc replacement both treat cervical disc disease — but they are not interchangeable. Here is how to understand the difference and what determines which procedure is right for you.
Cervical Epidural Abscess
An update on a cervical epidural abscess case: Successful partial C4 corpectomy led to significant neurological recovery. The abscess was more phlegmon than liquid. A fibular allograft was used for anterior column reconstruction and stability. Key takeaways: About Dr. Zeeshan SardarDr. Sardar, MD, MSc, F.R.C.S.C, is Co-Chief of Spinal Deformity Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian / ColumbiaContinue reading “Cervical Epidural Abscess”