“Headaches, neck stiffness, numb hands.”
Cervical disc and joint problems, including symptoms radiating into the arm and hand.
Cervical discs can be treated as well as lumbar ones.
Whatever the diagnosis on your report says, the treatable question is whether a disc is torn and leaking. An annulogram answers that directly — and a review of the MRI you already own is where it starts.
How the procedure worksCervical disc pain is the neck's version of the same problem: a torn or degenerated disc between the seven neck vertebrae, with symptoms that can reach the head, shoulder, arm, and hand. The FibraDisc Procedure treats cervical discs as well as lumbar ones.
What it is
The cervical discs are smaller and more mobile than the lumbar ones, and the nerves leaving the neck supply the shoulders, arms, and hands. Tears, herniations, and degeneration happen here for the same reasons they do in the low back — age, load, posture, and injury — most often at C5–C6 and C6–C7.
How it tends to feel
Neck pain and stiffness, often worse at the end of the day or after screen work; pain between the shoulder blades; headaches that start at the base of the skull. When a nerve root is irritated, pain, tingling, or numbness travels into the shoulder, arm, or specific fingers.
Weakness in the hand, clumsiness, or changes in walking need prompt assessment — they can mean the spinal cord itself is involved.
What imaging shows — and misses
A cervical MRI shows disc height, herniations, and whether the spinal cord has room. As in the low back, it does not reliably show which disc is torn and leaking when several look worn. The annulogram is performed in the neck in the same way, one disc at a time.
How the FibraDisc Procedure addresses it
At leaking cervical levels identified on the annulogram, fibrin sealant is placed into the tear through a needle — no incision at the front of the neck, no plate, no cage, no fusion. The level keeps its motion because nothing structural is changed.
Fibrin sealant's use inside the disc is off-label; the published evidence is pilot and observational data; outcomes vary and are not guaranteed.
When it is not the answer
Signs that the spinal cord is affected — clumsy hands, trouble walking, changes in bladder control — need urgent surgical assessment, not a candidacy screening. Severe narrowing of the canal or instability also point to a surgeon first.
Questions about neck & cervical disc pain
Yes. Pain from the upper cervical discs and joints is commonly felt at the base of the skull and can spread forward. It is one of several causes of headache, which is why it is assessed rather than assumed.
It is not right for everyone. We will say so.
Often a good fit
- Chronic low back or neck pain that has not resolved with conservative care
- A recent MRI showing disc degeneration, bulging, or herniation
- Pain after a failed spine surgery, including fusion
- You have been told fusion is the next step and want another option first
- You want to avoid hardware and preserve your own disc
Not a fit, or not yet
- No recent MRI — we cannot assess you without imaging
- Progressive weakness, foot drop, or loss of bladder or bowel control (seek care now)
- Active spinal infection or cancer involving the spine
- Severe spinal instability or high-grade slippage
- Expecting insurance to cover it — the procedure is self-pay
Is your neck & cervical disc pain actually a torn disc?
A physician screens the MRI you already have and tells you in writing whether you appear to be a candidate — before you spend anything, least of all a flight.