Cervical disc treatment
The same approach applied to the neck, for disc pain with or without symptoms radiating into the arm and hand.
Region
Cervical spine
Setting
Outpatient
Discharge
Same day
The same approach, in the neck
The seven cervical vertebrae carry smaller, more mobile discs than the low back, and the nerves leaving the neck supply the shoulders, arms, and hands. The FibraDisc Procedure is performed here on the same principle: an annulogram identifies which cervical discs are torn and leaking, and fibrin sealant is placed into those tears through a needle, in the same visit.
No incision is made at the front of the neck, no plate or cage is implanted, and no level is fused — so the treated level keeps its motion. Fibrin sealant's use inside the disc is off-label; the published evidence is pilot and observational data; outcomes vary and are not guaranteed.
Who it is for
People with neck pain, pain between the shoulder blades, or pain, tingling, and numbness travelling into the shoulder, arm, or hand, whose imaging suggests a disc problem — particularly where several discs look worn and the question is which one is leaking. People who have been offered an anterior cervical fusion and want another option assessed first.
What is different
The approach and needle path are adapted to the neck's anatomy, and the screening is more careful about the spinal cord. Signs that the cord itself is affected — clumsy hands, trouble walking, changes in bladder control — need urgent surgical assessment rather than a candidacy screening, and we will say so.
Common questions
Sometimes. It depends on what the imaging shows and on your physician's judgement about procedure time. Tell us about both regions at screening and the plan will say what is proposed.
Start with the scan you already have.
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.