When painful neck symptoms progress or do not resolve with conservative treatment, surgery may be required. 

Surgical Treatment: 
Anterior cervical discectomy & fusion (ACDF): The surgeon makes a small incision in the front of your neck. The neck muscles, vessels and nerves are moved aside to expose the bony vertebra and disc. Using special instruments, the portion of the ruptured disc that is pressing on the nerve is removed. After removing the herniated disc, the disc space may be filled with a bone graft or cage to create a fusion. Fusion is the process of joining together bone. Over time the graft will fuse to the vertebra above and below to make one solid piece of bone. Metal plates and screws may be used to provide stability during fusion and possibly a better fusion rate.
 
Dr. John York has performed hundreds of ACDFs in his 10 years of practice and now uses the Zero-p interbody fusion device almost exclusively.  "I feel that it has all the advantages of the traditional method of bone graft and plate.  But is much less likely to cause post-operative problems, such as, dysphagia (swallowing difficult) and adjacent level disease".  "this device is recessed behind the anterior vertebral body and I feel it is biomechanically superior, because the axis of rotation is moved closer to the middle of the vertebral body, unlike a plate, that is placed in front of the vertebral body".  "I feel this decreases the load at the adjacent level and thus decreases the chance for adjacent level ossification and failure".
 

To read the full article, please go to www.GoOtho.net

 

Every year around this time parents are counting the days until a new school season begins. For a lot of those parents, school sports physicals is just one more item on there very long to do list.  For the last few years Go Orthopedics has worked with several local High Schools to provide onsite sports physicals to there students at the school they attend. This is just one more way that Go Orthopedics is helping keep you and your family on the GO!

Having to take time off from work is not only inconvenient, it's a frustrating interruption.  At Go Orthopedics, injured workers are prescribed a treatment regimen that allows them to recover and return to their jobs as quickly and safely as possible.  

 

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call us at 804-452-1635 or visit us on the web at www.GoOrtho.net.